Ethnobotanical Characteristics

Description

Ascending, dense, leafless evergreen small shrub, 1.5-3(5) m high, stem green, cylindrical with pale green alternating branches. leaves small deciduous, rarely found, Linear- lanceolate. Flowers clustered in short axillary cymes, calyx fine-tomentose with triangular lobes ⅓ the length of the corolla limb, corolla rotate, c.0.6 cm in diameter, yellow green, with elliptical triangular acute lobes, fine tomentose, with alternating corona. Fruits pair of follicles, 10-15 cm long, seeds numerous comose with tufted hairs.

Habitat & Distribution

The plant is widespread in tropical Africa, Asia and Mediterranean region. In UAE it is found in sandy plains of hills and low dunes in eastern part of Abu Dhabi emirate and northern emirates; now cultivated in forests, farms and roads.

Part(s) Used

Whole plant, seeds and flowers.

Traditional & Medical Uses

In UAE the plant used for rheumatism, joint pains, sciatica and backache as fumigant and as anthelmintic. Other uses: flower buds are edible, stem diuretic used for kidney stones; the wood is good supply of fibers, dried hairs of seeds were used as tinder; pyrotechnica means fire-making.

Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry

Parts studied

Aerial parts

Microscopical Description

Branches: Both main stem and branches are cylindrical in shape with round cross sections. Where the bark readily separates from the cortex. The epidermis of the bark is a greenish thin layer which is composed of papillose epidermal cells with shining thick cell walls and few oval slits. The bark has bundles of very long fibres that have thick cell walls and narrow lumens. It also bears multicellular broad-celled, uniseriate covering trichomes each with a single basal cell and collapsed cells at its middle part. The cortex is composed of polygonal parenchymatous cells. Its outer layer is surrounded by a sheath of  sclerenchymatous layer which is composed of compactly packed pitted cells. The cortex is also traversed by vascular bundles which are composed of compactly packed phloem and xylem tissues that are mainly boarded pitted vessels. The phloem tissues contain short fibres with perforated cell walls. The central pith consists of thick-walled small rounded parenchyma cells filled with crystalline and amorphous masses (DPS, ZCHRTM unpublished results).

• (a). A portion of a sclerenchymatous layer that surrounds the outer parenchymatous tissues of the cortex of the branch.
• (b). A group of adjacent bordered pitted vessels associated with perforated vascular fibers partially masked by layers of parenchyma cells.
• (c). A fragment of the outer layer of the bark showing the shining papillose cells with their thick cell walls and few oval water pores (Magnifications: All x 250).

Organoleptic characteristics

Appearance:                                        Solid powder
Colour:                                                 Light green
Odour:                                                 Aromatic
Taste: Tasteless

Physicochemical constants

Loss in weight on drying at 105°c (%):    8.00-8.20

Solubilities (%)

Alcohol solubility:                             4.80
Water solubility:                               7.60
10% ethanolic extractive:                45.60

Ash values (%)

Total ash:                                        4.80
Water soluble ash:                          2.20-2.40
Acid-insoluble ash:                         0.20

Successive extractive (%)

Petroleum ether (60-80°c):            3.80
Chloroform:                                    2.40
Absolute alcohol:                           16.9
Distilled water:                               12.00-12.90

pH values

pH of 1% solution:                          6.26
pH of 10% solution:                        5.67

The above results are under process of publication (DPS, ZCHRTM unpublished results).

Chemical constituents

Triterpenoids, taraxerol and fernenol, β- sitosterol. (Ghazanfar 1994, DPS, ZCHRTM unpublished results).

Pharmacological and Toxicological studies

The behavioral studies in mice revealed writhing in the ethanolic extract treated group and the chloroform extract caused decreasing body temperature. Both treated groups showed urination (Al-Yahay et. al., l990). Isolated guinea pig ileum, the ethanolic extract by producing contraction of the muscle which was blocked by atropine showed cholinergic effect. However, the chloroform did not produce any effect on the preparation per se. but potentiated the effect of acetylcholine on the preparation. Both extracts failed to produce any effect on the isolated frogs rectus abdominus muscle. On the isolated rabbit heart both extracts caused a decrease in the force of contraction. However, the decrease by ethanolic extract was moderate, whereas the chloroform extract produced a mild decrease. The blood pressure of normotensive anesthized rabbit was significantly lowered by the ethanolic extract. The fall in blood pressure was blocked by atropine, corroborating the cholinomimetic activity of the extract on smooth muscle and the heart. However, the chloroform extract also produced a fall in blood pressure, which was not found to be significant. Chloroform extract showed increase in the serum glucose, hemoglobin and RBC count. The chloroform extract also showed inhibitory activity on Staphylococcus. aureus and Bacillus subtilis. The toxicity studies revealed both extracts to be mildly toxic to the brine shrimps. (Al-Yahya et. al., l990). The pharmacological and toxicological studies carried out in our laboratory and the results in brief, on Leptadenia pyrotechnica (10% ethanolic extract) have been given below. The results presented without references showed unpublished data (ZCHRTM, DBMS):

1.) Ethanolic Extract 10%

Summary of the results

The plant extract showed significant analgesic activity. No toxic signs and symptoms were noticed in acute toxicity evaluation in mice. (LD 5 - 6.4 g/kg, p.o).

2.) Aqueous Extract

Summary of the results

The plant extract showed a significant anti-inflammatory, analgesic and diuretic activities. The plant extract also showed no overt signs and symptoms.

References

• Al-Yahaya, M.A. Al-Meshal, I.A., Mossa, J.S., Al-Badar, A.A. and Tariq, M. (l990) In: Saudi plants: a phytochemical and biological approach;   Published by General directorate of Research Grants Program. King Abdul Aziz City for science and Technology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Andrews, F.W. The Flowering Plants of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan; (1950&1952) Vol 1+II; Arbroath, Scotland.
• Department of Biomedical Sciences, Zayed Complex for Herbal Research and Traditional Medicine, unpublished results.
• Department of Pharmacognostic Sciences, Zayed 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 UAE.
• Ghazanfar S A. Handbook of Arabian Medicinal Plants. CRC Press, p.35, 1994.
• Jongbloed, M.V. The Comprehensive Guide to the Wild Flowers of the united Arab Emirates, Erwda, (2003) Emirates Printing Press, Dubai, U.A.E.
• Mandaville, J.P. Flora of Eastern Saudi Arabia. (1990) Kegan Paul International Ltd. England.
• Miller A.G., Morris M. (1987) Plants of Dhofar, The southern Region of Oman: Traditional, Economic and Medicinal Uses. Office of the Advisor for conservation of the Environment, Sultanate of Oman.
• Western, A. R. The Flora of United Arab Emirates, an introduction. (1986) Publication of the UAE University.