Plant extract composition for increasing endogenous growth hormone secretion

Abstract

The present invention provides a plant extract composition for enhancing endogenous growth hormone secretion. The plant extract composition comprises a Mucuna pruriens extract and an Astragalus root extract. In the plant extract composition, the Mucuna pruriens extract and the Astragalus root extract exhibit a synergistic effect. Thus, the plant extract composition containing both the Mucuna pruriens extract and the Astragalus root extract (hereinafter referred to as the composition) can promote the secretion of endogenous growth hormone, thereby increasing growth hormone levels and effectively addressing the poor compliance issue associated with traditional injection methods.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of biotechnology, in particular to a plant extract composition for improving the secretion of endogenous growth hormone, and more particularly to a plant extract composition and use thereof. Background Art

[0002] Growth hormone is one of the core signals that regulate the growth and development of animal cells. Abnormal growth hormone levels are believed to be highly correlated with a variety of diseases, including dwarfism, gigantism, and cancer. Currently, there are very limited options for effectively increasing growth hormone levels in the human body, mainly focusing on exogenous supplementation through various recombinant human growth hormone injections. Although this method can effectively and quickly increase growth hormone levels, it is extremely expensive and requires periodic injections, which makes it difficult for users to comply and frequently results in missed injections, which significantly affects long-term efficacy.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a drug that can enhance the secretion of endogenous growth hormone. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art to at least a certain extent.

[0005] The present invention is accomplished based on the following findings of the inventors:

[0006] The inventors found that exogenous growth hormone injections mainly use recombinant human growth hormone preparations produced by recombinant technology, which are extremely expensive and require users to undergo long-term periodic injections, resulting in generally poor user compliance and frequent missed injections, which in turn makes it difficult to ensure long-term therapeutic effects.

[0007] At present, most drugs used to promote the secretion of endogenous growth hormone are oral dosage forms, but the ingredients are mostly single amino acids or nutrients, the actual efficacy is difficult to guarantee, and there is often a lack of sufficient experimental verification.

[0008] However, the inventor unexpectedly discovered through experiments that a composition made up of a variety of plant extracts can effectively enhance the release of endogenous growth hormone in cells. This formula can be used orally and can effectively increase the level of endogenous growth hormone.

[0009] Based on this, in one aspect, the present invention provides a plant extract composition. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plant extract composition includes a Mucuna pruriens extract and an Astragalus membranaceus extract. Through experiments, the inventors have discovered that the Mucuna pruriens extract and the Astragalus membranaceus extract exhibit a synergistic effect. The use of a plant extract composition containing both Mucuna pruriens extract and Astragalus membranaceus extract (hereinafter referred to as the composition) can promote the secretion of endogenous growth hormone, thereby increasing growth hormone levels, effectively addressing the poor compliance issue associated with traditional injection methods.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plant extract composition may further include at least one of the following additional technical features:

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the weight ratio of the Mucuna pruriens extract to the Astragalus root extract is (1-2):(1-3). The inventors have discovered through experiments that there is a synergistic effect between the Mucuna pruriens extract and the Astragalus root extract. A composition prepared using the aforementioned weight ratio of the Mucuna pruriens extract to the Astragalus root extract can further promote the secretion of endogenous growth hormone and increase the level of growth hormone in the body.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the astragalus extract is obtained by the following method: subjecting astragalus to a first extraction treatment with a first organic solvent to obtain the astragalus extract.

[0013] It should be noted that the above-mentioned astragalus can be astragalus slices or astragalus powder, and the specific type is not limited.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first organic solvent is ethanol.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the volume ratio of the astragalus to the first organic solvent is (1-4): (2-6); thereby, the effective ingredients in the astragalus can be better extracted.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first extract obtained by the first extraction treatment is subjected to a first enzymatic hydrolysis treatment to obtain the astragalus extract.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first enzymatic hydrolysis treatment is performed using neutral cellulase and papain.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the total weight of the neutral cellulase and papain is 2-5% of the weight of the astragalus.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first enzymatic hydrolysis treatment is carried out at 40-60° C. and a pH value of 6.5-7.5.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present invention, after the first leaching treatment and before the first enzymatic hydrolysis treatment, the first extract is subjected to a washing treatment; optionally, the washing treatment is performed using water at 60 to 100°C.

