Download Scientific Name: Morus nigra L

Scientific Name:
Local Name:
Morus nigra L.
Firssad, Toot
Arabic Name(s):
Toot, Firssad, Toot Shami
Common Name(s):
Black Mullberry, Moral
Family:
Moraceae
Whole plant
Fruit
Leaves
Description:
Deciduous tree, slow growing , up to15m high, much branched stems ,dull green
orange tinged to dark grey stem bark, have an attractive appearance. Leaves simple,
alternate, thick, rough, dark green, broadly ovate, petiolate, sometimes irregularly
lobed, 2-3 lobes, 6-12x6-12 cm, shortly acuminate, serrate, base cordate, scabrous
above, pubescent beneath. Flowers in axillary unisexual spikes, dioecious either on
the same tree or different trees, the female flowers are borne in erect, cylindrical short
capitate spikes, perianth 4, stigmas 2, perianth and styles covered with long soft hairs
; male flowers in catkin – like spikes 1.5-3cm long, perianth segments 4 fused at base,
stamens 4; . Fruits false compound, fleshy deep red drupes, 2-8.5 cm long, cylindrical
or ovoid, sweet and edible.
Habitat & Distribution:
The genus Morus has seven species of deciduous trees mainly in temperate regions
now naturalized in tropical & subtropical regions; occurring in North & South
America, Africa and Asia. M. nigra is native to Iran and far east, cultivated
extensively all around the world for centuries, in UAE two species M. nigra and M.
alba widely cultivated.
Part Used:
Leaves, fruits,bark
Traditional & Medicinal Uses:
Fruit is nutritive, cooling, mild laxative, expectorant; and used in food manufacturing.
The bark is astringent, purgative and vermifuge and anthelimintic.
Leaves are used as gargle in cases of inflammation of vocal cords and as antidiabetic.
Fruits used in sore throat melancholia ,dyspepsia and allays thirst and fever.
In Indian a paste from the leaves mixed with another herb is used for bed sores; and
also eaten by cattle. The Greeks used the plant to treat gout and named the fruit as
“gout fruit”.
The plant also used traditionally to treat hemorrhoids, diarrhea, burns, gingivitis,
kidney stones, impotency, dysentery, wounds, emmenagouge and as antimicrobial.
Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry
Parts studied : Leaves
Microscopical Description:
. A transverse section of the leaf shows a unilateral structure. The upper epidermis is
covered with a thick striated cuticle. The epidermal cells are colourless, anticlinal
mostly oblong but round cells also exist. Some epidermal cells also extend to form
papillose cells or short covering trichomes. Few longer conical trichomes are also
observed. The mesophyll palisade tissue consists of one layer of oblong compactly
arranged cells with straight cell walls. They are smaller in size compared to the upper
epidermal cells and they are rich in chlorophyll and some small-sized coloured
crystalline substances. The spongy mesophyll cells are small, round or oblong
compactly held cells. Some of those cells adjacent to the palisade cells contain large
rosettes of calcium oxalate crystals. The other cells contain coloured materials, large
brown crystalline substances and prisms. The mesophyll spongy cells are traversed by
vascular strands containing spirally thickened vessels. The lower epidermal cells are
small oval periclinal cells covered with a thick striated cuticle. Unicellular conical
covering trichomesa are more observed on the lower epidermis with their round basal
cells. Also, clavate glandular trichomes are observed on the lower epidermis. Stomata
are oval, anomocytic and they are well-distributed on both epidermises. (DPS
ZCHRTM UnPub.Results).
a
b
c
(a). TS of a portion of the leaf showing the unilateral structure of the leaf, the thick
striated cuticle that covers the anticlinal oblong upper epidermal cells, one layer of
palisade tissues, small rounded to oblong mesophyll spongy cells and small oval
periclinal lower epidermal cells. Shown also is a long tapering covering trichome.
(b). Surface view of the upper epidermis showing some papillose epidermal cells
circular in outline and typical polygonal epidermal cells. (c). Surface view of the
lower epidermis of the leaf showing dense conical, tapering or a little curved covering
trichomes on the epidermis near to a main vein. ( Magnification: x 400, x 250 and x
250, respectively).
Organoleptic characteristics:
Appearance:
Colour :
Odour :
Taste :
Powder
Green
Aromatic
Tasteless
Physicochemical constants:
Loss in weight on drying at 1050C (%):
8.00-8.20
Solubilities (%)
Alcohol solubility:
Water solubility :
70% ethanolic extractive:
8.80-9.60
28.80-29.60
34.00
Ash values (%)
Total ash :
Water soluble ash :
Acid-insoluble ash :
16.80-17.00
2.60-2.80
4.80-5.20
Successive extractive (%)
Petroleum ether (60-800):
Chloroform :
Absolute alcohol:
Distilled water :
4.60
3.00
9.40
Not done
pH values
pH of 1% solution:
pH of 10% solution :
8.13
8.36
The above results are under process of
publication(DPS ZCHRTM
Chemical constituents:
Flavonoids specially rutin. ( DPS, ZCHRTM Unpub, results).
Pharmacological and Toxicological studies :
The antioxidant effect of three different extract of Morus nigra (Mulberry) fruit has
been shown a protective action against peroxidative damage to biomemranes and
biomolecules (Naderi et al. 2004).
The plant extract at the dose of 20 mg/kg body mass produced a significant increase
in the catalytic concentration of glutathione in the live of diabetic mice with a
decrease in MDA concentration, showed antihyperglycaemic activity (Petlevski et al.
