This crude drug is the leaf of Mallotus apelta (Lour.) Muell.-Arg. (family: Euphorbiaceae).

This species is a perennial shrub or small-type tree. The branches, petioles and inflorescences are all covered with white or slightly yellow asteroidal fuzzes. The simple leaves are alternate; the blade is broad-ovate, 4.5-23cm long, 3.5-16cm wide, tapered apically, approximately truncate at the base where 2 glandular spots are present, entire marginally or 3-lobed at the top, with dense reddish brown glandular spots on the lower side. The flowers are unisexual, the male and female ones in different plants; the male inflorescence is a spike occurring on top of branch, and comprises clustered flowers, whose calyx is 3-6-lobed (the lobes bing different in lentht) and bears red glandular spots on the inside, and each of which is apetalous (without petals) and has numerous stamens; the unbranched female inflorescence resembles a spike in shape and becomes cylindrical when bearing fruits, its apetalous flowers occur solitarily, its calyx is bell-shaped and 3-5-lobed (the lobes being ovate), and its ovary is densely covered with asteroidal pubescences on the soft pricks. The capsule is subsphaerical, densely clothed with pinnate soft prickles and gray fuzzes. The seed is nearly globate, black and shiny.

This species is distributed in Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Henan, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan in China.

The leaves are gathered in the autumn, and dried in the sun before the inflorescence is removed.

The leaves are simple and alternate, with a long petiole; the blade is ovate, 7-12cm long, 5-14cm wide, tapered apically, approximately truncate at the base where 2 glandular spots are present, entire or irregularly 3-lobed at the margin, nearly hairless on the upper side, gray and densely covered with asteroidal hairs and brown glandular spots on the lower side. This crude drug has a weak smell, and tastes bitter and astringent.

The leaves contains viceninⅡ^[1], chrysophanol, nicotinic acid, isoscopoletin, p-methoxybenzoic acid^[2]。

The roots contains, ursolic acid acetate, erythrodiol-3-acetas, β-sitosterol, 2β,29-dihydroxylupane, malloapeltine, mallocerebroside, malloceramide, 4,5,4′-trimethylellagic acid, malloapeltin, daucosterol^[3].

1 Antibacterial and antiviral effects: The water decoction of Whiteback leaf root has inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus [1]. Root ethanol extract can inhibit Shigella dysenteriae, five compounds isolated from the root have different levels of inhibition on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa [2]. Applying duck hepatitis B virus (D-HBV) test and real-time quantitative fluorescence techniques (PCR) to detect serum D-HBV DNA content, then perform histopathology histological observation of liver before and after treatment. Results show that serum virus levels of the high, medium dose group of Whiteback leaf have a significant decrease at the 14, 21 days, respectively, after drug withdrawal, the high and middle dose groups of Whiteback leaf root still show a certain degree of virus inhibition. Serum virus levels of Lamivudine group are decreased, but rebound phenomenon appears after drug withdrawal; the high-dose group of Whiteback leaf root has a more obvious improvement on liver inflammation than lamivudine group. Whiteback leaf root can inhibit the replication of D-HBV in vivo, the role can maintain a long time and the drug is safer [3]. The half-toxic concentration (TC50) of Whiteback leaf root on hepatic blastoma cell line HepG2.2.15 in vitro is 48.25mg/ml, the therapeutic index of inhibiting HepG2.2.15 cell secretion of HBsAg and HBeAg are 13.26 and 43.08, it only has weak inhibition on HBV- DNA, suggesting that the Whiteback leaf root has a direct anti-HBV activity on cell culture in vitro [4].

2 Hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects: The Whiteback leaf root can significantly reduce the  levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) in 40% CCL4 peanut oil solution induced liver fibrosis rat, and can reduce the degree of hepatic collagen fibers, suggesting that Whiteback leaf root has a good anti-hepatic fibrosis and antioxidant capacity [5]. Whiteback leaf root can significantly reduce elevated NO and MDA levels caused by H2O2 in rat liver cell damage test (2mmol/L), increase SOD activity and reduce the concentration of ALT in the liver cell suspension, showing the Whiteback leaf root has apparent protective effect on oxidative damage induced by H2O2 in rat hepatocytes [6].

3 Other: Immersing snails in 0.5%～1% of Whiteback leaf decoction or infusion, can inhibit the snails activity [7]. The Whiteback leaf water extracts have inhibitory effects on mouse reverse transcriptase and human III nasopharyngeal carcinoma DNA polymerase, with the IC50 values of 0.5μg/ml and 1.4μg/ml. The extracts can also inhibit E. coli DNA polymerase I and RNA polymerase [8].

Clinical reseach：
1. Chronic Tympanitis: Malloti Apeltae Folium powder 50g and water 250g are taken into capped porcelain cup, boil for more than 2 hours with water, filter and add right amount preservative. Wash 77 patients’ ears, dry with cotton, and drop the “Malloti Apeltae Folium Drops”(made by method above), 3～4 drops one time, 3 times a day, 3～15 days for a treatment. Results: After 1 ~ 12 months’ follow-up, 32 cases recovered, 24 cases were markedly effective, 21 cases improved ^[1].

1.       Suppurative otitis media

2.       Traumatic hemorrhage, ulcer

3.       Cellulitis

4.       Eczema

5.       Furuncle and sore festering

6.       Cuts hemorrhage

7.       Neonatal thrush

8.       Postartum convulsion

Clinical trials:

[1] Yan Ping. The clinical observation of “Malloti Apeltae Folium Drops” in the treatment of chronic tympanitis curative [J]. Chinese New medicine, 1988 (10) : 51.