A REVIEW ON EPIPHYLLUM OXYPETALUM (DC) HAW

Abstract

INTRODUCTON Medicinal plants are utilized in just about all cultures as a source of medicine. The Indian landmark incorporates a terribly made diversity of plant species in a huge selection of ecosystem. Medicinal plants are the pillars of ancient medicine, which implies over 3.3 billion individuals within the less developed countries, utilize medicinal plants on regular basis. Current estimates counsel that, in several developing countries, an oversized proportion of the population depends heavily on ancient practitioners and medicinal plants to satisfy primary health care wants. Furthermore, an increasing reliance on the utilization of medicinal plants in industrialized societies has been copied to ABSTRACT Epiphyllum oxypetalum (DC) Haw. Belonging to the family Cactaceae is one of the most cultivated species in the genus. It is a variety of night blooming cereus with several traditional medicinal uses. The plant is traditionally found to be useful for many ailments like cough, uterine bleeding, shortness of breath, neutralizing blood clot, pain, and to treat bloody phlegm. The plant has been reported to possess different classes of compounds mainly Glycosides, Saponins, Steroids, Phenols, Proteins, Resins, Tannins and Terpenoids. Few pharmacological properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial activity have been reported for this plant. The present review includes updated information on pharmacognostic, nutritional and medicinal values of Epiphyllum oxypetalum.

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Prajitha P. et al. /Asian Journal of Research in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 7(3), 2019, 824-830.
Available online: www.uptodateresearchpublication.com July – September 824
Review Article ISSN: 2349 – 7106
A REVIEW ON EPIPHYLLUM OXYPETALUM (DC) HAW
P. Prajitha*
1
, A. Suresh
1
, V. S. Deepak
1
, Hiba Faslu
1
1*
Department of Pharmacology, Devaki Amma Memorial College of Pharmacy, Malappuram, Kerala, India.
.
INTRODUCTON
Medicinal plants are utilized in just about all
cultures as a source of medicine. The Indian
landmark incorporates a terribly made diversity of
plant species in a huge selection of ecosystem.
Medicinal plants are the pillars of ancient medicine,
which implies over 3.3 billion individuals within the
less developed countries, utilize medicinal plants on
regular basis. Current estimates counsel that, in
several developing countries, an oversized
proportion of the population depends heavily on
ancient practitioners and medicinal plants to satisfy
primary health care wants. Furthermore, an
increasing reliance on the utilization of medicinal
plants in industrialized societies has been copied to
ABSTRACT
Epiphyllum oxypetalum (DC) Haw. Belonging to the family Cactaceae is one of the most cultivated species in the
genus. It is a variety of night blooming cereus with several traditional medicinal uses. The plant is traditionally
found to be useful for many ailments like cough, uterine bleeding, shortness of breath, neutralizing blood clot,
pain, and to treat bloody phlegm. The plant has been reported to possess different classes of compounds mainly
Glycosides, Saponins, Steroids, Phenols, Proteins, Resins, Tannins and Terpenoids. Few pharmacological
properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial activity have been reported for this plant. The
present review includes updated information on pharmacognostic, nutritional and medicinal values of Epiphyllum
oxypetalum.
KEYWORDS
Epiphyllum oxypetalum, Traditional uses and Pharmacological properties.
Author for Correspondence:
Prajitha P,
Department of Pharmacology,
Devaki Amma Memorial College of Pharmacy,
Malappuram, Kerala, India.
Email: prajithamjy@gmail.com
Asian Journal of Research in Chemistry
and
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Journal home page: www.ajrcps.com