2003 a&b). Antinociceptive properties of prenylflavonoid isolated from Morus nigra
root bark has been investigated in classical models of pain in mice showed that the
plant exhibits a promising antinociceptiveor analgesic activity, being more than some
standard drugs used as reference (De Souza et al. 2000).
Morus nigra has also been reported for in the treatment of renal stones (Efraim &
Eran 2002). Recently the Morus nigra has been reported to reduce hypersensitivity
reactions (Caiaffa et al. 2003).
The pharmacological and toxicological studies carried out in our laboratory and
the results in brief, on Moris alba (70% ethanolic extract) have been given
below:
The results presented without references showed unpublished data (UPD, ZCHRTM,
DBMS):
ACTIVITY
RESULTS
Effect on GIT smooth MuscleIsolated rabbit jejunum
Produced mild increase in amplitude.
Effect on GIT smooth MuscleIsolated rat fundus
Produced very significant contraction.
Gross behavioral studies Tremor/Twitches
No toxic effect observed.
Gross behavioral studies –Writhing
No Writhing observed.
Gross behavioral studies -Diarrhea,
Urination
No diarrhea observed.
Mortality
No death recorded.
Motor co-ordination (String &
Platform test)
Motor co-ordination not affected.
Acute toxicity studies-
No toxic signs and symptoms observed.
LD50 evaluation
> 10 g/kg.
Summary of the results:
The plant produced significant contraction with high amplitude and low frequency of
contraction could be studied further as anti-vomiting agent The extract showed no
overt signs and symptoms at the high dose level administered orally (10 g/kg, p.o.).
Aqueous Extract:
ACTIVITY
RESULTS
Anti-inflammatory activity
The extract showed significant antiinflammatory activity using Cotton Pellet
method.
Cardiotonic activity & HR-Isolated
rat atria
Increased force of contraction.
Effect on GIT smooth MuscleIsolated rabbit jejunum
Produced mild reduction in amplitude of
contraction.
Effect on GIT smooth MuscleIsolated rat fundus
Gross behavioral studies Tremor/Twitches
No contractile effect.
Gross behavioral studies –Writhing
No writhing observed.
Gross behavioral studies - Diarrhea,
Urination
No diarrhea observed.
Mortality
No death reported.
Motor co-ordination (String &
Platform test)
Motor co-ordination not affected.
Acute toxicity studies-
No toxic effect or death recorded.
LD50 evaluation
>10 g/kg.
No tremors observed.
Summary of the results:
The plant extract showed anti-inflammatory activity on sub-acute treatment in the
rats. The extract showed no overt signs and symptoms at the high dose level
administered orally (10 g/kg, p.o.).
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References:
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(1950&1952) vol 1+II; Arbroath, Scotland.
Bown, D. (1995) Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley
Limited, London. ISBN 0-7513-020-31.
Caiaffa,M.F.,Cataldo,V.M. Tursi,a.& Macchia,L.(2003). Fig & Mulberry
cross allergy.Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 91950:493-5
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Chevallier, A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. (1996) Dorling
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electrophoresis and studies on hydroxyl radical scavenging activities of
Chinese herbs. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2003; 376(5): 691-5.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Zyed Complex for Herbal Research and
Traditional Medicine, Unpublished results.
Efraim, L. & Eran, D. (2002). Use of natural substances in the
treatment of renal stones and other urinary disorders in the medieval
Levant. American J. Nephrology 2: 172-179.
Kotb, T.F. (1985). Medicinal Plants in Libya. Arab Encyclopedia
House. Tripoli- Libya.
Miller, A.G. & Cope, T.A. (1996). Flora of the Arabian Peninsula and
Socotra. Vol. 1. Edingburgh Univ. Press.
Naderi, G.A., Asgary, S., Sarraf-Zadgan, N., Oroojy, H. & Afshin-Nia,
f. (2004). Antioxidant activity of three extracts of Morus nigra.
Phytotherapy Res. 18(5):365-369.
Nadkarni, A.K (1992).Indian Materia Medica. Vol. 1. Popular
Prakashan Private Press, India.
Petlevski, R., Hadzija, M., Slijepeevic, M., & Juretic, D. (2001 a).
Effect of antidiabetic herbal preparation on serum glucose and
fructosamine n NOD mice. J. Ethanopharmacol 75 (2): 181-184.
Petlevski, R., Hadzija, M., Slijepeevic, M. & Juretic, D. (2001 b).
glutathione S-transfarase and malandialdehyde in the liver of NOD
mice on short-term treatment with palnt mixture extract P-9801091.
Phytotherapy Res 17 (4): 311-314.
Warrier P.K., Nambiar, V.P.K. & Ramankutty, C. (Edit) (1995). Indian
Medicinal Plants, A Compendium of 500 species. Vol. IV. Orient
Longman. Kottakal, India.
.‫( دار اﻟﺠﺒﻞ –ﺑﯿﺮوت‬1987 ) .‫ ﻣﻌﺠﻢ اﻟﻨﺒﺎﺗﺎت اﻟﻄﺒﯿﺔ‬.‫ ودﯾﻊ‬،‫ﺟﺒﺮ‬
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.‫ ﻃﺮاﺑﻠﺲ –ﻟﺒﻨﺎن‬،‫ دار اﻟﺸﻤﺎل‬،‫أﺣﻤﺪ ﻃﺒﺎل ) ( ﻣﻌﺠﻢ اﻟﻨﺒﺎﺗﺎت اﻟﺸﺎﻓﯿﺔ‬
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