獨行菜Lepidium apetalum和播娘蒿Descurainia sophia分別系十字花科獨行菜屬和播娘蒿屬植物，其種子入藥分別稱為北葶藶子和南葶藶子?，F(xiàn)已從2種植物中分離得到了異硫氰酸和硫苷類成分，以及強心苷、黃酮、三萜、甾醇、香豆素、生物堿、酚酸、揮發(fā)油、脂肪油、氨基酸等成分。這兩種植物對心血管、高血脂等疾病具有顯著功效，所含的成分具有降壓、抗癌、細胞毒、抗氧化等藥理活性。對獨行菜和播娘蒿的化學(xué)成分及藥理作用研究進行分類匯總和比較，為進一步研究常用中藥葶藶子提供參考。

Descurainia sophia and Lepidium apetalum, belonging to Cruciferae (Brassiaceae) family, are widely distributed in China, and their seeds are commonly called “Nan Tinglizi” and “Bei Tinglizi” in Chinese, respectively. So far large quantity of unique glucosinolate degradation products such as isosulfocyanic acids and thioglycosides have been isolated from the two plants, together with other types of active principles, such as cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, terpenoids, sterols, cumarins, alkaloids, phenolic acids, volatile oils, fixed oils, and amino acids. The two plants have the significant effects on cadiovascular diseases and hyperlipemia, and the active principles have entitled the plant to serve several different bioactivities including antihypertensive, anticarcinogenic, cytotoxic, and antioxidative effects. This paper reviews in detail the categorization of chemical constituents from L. apetalum and D. sophia and their pharmacological activities.