[0021] It should be noted that the weight of water added and the washing time in the above-mentioned washing process are not specifically limited and can be adjusted according to the total weight of the astragalus. For example, the weight of water added is 3 to 5 times the weight of the astragalus, and the washing time is 10 to 60 minutes.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first enzymatic hydrolyzate obtained by the first enzymatic hydrolysis treatment is sequentially subjected to a first enzyme inactivation treatment and a first alcohol precipitation treatment to obtain the astragalus extract.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first alcohol precipitation treatment is performed in 90-100% by mass ethanol, preferably 95% by mass ethanol.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present invention, after the first enzyme inactivation treatment and before the first alcohol precipitation treatment, the first enzyme inactivation product is subjected to a reduced pressure concentration treatment; optionally, the first enzyme inactivation product is concentrated under reduced pressure to 10% to 50% of the original volume.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the Mucuna pruriens extract is obtained by the following method: mixing Mucuna pruriens with water and crushing the mixture to obtain a crushed mixture; extracting and eluting the crushed mixture to obtain the Mucuna pruriens extract; optionally, the extractant is ethyl acetate.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the further plant extract composition includes bitter orange extract and nettle leaf extract. The inventors have discovered through experiments that bitter orange extract and nettle leaf extract exhibit a synergistic effect. When the composition contains both bitter orange extract and nettle leaf extract, it can further promote the secretion of endogenous growth hormone, thereby increasing growth hormone levels, effectively addressing the poor compliance associated with traditional injection methods.

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the weight ratio of the bitter orange extract to the nettle leaf extract is (0.5-2):(0.5-3). The inventors have discovered through continuous experiments that the above ratio of bitter orange extract to nettle leaf extract can further promote the secretion of endogenous growth hormone in the body and increase the level of growth hormone in the body.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the bitter orange extract is obtained by the following method: crushing bitter orange; mixing the crushed bitter orange with water and performing high-pressure homogenization to obtain a first mixed liquid; mixing the first mixed liquid with maltodextrin to obtain a first supernatant; and mixing the first supernatant with anhydrous ethanol to obtain the bitter orange extract.

[0029] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mass volume ratio of the bitter orange to water is 1:(1-3).

[0030] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the weight of the maltodextrin is 5-10% of the weight of the bitter orange.

[0031] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the high-pressure homogenization is performed under a gas pressure of 900 Bar.

[0032] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the volume ratio of the first supernatant to anhydrous ethanol is 1:(0.5-0.9).

[0033] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the nettle leaf extract is obtained by the following method: subjecting nettle to a first extraction treatment with water to obtain a first extract; mixing the first extract with a first organic solvent to obtain a second extract; mixing the second extract with ethanol to perform alcohol precipitation to obtain a sediment; and mixing the sediment with water to obtain the nettle leaf extract.

[0034] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mass volume ratio of the nettle to water is 1:(1-3).

[0035] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first leaching treatment is carried out at 300-500 MPa and 15-35°C.

[0036] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first organic solvent is a mixture of chloroform and n-butanol.

[0037] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mass volume ratio of chloroform to n-butanol is 1:(1-2).

[0038] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the concentration of the ethanol is 80-95%.

[0039] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mass volume ratio of the first extract to the first organic solvent is (1-4): (2-6); according to an embodiment of the present invention, the mass volume ratio of the second extract to ethanol is 1: (1-3).

[0040] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mass volume ratio of the sediment to water is 1:(3-7).

[0041] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plant extract composition further includes at least one of the following: maca extract, hawthorn extract, ginseng extract, phytosterols, acacia cocoa extract, and oryzanol. The inventors have discovered through experiments that this composition can promote the secretion of endogenous growth hormone and increase growth hormone levels in the body, effectively treating and preventing diseases related to growth hormone deficiency, such as dwarfism.

