Download A Review on Euphorbia neriifolia (Sehund)

Review Article
Spatula DD. 2011; 1(2):107-111
A Review on Euphorbia neriifolia (Sehund)
Euphorbia neriifolia (Sehund) üzerine bir inceleme
Veena Sharma1, Pracheta Janmeda1, Lokendra Singh2
1
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Banasthali University, Banasthali-304022, Rajasthan,
India, 2Department of Botany, Meerut College, Meerut- 250001, India.
SUMMARY
Nowadays, focus on plant research has increased all over the world. Alternate healthcare system which has a growing potential as export
earner because plant based medicines are affordable offer diversity and have freedom from side effects of synthetic drugs and resistance
emergence to pathogenic microbes. Since Sehund is important latex producing medicinal plant of the dominant and large spurge family of
Indian subcontinent, a mega-diversity center of the world, it has been chosen for the bio-prospecting of novel drugs.
This review aims, (i) to refresh the importance of Sehund to the medicinal plant researchers and (ii) to summarize the folkloric uses,
pharmacological activities, and phytoconstituents of Sehund for ancient times.
Keywords: Sehund, latex, medicinal potentialities, folkloric uses
ÖZET
Günümüzde, bitki araştırmalarına olan ilgi tüm dünyada artmıştır. Alternatif sağlık sistemi; bitkisel kaynaklı ilaçların satın alınabilir
çeşitlilikte olmasından, sentetik ilaçların yan etkilerinden ve patojenik mikroplara karşı direnç gelişiminden bağımsız olmasından dolayı,
büyüyen bir ihracaat potansiyeline sahiptir. Sehund, dünyanın büyük bir çeşitlilik merkezi olan Hindistan kıta parçasının, baskın ve geniş
sütleğen ailesinin latex üreten önemli bir tıbbi bitkisi olduğundan, yeni ilaçların biyolojik kaynağı olarak seçilmiştir.
Bu inceleme, tıbbi bitki araştırmacıları için Sehund’un önemine yeniden dikkat çekmeyi ve antik çağlar boyunca Sehund’un folklorik
kullanımını, farmakolojik etkinliklerini, bitkisel bileşenlerini özetlemeyi amaçlamaktadır.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Sehund, lateks, tıbbi potansiyel, folklorik kullanım
Corresponding Author:
Veena Sharma,
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Banasthali
University, Banasthali-304022, Rajasthan, India,
Spatula DD
Received March 10, 2011; Accepted April 14, 2011
DOI 10.5455/spatula.20110414112919
Published online in ScopeMed (www.scopemed.org).
107
Anti-fertility effects of Acacia nilotica
Email: [email protected]
INTRODUCTION
Sehund
(Eurphobia
neriifolia
Linn.)
popularly known as Indian Spurge Tree, Oleander
Spurge, Hedge Euphorbia, Sehundah (Ayurveda)
and Ilachevikalli (Siddha) belongs to the family
Euphorbiaceae. It is attributed with properties such
as Ushnaveerya (hot), Snigdha (oily), Katu
(pungent), and Laghu (light) [1].
Sehund is a large succulent shrub, with stipular
thorns and is found in throughout the Deccan
peninsula of India. It is believed to be a native of
India and Deccan peninsula is the country of origin
(South India). It is commonly found in rock ground,
among rock crevices of hills; extensively cultivated
in the Bengal for hedges and elsewhere in native
villages [2]. Today, it is widely distributed
throughout the world.
Sehund has been given various names in
different regions and languages. The more common
local names of Sehund are Shij (Bengal), Dog’s
Tongue (English), Thor (Gujarati), Ilakkalli
(Malayalam), Siju (Oriya), Danda Thohar (Punjab),
Dotathur (Rajputana), Snuhi (Sanskrit), Zaqqum
(Urdu) [3,4].
Morphological Description
Small erect fleshy glabrous shrub, branches ¾ in
diam., jointed cylindric or obscurely 5-angled with
sharp stipular thorns arising from thick subconfluent
tubercles in 5 irregular rows. Leaves are succulent,
deciduous, 6-12 inch long, terminal on the branches,
waved narrowed into a very short petiole (Fig. 1 and
2).
Spatula DD. 2011; 1(2): 107-111.
Fig. 1: Euphorbia neriifolia (Sehund, Indian spurge tree) at
Banasthali, Jaipur. October 17, 2010 (Photo by Pracheta)
Fig. 2: Leaves of Sehund at Banasthali, Jaipur.