Prajitha P. et al. /Asian Journal of Research in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 7(3), 2019, 824-830.
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the extraction and development of many
medicines
1,2
.
Epiphyllum oxypetalum is a succulent plant and one
in all the foremost cultivated species within the
genus. It is a variety of night blooming cereus. The
genus Epiphyllum, meaning “on the leaf” in Greek
contains a spread of 19 species. They are called so
because the blooming of the flowers happens
directly on the leaves. They inhabit in the jungles of
Central and South America, and Mexico. The genus
Epiphyllum is true cacti however is commonly
labelled as “epicacti" or "jungle cacti" to
differentiate it from the related desert flora. Jungle
cacti have leaf-like structures that resembled
thickened stems which have protruding spines
whereas the Epiphyllum are not covered with
spines, rather they are covered with hair bristles or
tiny spines in the areolas. The epiphytic species
contain fibrous roots that hold onto decaying
vegetative matter and grow in small rock or climb
in trees. Oxypetalum is a Latin name derived with
relevancy to the acute form of the petals. It is
originated from Sri Lanka, Central and North
America, it is also seen in South East Asian
countries, Venezuela and Brazil. In India, it is
distributed in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Ranchi,
and Uttarakhand
3
. Epiphyllum oxypetalum is a fast-
growing plant, belongs to the family Cactaceae and
is one of the most popular species under the genus.
In India, it is known as Bramhakamalam and
considered as a sacred plant. The Shoshone Indian
tribe calls it “Pain in the heart” and used for heart
pain. It is also known by other names such as the
Dutch man’s pipe cactus, Queen of the night,
Nishaghandhi, Lady of night etc
4
.
This flower is named after Brahma, the God of
creation (as per Hindu mythology), blooms only for
one night in the entire year. The blooming lasts only
for a few hours. This plant is related to the story of
how Brahma emerged from Vishnu's navel in a
lotus flower. It is believed as a sacred flower and
does not bloom in all homes. The home where it
blooms is considered lucky and is a sign of
prosperity and believed that who pray to God while
the flower is blooming get their wishes fulfilled
5
.
The present study is aimed to provide current
information regarding the pharmacological potential
of Epiphyllum oxypetalum.
Pharmacognostic Characteristics
Epiphyllum oxypetalum is considered to be popular
as an ornamental plant. It produces a large white
coloured flower that blooms for a single night.
Thus, it is referred to as night blooming cereus.
Growth Form
Perennial shrub. It is an epiphytic cactus, freely
branched that grows up to 6m tall in the wild.
Habitat
Mainly grown in the tropical rain forest and
temperate forest.
Morphological Characteristics
Foliage
This species does not produce leaves. Instead, they
turn out modified stems that seem like leaves and
serve similar functions.
Stems
Flattened stems are composed of a round, and thick
midrib surrounded by fleshy wings that have a
scalloped edge. The stems are erect, branched, and
climbing. Primary stems are terete, up through 6m
long, flattened latterly, and ligneous at their bases.
Secondary stems are flat, numerously branched,
dark green in colour, elliptic, acuminate and up
through 15-50×5-12cm
6
.
Flowers
Fragrant, star-shaped flowers (28 cm long, 13 cm
wide) are composed of 25-30 white, linear petals,
nocturnal and very fragrant
5
.
Benzyl salicylate is
responsible for the characteristic odour. Pericarpels
are nude, slightly angled, and green. Bracteoles are
short and narrow. Receptacles are up through 13-18
cm, the base is green, 4-9mm in diameter brownish,
and arching. Outer petals are linear, acute, 8-10cm
long, and reddish through amber. Inner petals are
whitish, oblanceolate, oblong, acuminate, and up
through 8-10 cm long and 2-5 cm wide. Stamens are
greenish white or white, and slender. An elaborate
white stigma protrudes from the centre of the
flower. Styles are greenish white, pale yellow, or
white, 4mm thick, as long as inner tepals, and with
many lobes
7
.
Flowers begin to open at 8-10PM,
reach their maximum fullness at 12-3AM, and close