[0042] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plant extract composition includes maca extract, Mucuna pruriens extract, hawthorn extract, astragalus extract, ginseng extract, phytosterols, acacia oleracea extract, bitter orange extract, nettle leaf extract, and oryzanol. The inventors have discovered through experiments that this composition can promote the secretion of endogenous growth hormone and increase growth hormone levels in the body, effectively treating and preventing diseases related to growth hormone deficiency, such as dwarfism.

[0043] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plant extract composition includes: 5-10 parts by weight of maca extract, 10-25 parts by weight of Mucuna pruriens extract, 5-10 parts by weight of hawthorn extract, 10-25 parts by weight of astragalus extract, 5-10 parts by weight of ginseng extract, 5-10 parts by weight of plant sterols, 5-10 parts by weight of acacia extract, 10-25 parts by weight of bitter orange extract, 10-25 parts by weight of nettle leaf extract, and 10-25 parts by weight of oryzanol. This can promote the secretion of endogenous growth hormone and increase the level of growth hormone in the body, effectively solving the problem of poor compliance caused by traditional injection methods.

[0044] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the maca extract is obtained by the following method: performing a first extraction treatment on maca and a first solvent to obtain the maca extract.

[0045] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first solvent is methanol solution and concentrated hydrochloric acid.

[0046] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the volume ratio of maca to the first solvent is 1:(1-5); thereby, the effective ingredients in maca can be better extracted.

[0047] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first extract obtained by the first extraction process is subjected to an elution process to obtain the maca extract.

[0048] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the elution process is performed 4 to 6 times, preferably 5 times.

[0049] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the elution process includes sequentially eluting with one column volume of water, three column volumes of 20% ethanol, four column volumes of 55% ethanol, three column volumes of 70% ethanol and one column volume of 95% ethanol.

[0050] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the elution treatment further comprises: collecting the third column volume of 20% ethanol and the first to third volumes of 55% ethanol eluates, and performing freeze-drying treatment.

[0051] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the hawthorn extract is obtained by the following method: performing a first steaming of hawthorn and water, filtering to obtain a first filtrate and a first filter residue; performing a second steaming of the first filter residue and water, filtering to obtain a second filtrate and a second filter residue; performing a third steaming of the second filtrate and water, filtering to obtain a third filtrate and a third filter residue; mixing the first filter residue, the second filter residue and the third filter residue, and drying to obtain the hawthorn extract.

[0052] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the volume ratio of hawthorn to water is 1:(9~16).

[0053] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the volume ratio of the first filter residue to water is 1:(7~11).

[0054] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the volume ratio of the second filtrate to water is 1:(2-6).

[0055] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the ginseng extract is obtained by the following method: subjecting ginseng to a first extraction treatment with a first solvent to obtain the ginseng extract.

[0056] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first organic solvent is ethanol.

[0057] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the volume ratio of the ginseng to the first organic solvent is (1-4): (2-6).

[0058] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first extract obtained by the first extraction process is subjected to a desorption process to obtain the ginseng extract.

[0059] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the desorption treatment solvent is ethanol.

[0060] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the azul cocoa extract is obtained by the following method: subjecting cocoa to a first extraction treatment with a first solvent to obtain the azul cocoa extract.

[0061] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first organic solvent is ethanol.

[0062] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the volume ratio of the cocoa to the first organic solvent is (1-4):(2-6).

[0063] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plant extract composition further comprises: a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.

[0064] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the dosage form of the plant extract composition includes at least one selected from oral liquid, tablet, powder, capsule, granule, pill, suspension, syrup, powder, dripping pill, injection and inhalant.

[0065] Illustratively, the composition of the present invention is in an orally administrable dosage form, including but not limited to tablets, powders, capsules, drops, granules, pills, suspensions and syrups.

