Ethnobotanical Characteristics

Description

Deciduous tree, slow growing , up to15m high, much branched stems, dull green orange tinged to dark grey stem bark, have an attractive appearance. Leaves simple, alternate, thick, rough, dark green, broadly ovate, petiolate, sometimes irregularly lobed, 2-3 lobes, 6-12x6-12 cm, shortly acuminate, serrate, base cordate, scabrous above, pubescent beneath. Flowers in axillary unisexual spikes, dioecious either on the same tree or different trees, the female flowers are borne in erect, cylindrical short capitate spikes, perianth 4, stigmas 2, perianth and styles covered with long soft hairs; male flowers in catkin – like spikes 1.5-3cm long, perianth segments 4 fused at base, stamens 4. Fruits false compound, fleshy deep red drupes, 2-8.5 cm long, cylindrical or ovoid, sweet and edible. 

Habitat & Distribution

The genus Morus has seven species of deciduous trees mainly in temperate regions now naturalized in tropical & subtropical regions; occurring in North & South America, Africa and Asia. M. nigra is native to Iran and far east, cultivated extensively all around the world for centuries, in UAE two species M. nigra and M. alba widely cultivated.

Part(s) Used

Leaves, fruits, bark

Traditional & Medicinal Uses

Fruit is nutritive, cooling, mild laxative, expectorant; and used in food manufacturing. The bark is astringent, purgative and vermifuge and anthelimintic. Leaves are used as gargle in cases of inflammation of vocal cords and as antidiabetic. Fruits used in sore throat melancholia ,dyspepsia and allays thirst and fever. In Indian a paste from the leaves mixed with another herb is used for bed sores; and also eaten by cattle. The Greeks used the plant to treat gout and named the fruit as “gout fruit”. The plant also used traditionally to treat hemorrhoids, diarrhea, burns, gingivitis, kidney stones, impotency, dysentery, wounds, emmenagogue and as antimicrobial.

Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry

Parts studied 

Leaves

Microscopical Description

A transverse section of the leaf shows a unilateral structure. The upper epidermis is covered with a thick striated cuticle. The epidermal cells are colourless, anticlinal mostly oblong but round cells also exist. Some epidermal cells also extend to form papillose cells or short covering trichomes. Few longer conical trichomes are also observed. The mesophyll palisade tissue consists of one layer of oblong compactly arranged cells with straight cell walls. They are smaller in size compared to the upper epidermal cells and they are rich in chlorophyll and some small-sized coloured crystalline substances. The spongy mesophyll cells are small, round or oblong compactly held cells. Some of those cells adjacent to the palisade cells contain large rosettes of calcium oxalate crystals. The other cells contain coloured materials, large brown crystalline substances and prisms. The mesophyll spongy cells are traversed by vascular strands containing spirally thickened vessels. The lower epidermal cells are small oval periclinal cells covered with a thick striated cuticle. Unicellular conical covering trichomes a are more observed on the lower epidermis with their round basal cells. Also, clavate glandular trichomes are observed on the lower epidermis. Stomata are oval, anomocytic and they are well-distributed on both epidermises (DPS,  ZCHRTM unpublished results).

• (a). TS of a portion of the leaf showing the unilateral structure of the leaf, the thick striated cuticle that covers the anticlinal oblong upper epidermal cells, one layer of palisade tissues, small rounded to oblong mesophyll spongy cells and small oval periclinal lower epidermal cells. Shown also is a long tapering covering trichome.
• (b). Surface view of the upper epidermis showing some papillose epidermal cells circular in outline and typical polygonal epidermal cells.
• (c). Surface view of the lower epidermis of the leaf showing dense conical, tapering or a little curved covering trichomes on the epidermis near to a main vein (Magnification: x 400, x 250 and x 250, respectively).

Organoleptic characteristics

Appearance:                                 Powder
Colour:                                         Green
Odour:                                          Aromatic
Taste:                                           Tasteless

Physicochemical constants

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

Solubilities (%)

Alcohol solubility:                        8.80-9.60
Water solubility:                          28.80-29.60
70% ethanolic extractive:           34.00

Ash values (%)

Total ash:                                    16.80-17.00
Water soluble ash:                      2.60-2.80
Acid-insoluble ash:                     4.80-5.20

Successive extractive (%)

Petroleum ether (60-8°c):          4.60
Chloroform:                                3.00
Absolute alcohol:                       9.40
Distilled water:                           Not done

pH values

pH of 1% solution:                     8.13
pH of 10% solution:                   8.36

The above results are under process of publication (DPS, ZCHRTM) Chemical constituents: Flavonoids specially rutin. (DPS, ZCHRTM unpublished results).

Pharmacological and Toxicological studies

The antioxidant effect of three different extract of Morus nigra (Mulberry) fruit has been shown a protective action against peroxidative damage to biomembranes and biomolecules (Naderi et al. 2004). The plant extract at the dose of 20 mg/kg body mass produced a significant increase in the catalytic concentration of glutathione in the live of diabetic mice with a decrease in MDA concentration, showed antihyperglycemic activity (Petlevski et al. 2003 a&b). Antinociceptive properties of prenylflavonoid isolated from Morus nigra root bark has been investigated in classical models of pain in mice showed that the plant exhibits a promising antinociceptive or analgesic activity, being more than some standard drugs used as reference (De Souza et al. 2000). Morus nigra has also been reported for in the treatment of renal stones (Efraim & Eran 2002). Recently the Morus nigra has been reported to reduce hypersensitivity reactions (Caiaffa et al. 2003).
The pharmacological and toxicological studies carried out in our laboratory and the results in brief, on Moris alba (70% ethanolic extract) have been given below:
The results presented without references showed unpublished data (unpublished, ZCHRTM, DBMS): 

1.) Ethanolic Extract 70%

Summary of the results

The plant produced significant contraction with high amplitude and low frequency of contraction could be studied further as anti-vomiting agent The extract showed no overt signs and symptoms at the high dose level administered orally (10 g/kg, p.o.).

2.) Aqueous Extract

Summary of the results

The plant extract showed anti-inflammatory activity on sub-acute treatment in the rats. The extract showed no overt signs and symptoms at the high dose level administered orally (10 g/kg, p.o.).

References

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