PHYTOMANIA : MEDICINAL HERBS
CATHARANTHUS ROSEUS
 
medicinal plants: catharanthus roseus
Family: Apocynaceae
Common name: tropical periwinkle

Description: small perennial bushy plant from the tropical indian ocean area but now worlwide. Decorative garden plant (becoming easily wild in the tropics)with several single flowers , rose, mauve or white. Plant resistant to drough and growing in poor soils; annual only in temperate climate

Parts used: whole plant (aerial parts, root)

Constituents: aerial part : numerous alkaloids (0,2 to 1%), the more important : leurocristine=vincristine, vincaleucoblastine=vinblastine.
root : ajmaleucine=raubasine

Actions: alkaloids : antimitotic=anticancer (cytostatic, oncolytic) but also neurotoxic.
Raubasine : adrenolytic, increasing the blood flow through the brain, mild sedative and anxiolytic
whole plant:lowering glycaemia (antidiabetic)

Main Indications: traditional use : antidiabetic decoction and to lower high blood pressure
modern medicine : cancer and leukemia (Hodgkin, sarcoma, carcinoma); vascular cerebral accident (ischemia, spasm, brain surgery, trauma), vertigo, buzzing in the ear

Contraindications: antimitotic alkaloids are myelotoxic and neurotoxic, raubasin interact with other sedative or anxiolytic drugs

Drug: decoction, plant extract, purified alkaloids

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CENTELLA ASIATICA
= HYDROCOTYLE ASIATICA
medicinal plants: centella asiatica, hydrocotyle asiatica, gotu kola
Family: Apiaceae
Common name: gotu kola, marsh pennywort

Description : small perennial creeping plant from India and Indonesia (now worldwide), growing in wet areas (swamp, wetlands, moist grounds). Small roundish leaves, tiny reddish flowers

Parts used: whole plant or aerial parts

Constituents:the more important : saponosides (asiaticoside, asiatic acid, madecassic acid), flavonoid, vitamine C (fresh plant)

Actions: promote wound healing ( stimulation of fibroblasts), anticoagulant (blood thining), sedative

Main indications: vascular problems (varicosities, chronic insufficiency of the veins), slow healing sores and ulcers, burns, cheloids(scars), dermatosis, eye drops (cornea ulcer, eye surgery)

Contra indications: allergy to gotu kola, possible interaction with blood thining drugs and sedative drugs, suspected risk of promoting skin cancer

Drug: dried plant (infusion, decoction), fresh plant (infusion, decoction, poultice), extracts standardised (percentage of asiaticoside or madecassic acid)
 

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CINNAMOMUM ZEYLINACUM
herbal medicine : cinnamomum, cinnamon
Family: Lauraceae
Common name: cinnamon

Description: evergreen tropical tree, with a thick aromatic bark, originating from Sri Lanka and India, now cultivated in South America and Madagascar. Other similar species in Indonesia, China, Australia, South America

Parts used: bark, leaves

Constituents: bark : glucid(starch), anthocyanidol, essential oil with 65 to 80% cinnamaldehyde, 10% eugenol
leaves : essential oil with 65 to95 % eugenol and 3% cinnamaldehyd

Actions: bark powder : stimulate the appetite, ease digestion
essential oil : antibacterial, antifungal, perhaps stimulating breathing and heart beat

Main Indications: important culinary spice (food, pastry, food and beverage industry), dyspepsia, to increase body weight.
Bark essential oil : external use (cutaneous infections, furunculosis, otitis ; internal use (urinary infections, infectious gastrocolitis , biliary infections)

Contraindications: as all essential oil it must be use with caution internally

Drug: bark, bark powder, bark extract, essential oil
 


Copyright 2005 Jean-Michel Hurtel
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