The benefits of Baicalin for humans and animals
Baicalin is the glycosyloxyflavone which is the 7-O-glucuronide of baicalein. It is an active ingredient of Chinese herbal medicine Scutellaria baicalensis. It has a role as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, an EC 3.4.21.26 (prolyl oligopeptidase) inhibitor, a prodrug, a plant metabolite, a ferroptosis inhibitor, a neuroprotective agent, an antineoplastic agent, a cardioprotective agent, an antiatherosclerotic agent, an antioxidant, an EC 2.7.7.48 (RNA-directed RNA polymerase) inhibitor, an anticoronaviral agent and an antibacterial agent. It is a glucosiduronic acid, a glycosyloxyflavone, a dihydroxyflavone and a monosaccharide derivative. It derives from a baicalein. It is a conjugate acid of a baicalin(1-).
Baicalin is a natural product found in Scutellaria amoena, Thalictrum baicalense, and other organisms with data available.
Chemical Structure Depiction:
There are a number of different names that people use for Baicalin. These include the Chinese Skullcap, Huang Qin, Scutellaria baicalensis (the scientific name), and the Hooded Willow Herb. Less common names include Mad Bark and Baikal.
Baicalin has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. In the past, it was used as a tonic for longevity and to promote a healthy heart and mind. Today, Baicalin extracts are used as a powerful dietary supplement.The Baicalin compound was originally extracted from the beautiful Blue Skullcap in traditional Chinese medicine.
It has a wide range of health benefits including the promotion of relaxation and stress relief, neuroprotection, and boosting memory and learning potentials. Further Baicalin benefits include promoting a healthy circulatory system, promoting a healthy blood sugar level, reducing inflammation, and possibly acting as an antiviral/antibiotic substance.
One thing for sure is that this ancient plant species has a great range of potential benefits for those who use it. Baicalin benefits are great for people of all ages. Baicalin is a remarkably safe dietary compound with a history of use that dates back to traditional Chinese medicine thousands of years ago.
baicalin benefitsfor animals?
In the past few decades, the broiler industry has rapidly grown, and the global consumption of broiler chickens currently ranks second after pork. Broilers are thus considered a major source of protein for human beings . Broiler production is an essential component in meeting the increasing demand of animal protein in both developed or developing countries. However, modern large-scale broiler production provokes stressful environmental situations for broilers due to thermal conditions, high-stocking density, immunological challenges, handling, transportation, and feed quality . These environmental stressors in turn elicit a biological response in broiler chickens to re-establish homeostatic conditions. These stressors increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and disturb the balance between the oxidation and antioxidant defense systems inside the chicken's body, resulting in oxidative stress .
Oxidative stress constitutes an important chemical phenomenon that leads to biological damage, affecting growth and production in farm animals . The adverse effect of oxidative stress can be minimized via supplementation of chickens with an adequate supply of antioxidants . Some synthetic antioxidants such as ethoxyquin, BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (butylated hydroxytoluene) are commonly used as effective technical additives in poultry diets in order to increase the stability of the feed . Nevertheless, such substances are thought to have biological effects in vivo, and their toxicological safety is a matter of much debate. This has driven the search for natural compounds suitable for replacing synthetic antioxidants in animal feed, particularly, those that provide additional biological benefits. Thus, the poultry industry would greatly benefit from natural antioxidants that could replace the synthetic options, and satisfy consumer demands for food products without residue from substances that have the potential to harm human health.
Therefore, researchers have turned their attention to natural resources, such as herbs, seeds, leaves, cereals, spices, and fruits to find natural antioxidants to replace synthetic additives. Flavonoids play a significant role in natural resources and may be beneficial to human beings as antioxidants, and thus have attracted the attention of researchers . Baicalein (5,6,7 trihydroxyflavone) is a flavonoid from the root of the traditional herbal remedy known as Chinese skullcap (or Huang Qin). This plant, Scutellaria baicalensis, is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine to achieve anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antibacterial, and antihypertensive effects in addition to its use as a food condiment. The beneficial effects of baicalein on human health are also closely related to its antioxidant properties; it has good hydrogen and electron donors, and the radical intermediates are stabilized by possible resonance forms .