[0066] In another aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides the use of the aforementioned plant extract composition in the preparation of a medicament for increasing endogenous growth hormone levels or for treating and / or preventing diseases related to growth hormone deficiency. As previously mentioned, the use of a composition containing both a Mucuna pruriens extract and an Astragalus membranaceus extract, a Citrus aurantium extract, and an Urtica dioica leaf extract can promote the secretion of endogenous growth hormone in the body, thereby increasing the level of growth hormone in the body, and can effectively treat and prevent diseases related to growth hormone deficiency. Therefore, the use of a medicament containing the aforementioned composition can also promote the secretion of endogenous growth hormone in the body, thereby increasing the level of growth hormone in the body, and can effectively treat and prevent diseases related to growth hormone deficiency, effectively solving the problem of poor compliance caused by traditional injection methods.

[0067] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the related diseases caused by growth hormone deficiency include: dwarfism, gigantism, osteoporosis, and cancer.

[0068] It should be noted that "cancer" herein can be any unregulated cell growth. For example, it can be non-small cell lung cancer, papillary thyroid cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, colon cancer, rectal cancer, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer, bile duct cancer or sarcoma, acute myeloid leukemia, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, neuroblastoma, prostate cancer, neuroblastoma, pancreatic cancer, melanoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, cervical cancer, skin cancer, glioma, esophageal cancer, oral squamous cell carcinoma or gastric cancer, etc.

[0069] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description which follows, or may be learned by practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0070] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0071] Figure 1 The results of growth hormone levels in mice in the control group, bitter orange extract group, nettle leaf extract group, and bitter orange + nettle leaf group in Example 2 of the present invention are shown;

[0072] Figure 2The results of growth hormone levels in mice in the control group, astragalus extract group, Mucuna pruriens extract group, and Mucuna pruriens + astragalus group in Example 2 of the present invention are as follows;

[0073] Figure 3 The results are the growth hormone levels in mice of the experimental group (Example group) and the control group at different times after injection of the drug in Example 3 of the present invention;

[0074] Figure 4 The results of growth hormone levels in mice of the experimental group (Example group) and the control group on day 0 of drug injection in Example 3 of the present invention are shown;

[0075] Figure 5 The results of growth hormone levels in mice of the experimental group (Example group) and the control group on the 15th day after injection of the drug in Example 3 of the present invention;

[0076] Figure 6 The results of growth hormone levels in the experimental group (Example group) and the control group mice on the 30th day after injection of the drug in Example 3 of the present invention;

[0077] Figure 7 The results of growth hormone levels in the experimental and control groups of mice on the 45th day after drug injection in Example 3 of the present invention;

[0078] Figure 8 These are the results of growth hormone levels in the experimental and control groups of mice on the 60th day after drug injection in Example 3 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. The embodiments described below are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0080] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. Furthermore, in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0081] In this document, the terms “include” or “comprising” are open expressions, that is, including the contents specified in the present invention, but not excluding other contents.

[0082] As used herein, the terms "optionally," "optional," or "optionally" generally mean that the subsequently described event or circumstance may but need not occur, and that the description includes instances where the event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not.

[0083] As used herein, the term "pharmaceutically acceptable" means that the substance or composition must be chemically and / or toxicologically compatible with the other ingredients of the formulation and / or the mammal to be treated therewith.

[0084] As used herein, the term "pharmaceutically acceptable excipient" includes any solvent, dispersion medium, coating material, surfactant, antioxidant, preservative (e.g., antibacterial agent, antifungal agent), isotonic agent, salt, pharmaceutical stabilizer, binder, excipient, dispersant, lubricant, sweetener, flavoring, coloring agent, or combination thereof, all of which are known to those skilled in the art. Except where any conventional carrier is incompatible with the active ingredient, its use in treatment or pharmaceutical compositions is encompassed.

