BACKGROUND: Upon the release of the selection results of \"Qin Medicine,\" numerous Chinese herbal medicines and proprietary Chinese medicines have regained attention. Physochlainae Radix (Huashanshen), a herbal medicine named after Mount Hua, the prominent peak in the Qinling Mountains, has garnered particular interest. Despite this, the impact of Physochlainae Radix and Qin medicines as a whole remains significantly overshadowed by the renown of Mount Hua.
METHODS: Search on Using \"Physochlainae Radix\" as the keyword; searches were conducted across China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, WIP Database, PubMed, Web of Science, and the National Library of China databases.
RESULTS: This study presents an overview of Physochlainae Radix by reviewing its history, chemical composition, preparation methods, planting and cultivation practices, concoctions, alkaloid detection, contraindications for use, resource recycling, and predicting quality markers.
CONCLUSIONS: To facilitate the further application and development of Physochlainae Radix, this study also addresses the challenges in the development of Qin medicines and proposes potential solutions.

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This review gives an overview of the phenolic compounds composition of cocoa beans and their modification during manufacturing processes to the final products. Recently published papers dealing with the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the different classes of cocoa phenolic compounds will be discussed. Modifications of the qualitative profile and amount of phenolic compounds in cocoa after the main processes of production chain, fermentation, drying, roasting, and alkalization, will be described. The second part will focus on some of the biological effects described for cocoa phenolic compounds in vitro and in vivo. In particular, the effects of cocoa flavanols on cardiovascular health and endothelial function have been extensively investigated over the last decades, with interesting results from nutritional intervention trials and molecular studies. A few recent updates on the role of cocoa and chocolate consumption on sport performances will be reported.