Prajitha P. et al. /Asian Journal of Research in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 7(3), 2019, 824-830.
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before dawn. Flowering occurs infrequently. Flower
buds are formed at the end of modified stems that
look like leaves. They swell slightly several hours
before blooming later at night
6
.
Flowering season
June-October
Fruits
Fruits appear to be rare, which is purplish red in
colour, oblong, 16×5.7 cm, seeds are 2-
2.5×1.5mm
7
.
Organoleptic Characteristics
The leaves are dark to light green in colour,
glabrous texture with an astringent taste and a
characteristic odour. Colour of the dried powder
seems to be yellowish brown
7
.
Microscopy
Transverse section of the leaves depicts thick
mesophyll tissue which is not differentiated into
palisade and spongy. The epidermis consists of 2-3
layers of uniform cells. The epidermis is nearly
smooth with few trichomes while stomata are
paracytic and sometimes tricytic. Leaf tissue is
filled with mucilage and mucilage canals. Midrib
has avascular bundle which consists of
sclerenchyma sheath, beneath is phloem zone, inner
to it is xylem vessels, in the middle of the vascular
cylinder, pith tissue is present which comprises
large thin-walled cells filled with starch grains.
Mesophyll cells near the epidermis have chlorophyll
pigments, inner mesophyll cells have starch grains,
often star-shaped cystolith crystals found; which are
about 500-750 microns long. Some cells also have a
thin rod-like crystal. Numerous small and large
mucilage canals are present in the hypodermal zone.
Stomatal index was found to be 1.582
7
.
Cultivation
The plant, though a cultivated species, grows well
under the bright, indirect sunlight. Grow in detritus-
rich sandy and slightly acidic soil. It prefers moist,
but well-drained soil. Water the plant regularly
during the summer. It is propagated by rhizome,
herbaceous stem, and leaf cuttings or layering. It
can also be grown indoors. To grow the plant, a
leaf is planted in the soil or is placed horizontally on
the soil. The cut stalk also can be immersed in
water. In about three weeks adventitious roots come
out and then can be planted in a pot containing soil.
From margins of phylloclade bulbils like structures
grow
8
.
Taxonomic Classification
Taxonomical classification of Epiphyllum
oxypetalum is shown in Table No.1.
Synonyms
Cereus oxypetalus, Cactus oxypetalus, Cereus
latifrons, Epiphyllum aacuminatum, Epiphyllum
grande, Cactus oxypetalus, Phyllocactus
oxypetalus
9
.
Common names
Night blooming cereus, Dutch man’s pipe, Queen of
night, Lady of night, Dutch man's pipe cactus,
Broadleaf Epiphyllum, Orchid Cactus, Jungle
Cactus
6
.
Vernacular Names
Chinese : Jin Gou Lian, Qiong Hua, Tan-Hua,
Yue Xia Mei Ren
French : Reine De La Nuit
German : koniger Der Nacht
India : Gul-E-Bakawali, Nishagandhi,
Brahma kamal, Bakavali
Indonesia : Wijaya Kusuma
Japanese : Gekka Bijin
Malaysia : Bunga Bakawali
Chemical Composition
Dandekar R et al, (2015) reported that the GC-MS
analysis of alcohol extract of Epiphyllum
oxypetalum leaves revealed the presence of
compounds such as Ethanone, 1-(2-Hydroxy-5-
methylphenyl)-; 4-Hydroxy-2-methylacetophenone;
Megastigmastrienone; Cycloocta-1, 3, 6-triene, 2, 3,
5, 5, 88-hexamethyl; 4-((1E)-3-Hydroxy-1-
propenyl)-2-methoxyphenol; 2, 5-Dihydroxy-4-
sopropyl-2, 4, 6-cycloheptatrien-1-one; n-
Hexadecanoic acid; Octadecanoic acid; phytol; 6-
octen-1-ol, 3, 7-dimethyl; Stigmsterol; Cholesta-22,
24-dien-5-ol, 4, 4-dimethyl; 22-stigmasten-3-one.
Allyldimethyl (prop-1-ynyl) silane; Sulfurous acid,
Cyclohexylmethyl hexyl ester; Hepacosane;
Nonadecane, 2-Methyl-; Hexadecane, 2, 6, 10, 14-
Tetramethyl-; Octadecane, 2-methyl-; Eicosane, 2-
Methyl-; Spinasterone; 4, 22-stigmastadiene-3-one;
tetracosane; Hentriacontane; Stigmas-4-en-3-one;
testosterone cypionate
4
.

