Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
oppositely arranged on the stem and branches. It has white, sweet-scented flowers, borne on termi-
nal heads, about 5 cm long and up to 3 cm broad. The fruits occur as crowded berries, about 5 cm
across, flat sided, and joined together by means of the persistent calyx on each section. They mature
to an attractive orange color.
9,33
Habitat and Distribution —
M. longiflora
occurs in the lowland forest areas. It is abundant in
the West Coast and is found also in Zaire, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
A decoction of the leaves and fruits is taken for colic and constipation
caused by worms. A lotion for craw-craw (scabies) is made from the leaves. It is not used for the treat-
ment of fevers or malaria as is
M. lucida,
discussed next. It is also used as a systemic anthelmintic.
MORINDA LUCIDA
Botanical Name —
Morinda lucida
Benth
Related Species —
M. citrifolia
Chev
Family —
Rubiaceae
Common Name —
Brimstone tree
African Names —
Bambara: sangongo; Bondoukou: alongua; Ewe: amake; Ho: maticki; Kimbundu:
ngole; Nzima: sema; Twi: konkroma, ope-asi-akwa; Umbundu: ngongouve; Yoruba: oruwo, owuru
Description —
Morinda lucida
is a medium-size tree up to 15 m high. It has characteristic yel-
low wood, from which it derived its name “brimstone tree.” It has slender branchlets and a dense
crown. The leaves are broadly elliptical to broadly ovate, acuminate, and entire, about 20 × 15 cm.
The base is rounded to broadly cuneate and often dark purplish or black when dry. It produces white
flowers January-July and September-October. It fruits March-April.
9,28,33
Habitat and Distribution —
The species occurs in fringe forests and flooded areas. Sometimes,
it takes over secondary clearings in rain forests. It is distributed from Burkina Faso to Zaire, Angola,
Kenya, and Tanzania.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
The leaves are used in the preparation of fever teas, which are used not
only for the treatment of malaria but also as a general febrifuge and analgesic. All parts of the plant
are used as a laxative. A weak decoction of the stem bark is administered for the treatment of severe
jaundice, often characterized by hemoglobinuria and hematuria. The treatment induces vomiting,
diarrhea, and diuresis, and cure is determined from the clearance of yellow coloration of the urine.
The extract of the leaves and stem bark has been recommended for the prevention and treat-
ment of hypertension and its cerebral complications.
780
It has also been employed for the treatment
of dysentery.
78
Constituents —
The plant contains tannins, methylanthraquinones, and heterosides.
78
Pharmacological Studies —
The use of the plant in the treatment of jaundice has been vali-
dated by controlled studies.
781
The extract of the leaf and stem bark has been shown to possess
strong but short-acting antihypertensive activity.
785
This therapeutic activity may be due to its pro-
nounced diuretic and tranquilizing properties. Due to its apparent lack of acute toxicity, the drug is
recommended for chronic treatment of hypertension and in cases requiring high doses or frequent
medication to arrest elevated blood pressure.
782
The anthraquinone fraction has been shown to possess molluscicidal properties, and the activity
may be due to oruwacin.
783
Aqueous alcohol extract of the leaves showed significant activity against
Trypanosoma brucei
infection in mice at a dose of 1000 mg/kg given intraperitoneally.
784
The LD
50
was
calculated to be 2000 mg/kg. The extract was also found to possess purgative activity.
785
The leaf extract
demonstrated significant schizonticidal activity against
Plasmodium berghei
in mice.
786,787
The lyophi-
lized aqueous extract of roots of
M. citrifolia
showed a significant, dose-related, central analgesic activ-
ity in the writhing and hot plate tests.
788
The activity was antagonized by naloxone. The extract caused
sedation on the experimental animals at high doses, as evidenced by the decrease of all behavioral
