Research progress on chemical composition, activity, and development and utilization of purple spotted peony

Paeonia rockii is a deciduous shrub belonging to the Paeoniaceae family, mainly distributed in Gansu, Sichuan, Shaanxi, and other regions. It has ornamental, medicinal, and edible values and is used as a substitute for the traditional medicinal herb “Danpi” in Gansu and other areas. It is an antispasmodic medicine that can cool blood and disperse blood stasis, and treat symptoms such as stroke and abdominal pain. Modern research has shown that flavonoids and phenolic acids in purple peony have antioxidant and antibacterial effects, while triterpenoids have anti-cancer effects. Purple spotted peony has strong stress resistance, tall tree crown, cold resistance, drought resistance, salt alkali resistance, and few pests and diseases. It is widely cultivated in Lanzhou, Gansu and other places, with abundant resource advantages. At present, Purple Spot Peony has been developed into flower tea, oral liquid and other products, but there are still problems in the development and utilization of its parts, such as a single product form, lagging deep processing technology, and insufficient extension of the industrial chain. In order to promote the transformation of resource advantages, it is urgent to develop a series of new resource products. This article provides a review of the chemical composition, activity, and current development and utilization status of Paeonia lactiflora both domestically and internationally in recent years, with the aim of providing reference for in-depth research and comprehensive development and utilization of Paeonia lactiflora.

Purple spotted peony, as one of the cultivated varieties for oil peony, has become a woody oil crop with resource advantages in northwest China. In addition to the high oil value of peony seeds, its roots, leaves, flowers, fruit pods, seed meal and other parts contain active substances such as monoterpene glycosides, phenols and phenolic glycosides, flavonoids, oligosaccharides, triterpenes, etc., and its development prospects are also very broad. At present, the development and utilization of purple spotted peonies mainly focus on peony seeds and flowers, with relatively little research on waste parts such as fruit pods and seed meal, especially on the activity of monomer compounds in waste parts. In the future, the activity research of monomer components can be used as a starting point to clarify the pharmacological substance basis, and use it as a natural source of active substances to further develop into a series of functional products.
Since the approval of peony seed oil as a new resource food by the Ministry of Health in 2011, the planting area of oil peony has been increasing year by year. In the future, the ornamental, edible, and medicinal value of purple spotted peony will be fully utilized, and it will continue to extend to deep processing fields such as food nutrition, medical and health care, daily chemical industry, and tourism industry. This article provides a review of the chemical composition, activity, and development and utilization of Paeonia lactiflora, and looks forward to its development prospects and explores the limiting factors, in order to provide reference for the in-depth research and comprehensive development and utilization of Paeonia lactiflora.