Download Lec18 pimpinella, recinus,rosmary

Lec. No.18.
Selected Medicinal Plants
28- Pimpinella anisum
Family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)
Anise ‫يانسون‬
Plant Description
 Erect annual growing to 60 cm.
 With feathery leaves, umbels of yellow flowers, and ridged gray-green
seeds.
Habitat & Cultivation:
 Anise is native to the eastern Mediterranean, western Asia, and North
Africa.
 It is widely cultivated for its seeds, which are used both medicinally
and as a flavoring agent in cooking.
Parts used: Seeds, essential oil.
Active Constituents:
 Volatile oil comprising 70-90% anethole, together with methyl
chavicol and other terpenes
 Furanocoumarins
 Flavonoids
 fatty acids
 Phenylpropanoids
 Sterols
 Proteins
 Anethole has an observed estrogenic effect, and the seeds as a
whole are mildly estrogenic.
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History and Folklore:
 Anise has been cultivated in Egypt for at least 4,000 years.
 The seeds were used as a diuretic, to treat digestive problems, and to
relieve toothache.
 In our folk medicine it is used also to treat arthritis ,male
hypersexuality, common cold, obesity, indigestion, hyperactivity,
nervosity.
Medicinal Action & Uses:
 Anise seeds are well known for their ability to reduce gas and
bloating, and to settle the digestion. (Remedy for gas bloating:
infusion with 1/4-1/2 tsp of anise seeds per cup of water and drink
up to 5 cups a day)
 They are commonly given to infants and children to relieve colic and
to people of all ages to relieve nausea (‫ )الغثيان‬and indigestion.
 Anise seeds' antispasmodic properties make them helpful in
countering menstrual pain, asthma, whooping cough, and other
spasmodic coughs, and bronchitis.
Their expectorant action justifies their use for these respiratory
ailments.
 Anise essential oil is used for similar complaints, and is also used
externally for lice and scabies.
Cautions:
 Do not take the essential oil internally except under professional
supervision.
 Do not take anise during pregnancy, except in amounts normally used
in cooking.
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29- Ricinus Communis
Family Euphorbiaceae
Castor bean plant
‫الخروع‬
Plant Description:
-Evergreen shrub growing to about 1 m in its natural state, but much
smaller annual when cultivated
- Has large palm-shaped leaves, green female flowers and prickly red
seed capsules
Habitat & Cultivation:
- Castor bean plant probably native to eastern Africa.
- It is cultivated in hot climates around the world especially in Africa and
Southern Asia.
-The seed capsule are gathered throughout the year when nearly ripe and
then put up in the sun to mature.
Parts Used:
Seed oil, seeds
Active Constituents:
-The seeds contain 45-55 % fixed oil, which consists mainly of
glycerides of ricinoleic acid, ricin (a highly toxic protein)
ricinine (an alkaloid) and lectins
-The seeds are highly poisonous- 2 are sufficient to kill an adult)-but the
toxins do not pass into the expressed oil.
History & Folklore:
-Castor oil has been used medicinally for about 4,000 years. Until
recently it was given regularly to children "to help keep the system clear".
It has an unpleasant taste.
Medicinal Actions & Uses:
-It is known as strong laxative (and in higher doses, purgative),
promoting a bowel movement about 3-5 hours after ingestion
- The oil is effective in clearing the digestive tract in cases of
poisoning.
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-Castor oil is well tolerated by the skin and sometimes used in medical
and cosmetic preparations.
- In India the oil is massaged into the breasts after childbirth to
stimulate flow of milk.
-Indian herbalists use a poultice of castor oil seeds to relieve swollen
and tender joints.
- In China, the crushed seeds used to treat facial palsy ‫شلل‬.
- Our herbalists used castor seeds as abortive and contraceptive,
constipation, skin diseases and eczema and psoriasis ‫الصدفية‬
Cautions:
-Do not ingest the seeds which are extremely poisonous.
- Do not take castor oil during pregnancy or more often than once every
few weeks as a treatment for constipation.
30-Rosmarinus officinalis
Family Lamiaceae (Labiatae)
Rosemary ‫حصالبان اكليل الجبل‬
Introduction
 Rosemary is a well-known and greatly valued herb that is native to
southern Europe.
 It has been used thousands of years to improve and strengthen the
memory.
 To this day it is burned in the homes of students in Greece who are
about to take exams.
 Rosemary has a long-standing reputation as a tonic, invigorating
( ‫ )منعش‬herb, imparting a zest ( ‫ )نكهة‬for life that is to some degree
reflected in its distinctive aromatic taste.
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Plant Description
 A strongly aromatic evergreen shrub growing to 2 m.
 With narrow, dark green, pinelike leaves.
Habitat and Cultivation:
 Native to the Mediterranean, rosemary grows freely in much of
southern Europe and is cultivated throughout the world.
 It is propagated from seed or cuttings in spring and prefers a warm ,
moderately dry climate and sheltered site.
 The branches are gathered during the summer after flowering and
dried in the shade.
Parts used: fresh and dries leaves.
Active Constituents:
 Volatile oil (1-2%) containing:
-Borneol
-Camphene
-Camphor
-Cineole
 Flavonoids (apigenin, diosmin)
 Tannins
 Rosmarinic acid
 Diterpenes
 Rosmaricine
Medicinal Actions( Traditional and Current Uses):
 Tonic
 Stimulant
 Astringent ( ‫)قابض‬
 Nervine (‫)مسكنات لألعصاب‬
 Anti-inflammatory
 Antioxidant
 Circulatory stimulant:
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 Rosemary has a central place in European herbal medicine.
 It stimulates circulation of blood to the head, improving
memory and concentration.
 It also eases headaches and migraine and encourages hair
growth.
 Poor circulation:
 Thought to raise low blood pressure, rosemary is valuable for
fainting and weakness associated with deficient circulation.
 Restorative: ‫عامل مساعد على اعادة الصحة‬
 Rosemary aids recovery from long-term stress and chronic
illness.
 It is thought to stimulate the adrenal glands and is used
specifically for debility ( ‫)الةهن‬, especially when accompanied by
poor circulation and digestion.
 Uplifting:
 Rosemary is often prescribed for people who are stressed and
"failing to thrive."
 Valued as an herb that raises the spirits, it is useful for mild to
moderate depression.
 Other uses:
Applied as a lotion or diluted essential oil, rosemary eases aching,
rheumatic muscles.
Research
 Rosmaricine:
-Research has shown that rosmaricine is a stimulant and mild
analgesic ( ‫)مسك‬.
 Volatile oil:
-The oil content varies within the plant.
-It is analgesic and stimulant, especially when applied to the skin.
 Other research:
-Rosemary's anti-inflammatory effect is due mainly to rosmarinic acid
and flavonoids.
-The flavonoids also strengthen the capillaries.
-The herb, as a whole, has bitter and astringent properties.
 Antioxidant:
-The whole herb is powerfully antioxidant, the diterpenes and
flavonoids both powerfully inhibit free-radical damage including lipid
peroxidation (fat breakdown).
Remedies using Rosemary:
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Infusion: -to relieve headaches. Take 50 ml every 3 hours
- rubbed into scalp to improve hair growth.
- To relieve premenstrual tension ( the infusion is made with 1
tbsp of dried or 2 tbsp of fresh leaves to liter of water and add to warm
path each morning.
Traditional Remedy:
-Used to treat kidney diseases, liver diseases, arteriosclerosis and
anemia. (Infusion is prepared from 30 g leaves and one liter water and
taken orally 2-3 times/day until the condition improves)
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