Ethnobotanical Characteristics

Description

Erect, glabrous annual herb with a perennial bulb, erect hollow cylindrical stem up to 50 cm high, shorter than scape. Leaves linear, simple, semiterate, fistulose tapering, ½ as long as the scapes, 1-2 cm wide. Inflorescence panicle, bracts triangular, acuminate, whitish-scarious with a keeled nerve; flowers small, perianth c. 3mm long, campanulate; whitish pink with maroon veins in center of each petal. Fruit capsule , obovoid, 3-valved and light brown. Seeds few, triangular, pitted, black grayish in color, c. 2-3 mm long, finely and shortly papillose.

Habitat & Distribution

Widespread in many regions, warm or temperate of the world. In U.A.E the plant is common in dry slopes and damp areas of the mountains in the northern emirates and Al-Ain, and in cultivated fields, it flowers in spring.

Part(s) Used

Bulb and seeds

Traditional & Medicinal Uses

Whole plant is spasmogenic, stimulant, laxative, diuretic and crushed plant used to treat ulcer; used to make cakes of boiled curdled milk(`iqt`); the seeds good for toothache.

Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry

Parts studied

Aerial pars (stem, leaves).

Microscopical Description

A transverse section of a leaf shows a thick cuticle covering thin-walled significantly elongated epidermal cells somewhat squared at the narrow ends; thus the parenchyma appear to be arranged in a parallel form. The stomata are large, ovoid and are found between the squared ends of the adjacent epidermal cells. The palisade cells have different sizes and seem to be in two layers but they are loosely arranged. The spongy mesophyll cells are mostly round but also they vary in size and are loosely arranged. The mesophyll embed vascular strands including spirally and annularly thickened vessels, elongated associated parenchyma cells and fibers. They also embed scattered round to ellipsoid idioblasts containing acicular crystals of calcium oxalate that occur in bundles and together with elongated structures that seem to be ducts tapering at both ends and filled with yellow to orange contents. Stem epidermal cells are largeelongated parenchyma. The inner parts of the stem include elongated parenchyma, compactly arranged fibro-vascular strands including pitted tracheids, large annularly, spirally or reticulately thickened vessels. Some of the stem large parenchyma cells are almost filled with orange-brown coloured contents.

• (a) Surface view of a leaf fragment showing the significantly elongated epidermal cells arranged in a parallel manner with the oval stomata existing between the squared terminal ends of the adjacent cells.
• (b) A fragment of leaf vascular tissues showing adjacent annularly and spirally thickened vessels with their accompanying short fibers.
• (c) A fragment of the stem showing the compactly arranged fibro-vascular strands including pitted tracheids and large vessels which are either annularly, spirally or reticulately thickened (Magnifications: x 250, x 400 and x 250, respectively).

Organoleptic characteristics

Appearance: Solid powder
Colour: Light brown
Odour: Odorless
Taste: Slightly bitter

Physicochemical constants

Loss in weight on drying at 105 °C (%):                    5.20-6.40

Solubility

Alcohol solubility (%):                                              4.80
Water solubility (%):                                                24.80-26.40
10% ethanolic extractive (%):                                 31.86

Ash values (%)

Total ash:                                                              8.40-9.00
Water soluble ash:                                               20-2.40
Acid-insoluble ash:                                               0.20

Successive extractive (%)

Petroleum ether (60-80 °C):                              02.0
Chloroform:                                                       2.00
Absolute alcohol:                                              6.40
Distilled water:                                                 Not done

pH values

pH of 1% solution:                                        5.32-5.43
pH of 10% solution:                                      4.99-5.12

Chemical constituents

Leaves and seeds contain anthraquinones (aloe-emodin, chrysophanol), sterols, and terpenoids, flavonoids, sugars, fatty acids and oils (DPS, ZCHRTM unpublished results, Shahina 1994).

Pharmacological and Toxicological studies

1. Ethanolic Extract 10%

The plant extract showed significant stomach protection against this model of ulcerogenesis (Gurbuz et. al., 2002). The plant showed antifungal activity, the Trichophyton violaceum was the most susceptible being completely inhibited by 50% of the extract. (Ali and Abu, 1999a; Ali and Abu, 1999b).
The pharmacological and toxicological studies carried out in our laboratory and the results in brief, on Aspholdelus tenuifolius (10% ethanolic extract) have been given below.
The results presented without references showed unpublished data (unpublished results, ZCHRTM, DBMS):

Summary of the results (10% ethanolic extract)

Aspholdelus tenuifolius (10% ethanolic extract) has been found as good antiinflammatory and antinociceptive agent.

2. Aqueous Extract

The pharmacological and toxicological studies carried out in our laboratory and the results in brief, on Aspholdelus tenuifolius (Aqueous extract) have been given below.
The results presented without references showed unpublished data (unpublished results, ZCHRTM, DBMS):

Summary of the results 

Aspholdelus tenuifolius (aqueous extract) showed strong anti-inflammatory activity. Acute toxicity study showed that this plant appears safe. However, chronic toxicity study is required before its human use.

Antimicrobial activity

The plant showed antifungal activity, the Trichophyton violaceum was the most susceptible being completely inhibited by 50% of the extract( Ali& Abu -Ghdeib 1999).

References

• Ali-Shtayeh MS, Abu Ghdeib SI. Antifungal activity of plant extracts against dermatophytes. Mycoses. 1999; 42(11-12): 665-72. 
• Department of Biomedical Sciences, Zyed Complex for Herbal Research and Traditional Medicine, Unpublished results.
• Department of Pharmacognostic Sciences, Zyed Complex for Herbal Research and Traditional Medicine (ZCHRTM), unpublished results.
• El-Ghonemy, A. A. Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants of the United Emirates. (1993) 1st Edition, University of U.A.E.
• Ghazanfar S A ., Handbook of Arabian Medicinal Plants., CRC Press, p.131, 1994 .
• Gurbuz I, Ustun O, Yesilada E, Sezik E, Akyurek N. In vivo gastroprotective effects of five Turkish folk remedies against ethanol-induce dlesions. J Ethnopharmacol. 2002 Dec; 83(3): 241-4.
• Kotb, T. F. Medicinal Plants in Libya.(1985) Arab Encyclopedia House; Tripoli-Libya.
• Liu, XM., Zakaria MN., Islam, MW., Radhakrishanan, R., Ismail, R.., Chen, HB., chan, K., Al-Attas, (2000) A. anti-inflammatory andantiulcer activity of C. Comosum in rats. Fitoterepia 72(5); 487-91.
• Mandaville, J.P. Flora of Eastern Saudi Arabia. (1990) Kegan Paul International Ltd. England.
• Western, A. R. The Flora of United Arab Emirates, an introduction. (1986) Publication of the U.A.E University.
• كریم، فوزي .الأعشاب في دولة الإمارات العربیة المتحدة، ( 1995 ) مطبعة جامعة الإمارات