Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Description —
Massularia
is a medium-size shrub or small tree, growing up to 5 m high. The
leaves are large, practically stalkless, elliptic-oblanceolate, acuminate, almost glabrous, papery, and
subsessile. The flowers, usually red, are borne in short axillary cymes and appear around January.
The fruits are 5 cm long, narrowly ovoid, beaked, and yellow-white in color
.
Habitat and Distribution —
It is a tropical plant, found usually in undergrowth of closed moist
forests. It is distributed from Sierra Leone to Zaire. Related species grow in the East Coast.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
The stems are prized as chewing sticks in southern Nigeria. The
pulped roots are employed as an enema for dysentery and as an aphrodisiac. The juice from the
incised fruits is used as eyedrops in Sierra Leone.
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The pulped leaves are used externally as lini-
ment for lumbago and muscular pains.
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The stem is believed to be an aphrodisiac, and it is sold in
Nigerian cities for this purpose.
Constituents —
Preliminary phytochemical tests on the stem bark and roots of the plant (in
the author's laboratory) showed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, and polyphenolics. The aque-
ous extract of the stem contained alkaloids (0.22%), saponins (1.18%), anthraquinones (0.048%),
flavonoids (0.032%), tannins (0.75%), and phenolics (0.066%).
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Pharmacological Studies —
It has been shown to possess significant antimicrobial activity
against oral pathogens associated with orodental infections,
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including
Bacteroides gingivalis
and
B. melaninogenicus
.
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The aqueous extract of the plant has an MIC of 0.5 and 2 µg/ml against
Bacteroides gingivalis
and
B. melaninogenicus,
resp e ct ively.
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The adherence of
Streptococcus
mutants to the surfaces of the teeth was effectively inhibited by a 1% concentration of the aqueous
extract of
Massularia
.
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The possible effect of
Massularia
on male reproductive system has been investigated in labora-
tory animals. Extracts of the stem at various doses (20-1000 mg/kg) produced a significant increase
(
p
< 0.05) in testes-body weight ratio, testicular protein, glycogen, sialic acid, cholesterol, testos-
terone, and luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormone concentrations of male rats throughout
the period of administration. The testicular gamma glutamyl transferase activities were decreased
significantly (
p
< 0.05) after the first dose and were sustained throughout the experimental period.
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MATRICARIA RECUTITA
Botanical Name —
Matricaria recutita
L.
Synonyms —
M. chamomilla
L.,
M. suaveolens
L.
Family —
Compositae
Common Names —
Matricaria flowers, German or Hungarian chamomile flowers
African Names —
Arabic: bahboonig; Xhosa: msolo
Description —
The flowers of
Matricaria
can be differentiated from those of the English cham-
omile by their hollow receptacle, which is devoid of paleae. The capitulum spreads out to 10-17
mm in diameter and consists of an involucre, up to 20 marginal ligulate florets, and many central
tubular florets. Comparatively,
Matricaria
has smaller flower heads than chamomile. It has a bitter
and aromatic taste, but the odor is usually weaker than that of Roman chamomile.
Habitat and Distribution —
The plant is largely a Mediterranean crop, but grows well in North
Africa and cooler regions of southern and eastern Africa.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
African chamomile is reputed as an herbal tea and is dispensed as a
sedative, carminative, antiseptic, analgesic, antispasmodic, and anti-inflammatory. It has been used
for the treatment of gout, indigestion, diarrhea, and insomnia and in pediatric practice for infantile
convulsions, colic, and teething pains.
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Constituents —
It yields a pleasant-smelling volatile oil, with the sequiterpene α-bisabolol
composing up to 50%. The volatile oil content is about 2% of the dry weight of the flowers. Other
components of the volatile oil include chamazulene, guiazuline, farnescene, α-bisablol derivatives,
