Macleaya cordata (Willd) R. Br. is a perennial plant of the Papaveraceae family. It distributes throughout the middle and southeastern of China and is available in most schistosomiasis-endemic areas of China. The genus Macleaya is classified in the closely related genus Bocconia by some authors, although that genus only comprises woody plants (trees and shrubs) from tropical and subtropical areas of North and South America. Macleaya cordata (Willd.) R.Br. (Papaveraceae) is used in traditional Chinese medicine for its anti-infl ammatory and antimicrobial activities. M. cordata contains isoquinoline alkaloids including sanguinarine (SG), chelerythrine (CH), dihydrosanguinarine (DHSG), dihydrochelerythrine(DHCH), protopine, homochelidonine, alpha-allocryptopine, angoline, bocconine, bocconoline, chelitunine, chelirubine, coptisine, cryptopine, dehydrocheilanthifoline, ethoxychelerythrine, ethoxysanguinarine, macarpine, oxysanguinarine, and protopine-N-oxide.