[0085] As used herein, the term "treatment" refers to any agent used to obtain a desired pharmacological and / or physiological effect. The effect may be preventive in terms of completely or partially preventing a disease or its symptoms, and / or therapeutic in terms of partially or completely curing a disease and / or the adverse effects caused by the disease. "Treatment" as used herein covers diseases in mammals, particularly humans, and includes: (a) preventing the occurrence of a disease or condition in individuals who are susceptible to the disease but have not yet been diagnosed with the disease; (b) inhibiting the disease, such as arresting the progression of the disease; or (c) alleviating the disease, such as alleviating the symptoms associated with the disease. "Treatment" as used herein covers any medication that administers a drug or compound to an individual to treat, cure, alleviate, improve, reduce or inhibit the individual's disease, including but not limited to administering a drug containing a compound described herein to an individual in need.

[0086] Below, the scheme of the present invention will be explained in conjunction with embodiment.It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the following examples are only used to illustrate the present invention and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present invention.In the embodiment, if specific technology or conditions are not indicated, the technology or conditions described in the literature in this area or the product instructions are used.The reagents or instruments used are not indicated by the manufacturer, and are all conventional products that can be obtained by commercial purchase.

[0087] Extract preparation method:

[0088] The maca extract is obtained by washing, draining and powdering the maca, adding a methanol solution and concentrated hydrochloric acid, and ultrasonically obtaining a crude extract, concentrating the crude extract until there is no alcohol taste to obtain a concentrated crude extract, and then using a macroporous resin for adsorption, eluting the macroporous resin in the order of one column volume of water, three column volumes of 20% ethanol, four column volumes of 55% ethanol, three column volumes of 70% ethanol, and one column volume of 95% ethanol, collecting the eluate, and performing ultra-low temperature freeze-drying treatment on the eluate obtained by the third column volume of 20% ethanol and the first to third column volumes of 50% ethanol to obtain the maca extract.

[0089] The astragalus extract is obtained by adding ethanol to astragalus root powder and letting it stand for 30 to 60 minutes; adding water at a temperature of 60 to 100°C in an amount of 3 to 5 times the weight of the astragalus root powder, keeping warm and refluxing for 15 to 30 minutes, cooling, filtering, repeatedly washing with water, combining the filtrate and the washing liquid, and setting the filter cake aside; adding 1 to 10 times the weight of water to the filter cake, adding neutral cellulase and papain (dosage is 2-5% of the astragalus root powder), controlling the temperature to 40 to 60°C, adjusting the pH to neutral, heating to inactivate the enzyme after enzymatic hydrolysis, cooling to room temperature, filtering, washing, discarding the filter cake, and combining the filtrate and the washing liquid; combining the obtained filtrate and washing liquid, concentrating under reduced pressure to 10% to 50% of the original volume, adding 95% ethanol for alcohol precipitation, filtering the solid, and drying to obtain the astragalus extract.

[0090] The method for obtaining the Mucuna pruriens extract is as follows: taking Mucuna pruriens, then adding water at 0 to 5°C for crushing to obtain a crushed mixed liquid; performing solid-liquid separation on the crushed mixed liquid, and taking the liquid to obtain a blueberry crushed liquid; adding ethyl acetate to the blueberry crushed liquid for extraction to obtain an ethyl acetate extract, and concentrating and drying the ethyl acetate extract to obtain an ethyl acetate extract; further eluting and separating the ethyl acetate extract using a preparative liquid chromatograph, and concentrating and drying the eluate to obtain a blueberry extract.

[0091] The bitter orange extract is obtained by: (1) taking fresh bitter orange, crushing it, adding 3 times the weight of water of the bitter orange, and stirring at 60°C for 0.5h; (2) performing high-pressure homogenization at 900Bar pressure, and circulating it 4 times; (3) adding 8% of the weight of the finger orange maltodextrin in step (2), stirring for 0.5h, centrifuging, and taking a first supernatant; (4) adding 70% of the volume of anhydrous ethanol to the first supernatant in step (3), stirring for 2.0h, centrifuging, removing the residue, taking a second supernatant, concentrating under reduced pressure until there is no ethanol smell, and spray drying. The bitter orange extract is obtained.

