Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
The aerial part of
Geranium thunbergii
(
Geraniaceae
), producing
geraniin, is one of the most popular medicinal plants in Japan, and is one
of the official medicines in the pharmacopoeia, often used as an
antidiarrheic. This medicinal plant has also been widely used for
controlling intestinal function, mainly for preventing constipation. These
medicinal effects will be principally due to protection of mucous
membrane in intestine mainly by geraniin, and not retardation or
acceleration of peristalsis of intestine, as observed in a pharmacological
experiment with extracted intestine. The potent antioxidant activity and
related activities of geraniin could also be participating in these effects.
These two ways of application against constipation and diarrhea,
opposite to each other at first sight, would be attributable to these
activities helped by the mild property of geraniin.
Mallotus japonicus
(
Euphorbiaceae
) is also a folk medicine used in
Japan. Besides its bark that contains bergenin and oligogalloylated
bergenins, utilized as an anti-ulcer medicine, its leaves that yield geraniin
and mallotusinic acid (a type-III+ ellagitannin) have also been used for
their stomachic effects (Okuda and Seno, 1981). Fruits of
Trapa japonica
(
Oenotheraceae
), which contain trapanin B (a tetramer), were also used
as a stomachic and tonic medicine (Hatano
et al
., 1990c).
The herb of
Agrimonia pilosa
(
Rosaceae
), yielding agrimoniin, the
first isolated dimeric ellagitannin, is used as an antidiarrheic and a
hemostatic medicine in Japan, although it is not as popular as
G.
thunbergii
. Moreover, it has been used clinically as an anti-cancer
medicine in China.
Agrimonia eupatria
, a vulnerary, cholagogic and anti-
aphonic plant that grows in Europe and other parts of the world, also
produces agrimoniin. Particularly worthnoting is the host-mediated
antitumor activity observed for agrimoniin and several other analogous
ellagitannins (see Section 1.7.2.3 and Chapter 6, Section 6.2).
Myrobalans, the fruits of
Terminalia chebula
(
Combretaceae
) that
grows in India and Southeast Asia, yield chebulinic acid, chebulagic acid
and terchebin. It is one of the most frequently used plant parts in
Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicine.
The herb of
Oenothera biennis
(
Onagraceae
), trivially called
evening primrose, and other
Oenothera
species were used by Native
Americans to quiet nervous sensibility. The herb of
Oenothera
