Calotropis gigantea

Calotropis gigantea (L.) Dryand.,  Hortus Kew. 2: 78 1811.

(Calotropis gigantea (L.) Dryand. ex W. T. Aiton; Photo C Hines and Nirmal Roberts)

Latin Name: 

Calotropis gigantea (L.) Dryand. ex W. T. Aiton

Family & Genus: 

Asclepiadaceae, Calotropis

Synonym Name: 

Asclepias gigantea L.; Calotropis gigantea (L.) R. Br. ex Schult. ; Madorius giganteus (L.) Kuntze; Periploca cochinchinensis Lour.; Streptocaulon cochinchinense (Lour.) G. Don        

English Name: 

Akund Calotrope, Bowstring Hemp, Crownplant, Madar, Mudar, Crown Flower.

Chinese Name: 

牛角瓜 niu jiao gua

Vietnamese Name: 

Bồng bồng to; Lá hen; Bông bông, Nam tỳ bà.

Description: 

Shrubs 1-5 m tall. Petiole 1-4 mm; leaf blade obovate-oblong or oblong, 7-30 × 3-15 cm, base cordate, apex obtuse, cottony tomentose when young, frequently glabrescent and glaucous green; lateral veins 4-8 pairs. Cymes umbel-like, with fine woolly hairs; peduncle robust, 5-12 cm. Pedicel thick, 2-5 cm. Calyx almost flat, 1.2-1.5 cm in diam. Flower buds cylindric. Corolla usually purplish or lilac with paler greenish base, 2.5-3.5 cm in diam., fleshy, glabrous; lobes ovate, 1-1.5 × 0.6-1 cm, spreading or reflexed, margin revolute. Corona shorter than gynostegium. Follicly es obliquely elliptic to oblong-lanceolate in outline, 5-10 × 2.5-4 cm, both ends incurved. Seeds broadly ovate, 5-7 × 3-4 mm; coma 2.5-4 cm. Flowering and fruiting almost whole year.

Ecological: 

Woods of dry areas, stream banks; 0-1400 m.

Distribution: 

Distributed in Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan. [India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; tropical Africa]

Part Used:

Leaf. Chinese name: Niujiaogua.

Harvest & Processing: 

Collected in summer and autumn and sun-dried.

Chemistry: 

Cardenolides, steroids, tannins, glycosides, phenols, terpenoids, sugars, flavonoids, alkaloids and saponins.

- Root contains cardiac glycoside, such as uscharitin, uzarigenin, calotropin and calactin; also contains triterpenes, such as α-amyrin, β-amyrin and taraxasterol.

- The stems: antiarol, (3S,5R,6S,9R)-3,6- dihydroxy-5,6-dihydro-β-ionol, blumenol A, coniferyl aldehyde, stigmast-5-ene-3β,7β-diol, 3-epi-betulinic acid, lupeol, and α-amyrin.

- The leaves: β-carboline-1-carboxylate (1), (+)-dehydrovomifoliol, pleurone, calotropagenin, and calotoxin

Pharmacology: 

Cardiotonic, anti-inflammatory, anti-blood-coagulation, parasites-expelling, antimicrobial, anthelmintic, analgesic and antipyretic, anticancer, anti-angiogenic, immunological, antidiabetic, cardiovascular, hypolipidemic, gastroprotective, hepatic protective, renal protective, antidiarrheal, antioxidant, anticonvulsant, enhancement of wound healing, antifertility and smooth muscle relaxant effect.

Properties & Actions: 

Little bitter, harsh, neutral. Toxic. Removing phlegm and stopping cough.

Indications & Usage: Cough with asthma, excessive phlegm, whooping cough. Internal: decocting, 1-3g, or powdered.

Examples:         

1. Dyspnea and cough with excessive sputum: akund calotrope leaves 3g, roripa montana seed 9g, apricot seed 12g, cudweed 30g. Decoct in water and swallow.

2. Asthma: akund calotrope leaves 3g, earthworm 30g. Grind into fine powder, and swallow with boiled water, 6g each time.

References

- libproject.hkbu.edu.hk

- efloras.org

- theplantlist.org

- Wang, M., Yang, Q., Yan, X. et al. Chemical Constituents of Calotropis gigantea. Chem Nat Compd 53, 963–965 (2017).

- Nguyen Huu Duy, KhangDang Hoang, PhuNguyen, Trung Nhan, Nguyen Trung Nhan; Chemical constituents of the leaves of Calotropis gigantea (Linn.), Asclepidaceae; International Symposium on Pure & Applied Chemistry (ISPAC) 2017

-  Ali Esmail Al-Snafi; The constituents and pharmacological properties of Calotropis procera-An Overview; Pharmacy Review & Research; Vol 5, Issue 3,  2015; 259-275. 259