[0092] The method for obtaining the nettle leaf extract is as follows: (1) taking nettle and adding excess water, and extracting it under ultrahigh pressure at 300-500 MPa and 15-35° C. for 8-10 minutes, filtering and collecting the filtrate, and performing a first concentration to a relative density of 1.12-1.15 to obtain a first extract; (2) taking the first extract and dialyzing it at 3-5° C., collecting the retained liquid, and deproteinizing it with a mixed solution of chloroform and n-butanol by the sevage method, collecting the water layer, and performing a second concentration to a relative density of 1.12-1.15 to obtain a second extract; (3) taking the second extract and adding ethanol with a concentration of 80-95% for 20-24 hours, collecting the sediment after centrifugation, adding water and stirring to dissolve, and performing a third concentration to a relative density of 1.12-1.18 to obtain a third extract, filtering and collecting the filtrate, and obtaining the extract; in terms of g / mL, the mass volume ratio of the second extract to ethanol is 1-3, and the mass volume ratio of the sediment to water is 1:3-7. Obtain nettle extract.

[0093] The method for obtaining the hawthorn extract is as follows: 1) preparing the raw hawthorn, washing it, and then placing it in a jacketed pot, adding 10-15 times the amount of water for a first steaming, filtering, and obtaining a first filtrate and a first filter residue; 2) placing the first filter residue obtained in step 1 in a jacketed pot, adding 8-10 times the amount of water for a second steaming, filtering, and obtaining a second filtrate and a second filter residue; 3) placing the second filter residue obtained in step 2 in a jacketed pot, adding 3-5 times the amount of water for a third steaming, filtering, and obtaining a third filtrate and a third filter residue; 4) mixing the first filtrate obtained in step 1, the second filtrate obtained in step 2, and the third filtrate obtained in step 3, standing for 1-2 hours, filtering, and obtaining a crude extract; 5) compressing the crude extract obtained in step 4 to 1 / 5-1 / 4 of its original volume; and 6) cooling the compressed crude extract obtained in step 5 into a paste, drying, and obtaining a finished hawthorn extract.

[0094] The ginseng extract is obtained as follows: 1) extraction: slicing the raw ginseng root, washing it with water, filtering the water, adding 60-80% ethanol, and reflux extraction; 2) filtration: liquid-solid separation to obtain a filtrate; 3) concentration: decompressing and concentrating the filtrate to a state without alcohol taste to obtain a concentrated solution a; 4) macroporous resin purification: passing the concentrated solution a through a macroporous resin for adsorption; 5) impurity washing: washing impurities with water; 6) desorption: desorbing with 50-70% ethanol, and collecting the desorbed solution; 7) pesticide removal resin: passing the desorbed solution directly through pesticide removal resin LKC36, and collecting the effluent; 8) concentration: decompressing and concentrating the effluent to a degree Baume of 10-20 to obtain a concentrated solution b; 9) spraying: spray drying the concentrated solution b to obtain the product ginseng extract.

[0095] The Brazilian cocoa extract is obtained by: 1) extraction: coarsely crushing the cocoa, extracting with ethanol, filtering, and collecting the extract; 2) coarse filtration: passing the extract obtained in step 1 through a ceramic membrane, and collecting the resulting filtrate; 3) concentration: concentrating the filtrate obtained in step 2 through an ultrafiltration membrane to obtain a concentrated solution; 4) drying: freeze-drying the concentrated solution obtained in step 3 and pulverizing it to obtain the Brazilian cocoa extract.

[0096] Plant sterols were purchased from Shandong West Asia Chemical Co., Ltd.

[0097] Oryzanol was purchased from Hangzhou Yipin Xinwufeng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

[0098] Example 1

[0099] The inventors mixed Mucuna pruriens extract, Astragalus membranaceus extract, Citrus aurantium dulcis extract and Urtica dioica leaf extract in different ratios at room temperature, and after mixing evenly, prepared different compositions, namely, compositions 1 to 6. The specific ratios are shown in Table 1.

[0100] Table 1: Ratio of each component by weight in compositions 1 to 6

[0101]

[0102] Note: “ / ” means not added.