This plant is leafless for most part of the year,
except during monsoon when fresh leaves appear.
Inflorescence or the arrangement of flowers in a
bunch on the plant is “cyathium” type, means one
female and several male flowers are found on a
same bunch (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3: Flowering stage of Sehund March 18, 2011 (Photo by
Pracheta).
Female flowers consist of a trichambered ovary,
which usually elongates in fruits. Male flowers
many, bracts linear. Female flowers rarely
developed. Each chamber contains an ovum.
Involucres are yellowish 3-nate, the lateral ones of
108
Spatula DD
Sharma, Janmeda, Singh
the cymes shortly thickly pedicelled, central sessile;
lobes large, erect, roundish, cordate, fimbriate;
glands transversely oblong; bracteoles most
abundant, fimbriate. Fruits are three chambered,
tricoccaus, but so deeply divided that it has the
appearance of 3 radiating slender follicles [2,5].
isolated from the ethanol extract of fresh roots of
Euphorbia neriifolia i.e. Atisine diterpene antiquorin
(C20H28O3) and neriifolene (C20H30O3) [11].
OH
O
H
Phytochemical Screening Of The Sehund
The latex contains 69 to 93.3 % water and water
solubles and 0.2 to 2.6% caoutchouc [6,7]. A gum
resin which is the active principle, traces of an
alkaloid; wax, caoutchouc, chlorophyll, resin
(2.40%), tannin, sugar, mucilage, calcium oxalate,
carbohydrates albuminoids, “gallic acid quercetin, a
new phenolic substance and traces of an essential
oil”. Latex is bioactive on the BSLT (Brine shrimp
lethality test); it displayed LC 50 values of 76,7
µg/ml [8]. Latex enzyme profiles of Euphorbia
neriifolia helps in the separation of this plant from
other latex bearing plants [9].
Euphol (Whole plant, bark, latex, root);
friedelan-3alpha and 3beta-ol, D:B-friedoolen5(10)-en-1-one, glut-5(10)-en-1-one and taraxerol
(stem,
leaves);
n-hexacosanol,
euphorbol,
hexacosanoate, 12-deoxy-4beta-hydroxyphorbol-13dode-canoate-20-acetate
and
pelargonin-3,5diglucoside (bark); 24-methylenecycloartenol and
tulipanin-3,5-diglucoside (bark, root); nerifoliol
(latex) cycloartenol, euphorbol, ingenol triacetate,
12-deoxyphorbhol-13, 20-diacetate, delphinidin-3,5diglucoside (root). It has been reported by
Anjaneyalu and Row [10] that the crystalline
principles of Sehund leaves are triterpenes.
Antiquorin was identified by comparison of the
spectral data reported by Mizno et al. [11].
Sehund yielded in the isolation of several classes
of secondary metabolites, many of which expressed
biological activities such as tritertenes (nerrifolione),
flavonoids and steroidal saponins [12,13]. Two
novel tetracyclic triterpenes, such as neriifolione
[9,19-Cyclolanost-20(21)-en-24-ol-3-one],
and
cycloartenol (C10H50O) were isolated from
Euphorbia neriifolia latex [20]. Several triterpenoids
like
24methylenecycloartenol,
euphorbol
hexacosonate, Glut-5-en 3-ol, Glut-5(10)-en-1-one,
Glut-5-en-3 beta-yet-acetate, taraxerol, friede-lan-3
alpha-ol, and -3 beta-ol and amyrin was isolated
from the powdered plant, stem and leaves of
Euphorbia neriifolia [14]. This plant is rich in many
pharmaceutical active ingredients like sugars,
several
terpenes,
flavonoids,
alkaloids,
anthocyanins, triterpenoidal saponin like Glut-5-en3-ol, Glut-5(10)-en-1-one, teraxerol, euphol, and
amyrin [10]. Two crystalline compounds were
Spatula DD
O
H
HO
Antiquorin
Euphol
OH
O
H
HO
H
HO
Nerifoliene
Neriifolene
Fig. 4: Chemical structure of valuable compounds
Pharmacological Studies And Folkloric Uses
In India, Sehund is known for its medicinal
value, such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral,
antiparasitic,
antiarthritic,
antidiabetic,
anticonvulsant, antioxidant [15,16], wound healing
and
immuno-modulatory,
radioprotective,
spasmodic,
aphrodisiac,
anticancer
[17,18],
purgative and limit diseases caused by Tiba
(indigestion and badkhara and Tipa) and diuretic
properties due to the presence of phytoconstituents
like lectin, quercetin, saponin, flavonoids,
triterpenes, diterpenes, anthocyanins and platelet
derived growth factors [19,20,21].
