Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
small, greenish-white flowers, often dioecious, borne on common stalks in the axils of the leaves,
with the individual flowers sometimes having no stalk. The fruits are greenish-gray in color, two
celled, and usually split to expose red seeds when they are ripe.
9
Habitat and Distribution —
It is
found in secondary forests and is widespread in tropical Africa.
It has been located in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Angola, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, and Tanzania.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
The leaves and stem bark are used in the preparation of remedies for
urinary, respiratory, and gastrointestinal disorders. A slurry of the fruits is administered for cough.
A complex laxative is prepared with the fresh leaves, the fruits of
Xylopia aethiopica,
and leaves
of
Psidium quajava
. A decoction of the leaves alone is used as an eye lotion. The leaves and bark,
when powdered, are drunk in water or eaten in food for piles. The juice of the leaves and fruits is
rubbed on ringworm and other skin infections. An extract of the roots of
A. floribunda
(Nianndo)
prepared by macerating the plant material for several days in palm wine is used in Zaire as a stimu-
lating intoxicant and aphrodisiac.
96
Constituents —
An indole alkaloid resembling yohimbine and related indole alkaloids has been
detected in several
Alchornea
species.
96
In a later investigation, the presence of yohimbine in the
stem bark of
Alchornea
could not be confirmed; however, four unidentified alkaloidal compounds
were detected with terpenes, sterols, and their glycosides.
97
The root bark has been found to contain
about 0.03-0.26% total alkaloids.
98
The plant also contains the hexahydroimidazopyrimidine alka-
loids alchorine and alchornidine.
99
Other constituents of the species include gentistic and anthra-
nilic acids, as well as tannins.
Pharmacological Studies —
Extracts of the leaves have been shown to inhibit the growth of
both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
100
It has also been found active against methicillin-
resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA).
101
Its antistress activity has been positively assessed by
the ability of the extract to alter the duration of immobility; in the forced swim endurance test, a
picrotoxin-treated animal was employed as the model to assess its activity against convulsive sei-
zures.
102
The root extract has sympatholytic and hypotensive activity. Positive results were obtained
in clinical experiments with root and stem extracts in the treatment of icterus.
103
The leaf and root bark extracts showed significant topical anti-inflammatory activity in the
mouse ear edema model using croton oil at a dose of 90 µg/cm. Six compounds isolated from the
active extracts also exhibited significant topical anti-inflammatory activity. Of these, daucosterol,
acetyl aleuritolic acid, N1,N2-diisopentenyl guanidine, and N1,N2,N3-triisopentenyl guanidine
were found to be more active than indomethacin, while β-sitosterol and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate
were less effective.
104
In egg-albumen-induced rat hind paw edema model, the leaf extract showed
impressive anti-inflammatory activity.
105
Alchornea
extracts have been shown also to possess immu-
nomodulatory,
106
analgesic, and antiprotozoal activities.
107
ALLIUM SATIVUM
Botanical Name —
Allium sativum
L
.
Synonyms —
Porrum sativum
(L.) Rchb.,
Porrum ophioscorodon
(Link) Rchb.,
Allium pekin-
ense
Prokh.,
Porrum ophioscorodon
Link.,
Allium longicuspis
Regel,
Allium controversum
Schrad.
Ex Willd.
Family —
Amaryllidaceae
Common Names —
Garlic, ail commun (French)
African Names —
Hausa: tafanuwa; Igbo: ayo-ishi; Swahili: kitunguu-sumu; Yoruba: ayu
Description —
Garlic is a herbaceous plant. It occurs as a bulb of fleshy scale leaves on the
lower part of the stem; each bulb consists of a number of bulbets or “cloves” that rest on a common
bulb base and are covered with membranous bracts. It has a very strong and disagreeable odor that
is noticeable in the breath and a strongly pungent and persistent taste; both the odor and taste linger
