Anaxagorea javanica (Pharmaceutical interest and uses)

Anaxagorea javanica Bl.

[Anaxagoras = Greek philosopher; Latin javanica = from Java]

Synonymy: 

Anaxagoreascortechinii King.

Common name: 

Champoon (Thai).

Physical description: 

It is a treelet of the lowland rainforest of Malaysia, Borneo and Java. The bark is slightly fissured and yellowish. Leaves: simple, alternate and exstipulate. The petiole is 5mm–1cm long, transversally fissured and channeled above. The blade is leathery, 7 cm–18 cm × 4 cm–6 cm, and oblong-lanceolate. The apex of the blade is acute or slightly acuminate and the base is tapering. The margin is slightly recurved and wavy. The blade shows 6–10 pairs of secondary nerves. The flowers are fragrant, grouped by 1–4, terminal and opposite the leaves. The calyx comprises of 2–3 sepals which are valvate. The corolla consists of 6 petals which are valvate and arranged in 2 distinct whorls.The outer petals are elliptic with a broad base, greenish outside and white inside.The inner petals are white with narrow claw and rhomboid blade. The gynecium consists of 8–9 angled distinct carpels. The stigmas are conical with U-shaped opening at the apex. The fruits are bunches of 4–8, light-green, clubshaped, succulent and dehiscent 5 cm long ripe carpels radiating from the thalamus. Each carpel contains a pair of glossy and pure black, tear-shaped, and 5mm long seeds (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Anaxagorea javanica Bl.

Pharmaceutical interest: 

Bioassay-guided fractionation of a methanolic extract of heartwood of Anaxagorea luzonensis resulted in the isolation of a nonsteroidal phytoestrogens: 8-isopentenylnaringenin (Kitaoka M et al., 1998). 8-Isopentenylnaringenin injected into ovariectomized rats (30 mg/Kg/day) completely suppresses bone and uterine changes as effectively as 17-β-estradiol (Masaaki M et al., 1998). The pharmacological potential of Anaxagorea javanica Bl. is unknown.

Use: 

A decoction of the root of Anaxagorea javanica Bl. is drunk by Malays to aid recovery from childbirth.

References

Kitaoka M, et al. (1998) Planta Med 64(6): 511–515.

Masaaki M, et al. (1998) Planta Med 64(6): 6516–6519.

Warning: 

This plant may have some estrogenic properties and potentially increase the risk of breast cancer.