Androsace umbellata

Androsace umbellata (Lour.) Merr.

(Androsace umbellata (Lour.) Mer) Photo 花言草語)

Latin Name: Androsace umbellata (Lour.) Merr.

Family: Primulaceae; Genus: Androsace

Synonym Name: Drosera umbellata Loureiro; Androsace saxifragaefolia Bunge; Primula minutiflora Forrest; Primula umbellata (Loureiro) Bentvelzen.

English Name: Umbellate Rockjasmine, northern rockjasmine, pygmy-flower rock-jasmine , pygmyflower rockjasmine.

Vietnamese name: Báo xuân hoa, Cây điểm địa

Description: Herbs annual or biennial, with numerous fibrous roots. Leaves basal; petiole 1--4 cm, pilose; leaf blade suborbicular to ovate, 5--20 wide, appressed pubescent, base shallowly cordate to subrounded, margin dentate, apex obtuse to rounded. Scapes often many, erect, 4--15 cm, pubescent; umbels 4--15-flowered; bracts ovate to lanceolate, 3.5--4 mm. Pedicel 1--3 cm, elongating to 6 cm in fruit, pubescent and short-stalked glandular. Calyx 3--4 mm, densely pubescent, parted nearly to base; lobes rhomboid-ovate, enlarging and stellately spreading in fruit; veins 3--6. Corolla white, 4--6 mm in diam., with a yellow eye; tube ca. 2 mm; lobes obovate-oblong, 2.5--3 X 1.5--2 mm, apex obtuse. Flowering: April to May; fruiting: June.

Distribution: Growing in sunny places, thin forests, forest edge and grasslands. Distributed in Northeast and North China, the south parts of Qinling Mountains. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Northeast and North China and the south of the Qinling Mountains. Self-produced and self-marketing.

Part Used: Medical part: entire plant and fruits. Chinese name: Houlongcao.

Harvest & Processing: Harvested entire plant around early April, sundried.

Chemistry: Entire plant contains saponin, flavonoid, tannin phenols and saccharides.

Flavonoid: kaempferol 3-O-(3-O-acetyl-)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, kaempferol 3-O-(2-O-acetyl-)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, kaempferol 7-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, kaempferol 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, kaempferol 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, kaempferol 3-O-(3-O-acetyl-)-a-L-rhamnopyranosyl-7-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, kaempferml 3-O-(4-O-acetyl-)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-7-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and myricetin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside.

Saponin: Androside A, Androside B, androside C, Androside D, androside E, androside F

Pharmacology: Hemolysis and cardiotonic.

Properties & Actions: Bitter, pungent, little cold. Clearing heat and detoxifying, dispersing swelling and relieving pain.

Indications & Usage: Swelling and pain in throat, sore mouth, toothache, acute conjunctivitis, rheumatic arthralgia, stranguria with turbid urine, furunculosis and swelling, scalding and burns, snake bite, injuries from falls. Internal: decocting, 9-15g; fired and powdered; or immersed by wine; or used in boiling water as tea. External: appropriate amount, fresh products triturated for application; or decocted for washing or gargling.

Examples: Swelling pain of throat, whitish aphthae: grind osmanthus fragrans into extremely fine powder, blow onto lesions.

References

- Chinese Medicinal Material Images Database

- efloras.org

- theplantlist

- Lei J, Xiao Y, Wang W, Xi Z, Yu M, Huang J.; Flavonoid glycosides from Androsace umbellata.; Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2011 Sep;36(17):2353-7.

- Zhi-Qi Yin, Lei Wangab, Cheng-Hua Lia, Dong-Mei Zhangb, Wei Zhangab, Ying Wangb, Ming Zhaoc, Chun-Tao Chec and Wen-Cai Ye; New triterpene saponins from the aerial parts of Androsace umbellata; RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 25765-25772