[0103] Example 2

[0104] In this example, C57BL / 6J mice were selected and divided into 7 groups, with 8 mice in each group, namely, a control group, a bitter orange extract group, a urtica leaf extract group, a bitter orange extract + urtica leaf extract group (referred to as the bitter orange + urtica leaf group), an astragalus extract group, a Mucuna pruriens extract group, and an astragalus extract + Mucuna pruriens extract group (referred to as the astragalus + Mucuna pruriens group). The mice were fed a normal diet, wherein the control group was not added with any drug, the bitter orange extract group was added with composition 1 prepared in Example 1 as a drug in the diet, the nettle leaf extract group was added with composition 2 prepared in Example 1 as a drug in the diet, the bitter orange + nettle leaf group was added with composition 3 prepared in Example 1 as a drug in the diet, the astragalus extract group was added with composition 4 prepared in Example 1 as a drug in the diet, the mucuna pruriens extract group was added with composition 5 prepared in Example 1 as a drug in the diet, and the astragalus + mucuna pruriens group was added with composition 6 prepared in Example 1 as a drug in the diet, wherein the total amount of the drug added was 50 mg / kg / day (i.e., 50 mg of the drug was added per kilogram per day to each mouse, illustratively, the mouse weighed 0.5 kg, and 25 mg of the drug was added per mouse per day; when two extracts were added as drugs at the same time, 25 mg of each drug was added per kilogram per day). Then, 2 μl of whole blood was drawn from the tail vein at 20 o'clock on the 15th, 30th, 45th and 60th day after drug addition to detect the growth hormone level in the mouse blood. The growth hormone detection method can be found in the literature "Steyn, FJ, Huang, L., Ngo, ST, Leong, JW, Tan, HY, Xie, TY,Parlow, AF, Veldhuis, JD, Waters, MJ,&Chen, C. (2011). Developmentof a method for the determination of pulsatile growth hormone secretion inmice. Endocrinology, 152(8), 3165–3171. https: / / doi.org / 10.1210 / en.2011-0253" and the test results can be found in the literature. Figures 1 and 2 shown.

[0105] Figure 1The results showed that the levels of growth hormone in mice in the nettle leaf extract group and the bitter orange + nettle leaf group were higher than those in the control group and the bitter orange extract group, indicating that the addition of nettle leaf extract can increase the level of growth hormone in mice. Moreover, compared with the growth hormone level in the bitter orange extract group, the growth hormone level in the nettle leaf extract group was significantly increased, indicating that compared with the addition of nettle leaf extract alone, the simultaneous addition of nettle leaf extract and bitter orange extract can significantly increase the level of endogenous growth hormone in animals, indicating that nettle leaf extract and bitter orange extract have a synergistic effect in enhancing growth hormone levels.

[0106] Figure 2 The results showed that the levels of growth hormone in mice in the Astragalus extract group, the Mucuna pruriens extract group, and the Astragalus + Mucuna pruriens group were higher than those in the control group, indicating that the addition of Astragalus extract and Mucuna pruriens extract can increase the levels of growth hormone in mice. Moreover, under the same addition concentration conditions, the growth hormone levels in mice in the Astragalus + Mucuna pruriens group were significantly higher than those in the Astragalus extract and Mucuna pruriens extract groups, indicating that the combined addition of Astragalus extract and Mucuna pruriens extract can significantly increase the levels of endogenous growth hormone in animals compared to the addition of Astragalus extract or Mucuna pruriens extract alone, indicating that Astragalus extract and Mucuna pruriens extract have a synergistic effect in enhancing growth hormone levels.

[0107] Example 3

[0108] The inventors further studied the formula of the composition based on Examples 1 and 2 and found that adding maca extract, hawthorn extract, ginseng extract, plant sterols, acai cocoa extract, oryzanol and other ingredients can further increase the level of growth hormone in animals.

[0109] The formula of composition A is: 7.5 parts by weight of maca extract, 20 parts by weight of Mucuna pruriens extract, 7.5 parts by weight of hawthorn extract, 20 parts by weight of astragalus extract, 7.5 parts by weight of ginseng extract, 7.5 parts by weight of plant sterols, 7.5 parts by weight of acacia extract, 20 parts by weight of bitter orange extract, 20 parts by weight of nettle leaf extract and 7.5 parts by weight of oryzanol.

