Abelmoschus moschatus Medik.

Abelmoschus moschatus Medik.

Latin Name: Abelmoschus moschatus Medik.

Family: Malvaceae; Genus: Abelmoschus

Synonym Name: Abelmoschus abelmoschus (L.) H.Karst.

Abelmoschus betulifolia Wall.; Abelmoschus chinensis Wall.; Abelmoschus ciliaris Walp.; Abelmoschus cryptocarpus Walp.; Abelmoschus cubensis Walp.; Abelmoschus cucurbitaceus Walp.; Abelmoschus haenkeanus C.Presl; Abelmoschus marianus C.Presl; Abelmoschus moschatus var. betulifolius (Mast.) Hochr.; Abelmoschus moschatus var. haenkeanus (C.Presl) Merr.; Abelmoschus moschatus var. lanyunatus S.S.Ying; Abelmoschus palustris Walp.; Abelmoschus pseudoabelmoschus (Blume) Walp.; Abelmoschus roseus Walp.; Abelmoschus sublobatus C.Presl; Hibiscus abelmoschus L.; Hibiscus abelmoschus var. betulifolius Mast.; Hibiscus abelmoschus var. genuinus Hochr.; Hibiscus chinensis Roxb.; Hibiscus ciliaris C.Presl; Hibiscus collinsianus Nutt. ex Torr. & A. Gray; Hibiscus flavescens Cav.; Hibiscus haenkeanus Fern.-Vill.; Hibiscus moschatus (Medik.) Salisb.; Hibiscus pseudabelmoschus Blume; Hibiscus ricinifolius Wall.; Hibiscus ricinoides Garcke; Hibiscus roxburghii Steud.; Hibiscus sublobatus Hochr.

English Name: Musk Mallow, Muskmallow, Musk okra, Ambrette, ornamental okra, annual hibiscus, yorka okra, galu gasturi, bamia moschata, Muskdana, Ornamental okra

Chinese name: Hungkui. 黄葵 huang kui

Hindi: मुश्कदाना Mushkdana, कस्तूरीदाना Kasturi-dana, जंगली भिंडी Jangli bhindi • Manipuri: Bawrthsaisbe suak, Uichhuhlo • Marathi: कस्तूरी भॆंडी Kasthooribhendi, मुस्कादाना Muskadaana • Tamil: kasturi-vendaik-kay-virai, kaattu kasturi • Malayalam: kasturi-venta-vitta, kattu-kasturi • Telugu: kasturi-benda-vittulu, karpoorabenda • Kannada: kasturi bende, kaadu kastoori • Bengali: kalkasturi, latakasturi, mushakdan • Urdu: Mushkdana • Assamese: gorokhiakarai • Sanskrit: लताकस्तूरिका Latakasturika • Tangkhul: Tawonrong

Vietnamese name: Vông vang

Cuba: ambarina

Dominican Republic: albalia; albangalia; algalia; medic

Germany: Bisamstrauch; Eibisch, Bisam-; Eibisch, Moschus-

Haiti: gombo marron; gumbo

India: jangli bhindi; kaattu kasturi; kalkasturi; kasturi-dana; latakasturi; mushakdan; mushkdana

Indonesia: gandapura; kakapasan; kasturi

Italy: ambretta

Lesser Antilles: gombo maudi; gombo modi

Malaysia: kapas hantu; kapas hutan

Myanmar: balu-wah; kon-kado; taw-wah

Netherlands: abelmos; amberbloem; muskuszaad

Philippines: dalupang; kastiokastiokan; kastuli

Puerto Rico: almizcle vegetal; caballo asi; malva almizclera

Thailand: chamot-ton; mahakadaeng; som-chaba

Description: Musk Mallow is a herb or undershrub, erect 0.5-3 m tall. Stem is simple and retrorse hairy, bristly to prickly. Leaves are 6-30 cm long and broad, round or broadly ovate, heart-shaped at base, not or 3-7 lobed or parted, bristly on both sides; lobes deltoid to oblong-lanceshaped, sawtoothed to toothed or rounded toothed or rarely entire; stipules linear or thread-like, 6-12 mm long, simple hairy; leaf-stalk 2-30 cm long, bristly. Flowers arise in leaf-axils, solitary, flower-stalk 2-8 cm long, in fruit up to 19 cm. False sepals are 6-10, 8-20 mm long, 1-2.5 mm broad, appressed, linear to lanceshaped. Sepal-cup 2-3.5 cm long. Flower 10 cm across, yellow with a deep purple spot at the base; petals 7-9 cm long, 2-5.5 cm broad, fringed with hairs at base. Staminal tube 1.5-2 cm long. Capsule 5-8 cm long, 2-3.5 cm across, ovoid to spindle-shaped, densely simple hairy, usually bristly. Seeds 3-4 mm across, ovoid-kidney-shaped, usually hairless or rarely star-shaped velvet-hairy, black. Flowering: June to October.

