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Cissampelos mucronata, Medicinal Uses
Abstract
Vernacular names Orelha de rato (Po). Kishiki cha buga (Sw). Origin and geographic distribution Cissampelos mucronata is distributed throughout tropical Africa, except the most humid areas, from Senegal east to Ethiopia and south to South Africa. Uses Cissampelos mucronata, Cissampelos owariensis P.Beauv. ex DC. and Cissampelos pareira L. have often been confused; as they are also similarly used, it is often impossible to correlate uses unambiguously with a particular species. Cissampelos mucronata has many medicinal uses, and throughout Africa people take an infusion of the bitter rhizome, and sometimes of leaves and stems, or fruit juice, to cure gastro-intestinal complaints such as diarrhoea, dysentery, colic, intestinal worms and digestive complaints, and also urogenital problems such as menstrual problems, venereal diseases, infertility, azoospermia, to induce contraction of the uterus to start labour or abortion and to expel the placenta. In eastern DR Congo a leaf decoction is taken as a vermifuge against tapeworm. In Senegal the rhizome enters into preparations to treat catarrh, whereas in Togo the rhizome is chewed to treat sore throat, cough and lung problems. In decoction the rhizome is given against oedema. In Tanzania and Madagascar a rhizome decoction is taken to diminish fever caused by malaria or jaundice. Rhizome sap is used as ear drops to treat earache. Bushmen of the Kalahari take a warm rhizome decoction to treat coughs and for general wellness. In the Okavango delta in Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe a rhizome decoction is drunk to treat headache, neck pain and back pain. In Namibia the Damara people apply the powdered rhizome to open wounds for quick healing. In Zimbabwe rhizomes are used to treat bilharzia. Throughout West Africa and in Uganda, fresh leaves, heated leaves or pulped leaves are applied to wounds, ulcers, conjunctivitis and syphilis sores, and a poultice of leaves mixed with natron is applied to swellings, ulcers and Guinea worm sores. In Ghana leaf pulp is taken internally or applied to the affected area as an antidote for snake venom. In Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso fresh leaf pulp is applied to relieve severe headache and is eaten mixed with clay to stop stomatitis. The vapour of a leaf decoction is inhaled to induce vomiting. In southern Senegal an infusion of leafy stems is used as emmenagogue. In Togo the whole plant is used in preparations to treat intercostal pain. In Nigeria ash from the plant enters into a medicine against arthritis, which is rubbed into scarifications. In DR Congo and eastern Tanzania the pounded plant is applied to snakebites. In Rwanda the plant is used to treat diseases affecting the spine. In Benin, Uganda and other parts of Africa the roots are used in medical rituals to treat mental problems such as psychoses. In Nigeria the rhizome is sometimes used in the preparation of arrow poison. In Kenya crushed rhizomes are applied to the skin of goats to remove insect parasites. The stems of Cissampelos mucronata are commonly used for tying and binding and in wickerwork; in DR Congo stems are used to make fishing lines. Production and international trade Cissampelos mucronata is mainly traded in local markets. It may enter wider markets by the name 'pareira brava'. True 'pareira brava' however is made from the South American Chondrodendron tomentosum Ruiz & Pav.; in some
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Objective: To investigate the uterine smooth muscle relaxant property of the root extract of Cissampelos mucronata and relate it to its traditional use in the prevention of pre-term labour. Materials and methods: Phytochemical and pharmacological screenings were carried out using standard procedures. In addition to investigating the effects of the extract on non-gravid and gravid rat uterus, its effects on contractions induced by known uterine stimulants were assessed. The effects of the extract on the amplitude and frequency of contractions of gravid rat uterus were also determined. With the use of glibenclamide, an ATP-sensitive potassium channel blocker, the effect of the extract on potassium channel opening was studied. Result: Phytochemical constituents present in the root include carbohydrates, glycosides, sterols/triterpens, flavonoids, tannins and alkaloids. The extract relaxed the non-gravid rat uterus in a concentration- and time- dependent fashion. It also antagonized contractions evoked by serotonin, oxytocin, acetylcholine and prostaglandin E2 (known uterine spasmogens). The uterine relaxant effect of terbutaline (a selective β2-receptor agonist used as a tocolytic agent) was potentiated by the extract in a concentration-related manner while the contractions induced by propranolol (a non-selective β-receptor antagonist) were inhibited by the extract. The frequency and amplitude of contractions of the gravid uterine strips in the absence and presence of the extract were significantly different (p
One-hundred four plant species used medicinally by herbalists from three southern Ugandan tribes were collected and identified. The collection includes a large portion of the materia medica of the Abayanda of the southwest region, as well as species used by herbalists of the Baganda and Bakiga Tribes. Literature searches were performed in preparation for further collections, and for collaborative laboratory validation of in vitro antimicrobial activity. Literature data provide support for ethnomedical claims for a number of species used in Uganda for disease treatment.
The family Menispermaceae is highly specialized in its rich diversification of biologically active bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids. Because of this richness the family is used worldwide in traditional medicines to treat a wide variety of ailments. An ethnobotanical survey focusing specifically on the seven genera and 13 species of this family indigenous to South Africa has yielded 64 valuable anecdotes, of which 38 are new records. Cissampelos capensis [dawidjies (wortel)] is the best known and most used medicinal plant, especially by Khoisan and other rural people in the western region of South Africa. The survey had confirmed the known medicinal uses and added several additional anecdotes for this species. Although poorly recorded and hardly ever sold on traditional medicine markets, Albertisia delagoensis and Cissampelos hirta turned out to be very important in rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal for treating a range of different ailments. Medicinal uses for Tiliacora funifera, Tinospora caffra and Tinospora tenera are recorded for the first time. A summary of all published and unpublished ethnobotanical information for southern African Menispermaceae is presented.
Plants with curative properties enjoy the highest consideration in indigenous systems of medicine throughout the world. This is especially true in the developing countries, where imported drugs are very expensive and are therefore inaccessible to the vast majority of the population. The author presents the results of an ethnobotanical study conducted in three main areas, namely the Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Mbeya regions of Tanzania. Special attention was paid to the use of plants for veterinary purposes. A total of 103 plant species within 48 families are collected for their curative properties in the field of veterinary medicine. The family which provided the greatest number of species was Compositae (13 species), followed by Euphorbiaceae (11 species) and Papillionaceae (9 species). A total of 38 different pathological states are treated, the most frequent being gastrointestinal disorders, followed by helminthosis, wounds and urethral infections.
Forty-three different plant species commonly used in traditional medicine for the treatment of malaria were selected and screened for their antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro. Thirteen of the 43 species were obtained directly from traditional healers who use these plants for the treatment of malaria. The other plant species were collected on the basis of ethnomedicinal information in the literature. The plant material was collected from Morogoro, Dar es Salaam and Kagera regions in Tanzania. Fifty-eight plant samples from these 43 plant species, including leaves, roots and stem bark, were investigated. Apart from the crude EtOH extracts, petroleum ether (PE), ethyl acetate (EtAc) and H2O fractions of these extracts were also tested. The in vitro testing revealed that 37% of the investigated plants showed strong antimalarial activity with IC50 values below 10 micrograms/ml. The four most active plants included Cissampelos mucronata, Maytenus senegalensis, Salacia madagascariensis and Zanthoxylum chalybeum.