[0110] In this example, C57BL / 6J mice were selected and divided into two groups, each with 8 mice, namely a control group and an example group (i.e., an experimental group, hereinafter collectively referred to as the experimental group). The mice were fed a normal diet. The control group did not add any drugs, while the experimental group added Composition A prepared in this example as a drug to the diet. The added amount of the drug in the experimental groups was 100 mg / kg / day. Then, at 20 o'clock on the 15th, 30th, 45th and 60th day after drug addition, blood samples were collected from the vein to detect the growth hormone level in the mice. For details on the growth hormone detection method, please refer to the literature "Steyn, FJ, Huang, L., Ngo, ST, Leong, JW, Tan, HY, Xie, TY, Parlow, AF, Veldhuis, JD, Waters, MJ, & Chen, C. (2011). Development of a method for the determination of pulsatile growth hormone secretion in mice. Endocrinology, 152(8), 3165–3171. https: / / doi.org / 10.1210 / en.2011-0253" and the test results are shown in the literature. Figures 3 to 8 shown.

[0111] The results showed that after drug injection, the growth hormone levels in the experimental group of mice were higher than those in the control group. After 60 consecutive days of injection, the growth hormone levels in the serum of the experimental group of mice were approximately 7 ng / mL higher than those in the control group. Therefore, this further demonstrates that the composition of the present application can increase growth hormone levels in animals.

[0112] In the description of this specification, the reference terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples" mean that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification and features of different embodiments or examples without contradiction.

[0113] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it will be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative and are not to be construed as limitations on the present invention. A person skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A plant extract composition for increasing the secretion of endogenous growth hormone, characterized in that: The plant extract composition consists of a Mucuna pruriens extract and an Astragalus root extract, wherein the weight ratio of the Mucuna pruriens extract to the Astragalus root extract is (1-2): (1-3); The astragalus extract is obtained by the following method: adding ethanol to astragalus root powder and letting it stand for 30 to 60 minutes; adding water at a temperature of 60 to 100° C. in an amount of 3 to 5 times the weight of the astragalus root powder, keeping the temperature and refluxing for 15 to 30 minutes, cooling, filtering, repeatedly washing with water, combining the filtrate and the washing liquid, and preparing a filter cake for later use; adding 1 to 10 times the weight of the filter cake with water, adding neutral cellulase and papain, controlling the temperature to 40 to 60° C. and adjusting the pH to neutral, heating after enzymatic hydrolysis to inactivate the enzyme, cooling to room temperature, filtering, washing, discarding the filter cake, and combining the filtrate and the washing liquid; combining the filtrate and the washing liquid, concentrating under reduced pressure to 10% to 50% of the original volume, adding 95% ethanol for alcohol precipitation, filtering the solid, and drying to obtain the astragalus extract; The Mucuna pruriens extract is obtained by the following method: taking Mucuna pruriens, then adding water at 0-5°C for crushing to obtain a crushed mixed liquid; performing solid-liquid separation on the crushed mixed liquid, and taking the liquid to obtain a Mucuna pruriens crushed liquid; adding ethyl acetate to the Mucuna pruriens crushed liquid for extraction to obtain an ethyl acetate extract, and concentrating and drying the ethyl acetate extract to obtain an ethyl acetate extract; further eluting and separating the ethyl acetate extract using a preparative liquid chromatograph, and concentrating and drying the eluate to obtain the Mucuna pruriens extract.

2. The plant extract composition according to claim 1, characterized in that Further including: Pharmaceutically acceptable excipients.

3. The plant extract composition according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The dosage form of the plant extract composition includes at least one selected from oral liquid, tablet, capsule, granule, pill, suspension, syrup and powder.

4. The plant extract composition according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The dosage form of the plant extract composition includes at least one selected from the group consisting of a dripping pill, an injection, and an inhalant.

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