Prajitha P. et al. /Asian Journal of Research in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 7(3), 2019, 824-830.
Available online: www.uptodateresearchpublication.com July – September 827
Traditional Uses
The phylloclades contain some active ingredients
and show anti-bacterial activity. The stem is
additionally used medicinally to cure dropsy and
cardiac affections. Vietnamese individuals use
petals of the faded flower to make soups which are
expected to have tonic and aphrodisiac medicinal
properties. Flower also has a power that can speed
up the wound healing. Also, it is used in bloody
phlegm and cough, uterine bleeding and shortness
of breath. In addition, the constituents of
Epiphyllum oxypetalum are believed to have strong
ability to stifle pain and are capable of neutralizing
blood clot
4
.
Parts used
Leaf and Flower
Pharmacological Activities
Antioxidant activity
Dandekar R et al, (2015) reported the In vitro
antioxidant activities of Epiphyllum oxypetalum.
The alcohol and aqueous extract of dried leaves of
Epiphyllum oxypetalum were evaluated for free
radical scavenging activities by using hydrogen
peroxide scavenging and DPPH assay method. In
DPPH method maximum free radical scavenging
activity was found to be (60.37±1.67) than that of
aqueous extract (34.23±0.88). The maximum
percentage of inhibition in alcohol and aqueous
extract was observed at 2000µg/ml. In hydrogen
peroxide scavenging method the maximum
inhibition by alcohol extract (43.76±0.97) and
aqueous extract (27.07±0.16) was shown at
500µg/ml concentration. In both methods, ascorbic
acid is used as a standard reference
10,11
.
Anti-inflammatory activity
Dandekar R et al, (2015) reported the anti-
inflammatory activity of alcohol and aqueous
extract of Epiphyllum oxypetalum leaves. The study
was carried out by using In vitro method which
included human red blood cell membrane
stabilization and inhibition of protein denaturation
method. The In vivo anti-inflammatory activity was
assessed on Wistar albino rats using carrageenan-
induced paw oedema model. The percentage
inhibition in protein denaturation and membrane
stabilization was found a dose-dependent increase
in both alcohol extract and aqueous extract.
Maximum inhibition 39.45% and 55.70% was seen
at concentration 300µ g/ml in alcohol and aqueous
extract respectively. In carrageenan-induced paw
oedema, the extract was tested at 200, 400, and
600mg/kg, p.o. Percentage inhibition of rat paw
oedema by alcohol and aqueous extract of
Epiphyllum oxypetalum was found to be maximum
at 600mg/kg after 3 hours of carrageenan induction.
The study concludes that the aqueous extract of
Epiphyllum oxypetalum shows more anti-
inflammatory activity in both In vitro and In vivo
method than that of alcohol extract
12
.
Nanoparticle biosynthesis and antibacterial
activity
Priti Paralikar et al, (2014) reported the biogenic
synthesis of silver nanoparticles due to the
reduction of silver nitrate by an aqueous leaf extract
of Epiphyllum oxypetalum and its antibacterial
activity. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were
characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, NTA
analysis, FT-IR analysis, and Zeta potential. The
result showed that silver nanoparticles thus
synthesized have an average particle size of 86nm.
The synthesized silver nanoparticles of aqueous leaf
extract of Epiphyllum oxypetalum was tested for
antibacterial activity both in alone and in
combination with commercial antibiotics against
Propionibacterium acne, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and Klebsiella pneumonia by the disc diffusion
method. The result of the study revealed the
significant bactericidal activity of the synthesized
silver nanoparticles. The study concludes that the
efficiency of silver nanoparticles increased when
accessed in combination with antibiotics against test
organism
13
.
Antimicrobial potential
Upendra R S et al, (2012) reported the
phytochemical properties, nutritive values and
antimicrobial potential of leaf extract of Epiphyllum
oxypetalum. The nutritive values of the plant
showed a significant presence of proteins (14mg/g),
fatty acids (4.6mg/g), and vitamin niacin
(0.18mg/g). Preliminary phytochemical screening of
the petroleum ether, acetone and ethanol extract of
Epiphyllum oxypetalum revealed the presence of

Prajitha P. et al. /Asian Journal of Research in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 7(3), 2019, 824-830.
Available online: www.uptodateresearchpublication.com July – September 828
Glycosides, Saponins, Steroids, Phenols, Proteins,
Resins, Tannins, and Terpenoids while reducing
sugars, alkaloids, flavonoids, sterols, phlobatannins,
and acidic compound are found absent. The
antimicrobial activity of petroleum ether, acetone
and ethanol extract of the leaves against
Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella
pneumonia and Bacillus subtilis and antifungal
activity against Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus
oryzae, Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus oryzae were
reported at different concentration of 25, 50, 75 and
100µg/ml using disc diffusion method. This study
clearly revealed the broad spectrum antibacterial
nature of the plant and all three extracts (petroleum
ether, acetone, and ethanol) were found to be
ineffective against the tested fungal pathogens
14
.
Table No.1: Taxonomy of Epiphyllum oxypetalum
Kingdom Plantae
Division Magnoliophyta
Class Magnoliopsida
Order Caryophyllales
Family Cactaceae
Subfamily Cactodiae
Genus Epiphyllum
Species Oxypetalum
Binomial name Epiphyllum oxypetalum (DC.) Haw.
Figure No.1: Whole plant

Prajitha P. et al. /Asian Journal of Research in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 7(3), 2019, 824-830.
Available online: www.uptodateresearchpublication.com July – September 829
Figure No.2: Flower
Figure No.3: Leaves
Figure No.4: Flower buds
CONCLUSION
The literature survey unveiled that the plant
Epiphyllum oxypetalum is an important medicinal
plant that can be used to treat various diseases. The
plant shows the presence of many chemical
constituents which are responsible for diverse
pharmacological and medicinal properties. However
the plant is one of the under-utilized resources
available in the tropical region, the medicinal
activities are yet to be explored and expect an
exemplary outcome in the future.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We are very thankful to Department of
Pharmacology, Devaki Amma Memorial College of
Pharmacy, Malappuram, Kerala, India.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

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Please cite this article in press as:
Prajitha P et al. A review on Epiphyllum oxypetalum (Dc) Haw, Asian Journal of
Research in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 7(3), 2019, 824-830.