Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
gummy white latex. The leaves are oblanceolate, acuminate at the apex and wedge shaped at the
base, about 30 cm long and 8 cm wide. The lower surface is densely covered with silvery white or
faintly yellowish silky hairs. It has a channeled midrib, with 10-15 pairs of lateral nerves; venation
on the lower surface is not very distinct. The flowers are borne in clusters in the leaf axils and are
shortly stalked, small and yellow; sepals are about 2.5 mm long and covered with minute yellow-
ish hairs. The fruits occur in January-February; they are edible, glabrous when mature, ovoid to
subglobose, pointed at the apex, up to 6 cm long, and pale orange when ripe. A cross section of the
fruit, like that of
C. africanum,
reveals seeds arranged as a star. The seeds are 2.5 × 1 cm, with one
sharp edge and the other blunt.
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Habitat and Distribution —
Often cultivated, the wild species occur in closed forests and
in the lowland rainforest regions. It is distributed from Gambia, Sudan, and Uganda to parts of
South Africa.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
The bark is used in southern Nigeria as a remedy for malaria, sleeping
sickness, and yellow fever. The Igbo regard the plant as a symbolic tree for the creative spirits, and
it is featured in healing rituals for female infertility. The leaves are used as emollients and for the
treatment of skin eruptions. The leaf decoction is administered for diarrhea and for stomachache.
The fruit pulp is taken by pregnant women to prevent nausea.
Constituents —
The leaves and stems have been shown to contain β-amyrin acetate,
430
gentisic
acid,
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and alkaloids.
431,432
The isoprene content of the latex has been characterized and was found
to consist of polyisoprene, 1-4.
433
The fruits are rich in ascorbic acid.
Pharmacological Studies —
The methanol extract of the seeds and roots exhibited antihista-
minic activity and potentiated the effects of antihistamine agents. The extracts also produced hypo-
tension with simultaneous depression in respiration when administered to cats.
434
At a concentration
of 100 ppm, the methanol extract of the seeds was found to possess strong molluscicidal activity
against schistosomiasis-transmitting snails.
435
CINCHONA SUCCIRUBRA
Botanical Name —
Cinchona succirubra
Pav. ex Klotzsch
Synonym —
C. pubescens
Va h l.
Family —
Rubiaceae
Related Species —
C. ledgeriana, C. calisaya
(calisaya bark or yellow cinchona),
Cinchona
officinalis
Linne (pale cinchona or Quinquina). Each species consists of several hybrids; the phar-
macognostic specification is that the crude drug must yield not less than 5% of
Cinchona
alkaloids,
of which at least 50% consists of quinine and cinchonine.
Common Names —
Peruvian bark, Jesuit bark, fever tree
African Names —
Arabic: kina; Swahili: mkwin
Historic Notes —
Cinchona
has enjoyed a rich history and very colorful legend for many cen-
turies. Legend has it that the plant derived its name from the wife of the viceroy of Peru, Countess
Anna del Chinchon, who was allegedly treated with the drug in 1638, and that her miraculous cure
resulted in the introduction of
Cinchona
into Spain in 1639 for the treatment of ague. Although
the drug has been known for many years as “
los polvos de la Condesa,
” there is no evidence that
the countess ever used the drug. The name of the plant may have been derived from the Incan
word
Kinia
, which means “bark.” The drug's other names, “Jesuit bark” and “cardinal's bark,” are
due to the fact that the Jesuit fathers controlled the trade in
Cinchona
bark for a long time, and its
introduction into Rome and other parts of Europe is credited to the eminent philosopher Cardinal
de Lugo.
Description —
Cinchona
stem bark occurs in quills or flat pieces up to 30 cm long, 1-4 cm
wide, and 3-8 mm thick, with the outer surface gray or grayish brown to reddish brown, usually