Environmental requirements:

A. moschatus is a plant species of the tropical and subtropical regions, but can also grow in temperate sites. It prefers a mean temperature in the range of 20-30°C, but can tolerate temperatures ranging from 7-35°C. It cannot withstand temperatures of greater than 45°C or frost conditions. It is well adapted to areas with a mean annual rainfall in the range of 1000-1400 mm (but tolerates 700-2750 mm). It thrives in well-drained loamy and sandy soils with a pH ranging from 5.5-7.8, but can also grow on heavy clays. It cannot grow in heavily shaded areas but it is moderately drought tolerant and can regenerate foliage after damage by fire (FAO, 2007; Orwa et al., 2009; Sankaran and Suresh, 2013; PROSEA, 2016; Florabank, 2018).

Distribution: Growing in plains, valleys, mountains streams or slop thickets. Distributed and cultivated in Jiangxi, Taiwan, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan and etc.

Part Used: Medical part: whole part.

Harvest & Processing: Harvested in summer, autumn, well washed, used fresh or sun-dried.

Chemistry:

The whole plant extracts of A. moschatus showed the presence of carbohydrates, proteins, flavonoids, sterols, tannins, phenolic compounds, fixed oil, and fats.

Leaves contain β-sitosterol and β-sitosterol-β-D-glucoside.

Flowers contain β-sitosterol, myricetin, myricetin-glucoside and β-sitosterol. Seeds contain α-cephalin, phos-phatidylserine, phosphatidylserine plasmalogen and phosphatidylcholine plasmalogen.

Seed contains moisture (11.14%), protein (2.3%), starch (13.35%), crude fiber (31.46%), fatty oils (14.5%), volatile oil (0.2–0.6%), and resin (5%). The volatile oil extracted from crushed seeds is called as crude oil or concrete. The main constituent of the seed oil is a sesquiterpene alcohol, farnesol (0.12% in the seeds). The fatty oil extracted from the seeds is rich in linoleic acid and contains phospholipids-α-cephalin, phosphatidylserine, and its plasmalogen and phosphatidylcholine plasmalogen. The seeds also contain 2-trans-6-trans-farnesyl acetate, 2-cis-6-trans- farnesyl acetate, 1-(-acetoxyethyl)-1-hexylcyclopropane, and 1-(4-acetoxybutyl)-2-hexacyclopropane

Pharmacology: Antibiosis, diuretic activity, antioxidant activity and free-radical scavenging activity, antiproliferative activity, antimicrobial activity, hepatoprotective activity, memory atrengthening effect,  antidiabetic activity, effects on central nervous system, hemagglutinating activity, anti-ageing property.

Safety and toxic profile:

Acute and 28 days subacute oral toxicity studies of hydroalcoholic seed extracts of A. moschatus were conducted in Swiss albino mice and Wistar albino rats. Results indicated that a dose of 2000 mg/kg body weight of hydroalcoholic seed extracts of A. moschatus given orally appeared to be non-toxic. Acute oral toxicity and safety evaluation of seed oil in albino rats showed the oil is safe to use for edible purposes. An airborne photoallergic contact dermatitis with brownish pigmentation is reported by musk ambrette in incense.

Properties & Actions: Little sweet, cold. Eliminating heat and detoxifying, promoting lactation and deducing defecation.

Indications & Usage: Pyrexia, cough with lung heat, dysentery, constipation, problematic lactation after delivery, fractures, ulcerative carbuncle and abscess, unknown pyogenic infections and burns due to hot liquids or fire. Oral administration: decocting, 9-15g. External application: appropriate amount, fresh products applied in smashed pattern.

References

Chinese Medicinal Material Images Database

efloras.org

Theplantlist

www.cabi.org

Anil T. Pawar, Neeraj S. Vyawahare; Phytopharmacology of Abelmoschus moschatus medik.: A review; International Journal of Green Pharmacy; 2017, 11 (4), S649