The plant is bitter, acrid, pungent, laxative;
abortifacient, digestive, expectorant, depurative,
febrifuge, carminative, stomachic, vermifuge,
improves appetite, useful in abdominal troubles,
bronchitis, loss of consciousness, asthma, tumors,
leucoderma, piles, inflammations, cutaneous
diseases, dropsy, dyspepsia, pain, flatulence
intermittent fever, enlargement of spleen, anemia,
ulcers, jaundice, leprosy, rheumatism and in chronic
respiratory troubles [12,22,23]. In Ayurveda, the
plant is aphrodisiac and rubefacient, anticancerous,
used to heal anal fistula.
The plant as a single and compound drug is
widely used in the Unani medicine for the cure of
arthritic and a large number of other ailments, such
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Euphorbia Neriifolia
as respiratory stimulant, local anaesthetic,
antibacterial, antiviral, interferolick and paronychia.
In the traditional system leaves are used as
aphrodisiac, diuretic, cough and cold, and also used
in the treatment of bronchitis, and bleeding piles.
The leaves are reported to be useful as carminative,
stomachic and expectorant [12,24,25]. The mild
CNS
depressant,
wound
healing
and
immunomodulatory effect of leaf hydro-alcoholic
extract was reported by Bigonia and Rana [26].
According to Tavera and Guerrero, a fluid extracted
from the roasted leaves is used for earache. It is also
used thus in Malaya, as reported by Burkill and
Haniff [27]. The expressed juice of the leaves is
reported as very effectual in relieving the paroxyms
of spasmodic asthma. Gaur et al. [28] reported that
anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of hydroalcoholic leaves extract of Euphorbia neriifolia is
due to the presence of flavonoids. Sehund is one of
the constituents of kshaarasootra, which is used in
Indian medicine to heal anal fistula [29]. The juice
of the leaves is a popular cure for earache in the
Philippine Islands. Flavonoids the functional food of
Sehund can reduce chronic diseases [30]. Turmeric
powder mixed with the juice of Sehund is
recommended as an application for piles. Thread
steeped in the above-mentioned mixture is used in
ligaturing external hemorrhoids. The use of latex in
skin warts, earache and in arthritis was investigated
by Kirtikar and Basu [24].
Nadkarni [12] further reported the presence of
purgative and local rubefacient activity of the juice
and antispasmodic activity of the root. The white,
acrid, milky juice is internally a purgative and
externally it has rubefacient properties. As drastic
purgative it is given in combination with other
medicines such as chebulic myrobalan, longpepper, trivrit root and which are kept steeped in it
in cases of ascites, anasarca and tympanitis. The
juice is also applied to remove warts and similar
excrescences and to afford relief in earache; mixed
with shoot it is used as an anjan in ophthalmia;
mixed with margosa oil it is used as an application
in rheumatic affections. The juice is largely used
with clarified or fresh butter as an application to
unhealthy ulcer and scabies and applied to glandular
swellings to prevent and suppuration. It is
expectorant, pungent and is thus used in treating
tumors, arthritis and abdominal pains. Turmeric
powder mixed with the milky juice of Euphorbia
neriifolia is recommended to be applied to piles. The
tribal population of Chattishgarh region uses the
milky latex as an ingredient of aphrodisiac mixture
[24]. Natives of Chhattisgarh use externally boiled
110
‘thohar’ milk in castor oil with salt to cure the deep
cracks in soles of legs. The milk of ‘thohar’ is also
used commonly like aloe gel in case of burns and for
healing of wounds. Application of lukewarm
‘thohar’ a prerequisite for global harmonization of
herbal health leaves reduces itching pain and
swelling in piles [31]. In the Rajputana Desert the
milky juice is used as a cure for coughs, and is
applied to the skin as a blister.
CONCLUSION
In alternative medicine, medicinal plant
preparations have found widespread use particularly
in the case of diseases not amenable to treatment by
modern methods. Latex of Sehund seems to possess
magical properties and have been worked out
extensively. Chemical and phytochemical analysis
of Sehund reveal the presence of many important
active ingredients like, flavonoids, phenolic
compounds, vitamins and amino acids. This plant
has immense potential and have broad spectrum of
activity on several ailments. This plant can be used
safely for longer duration as a cheap source of active
therapeutics for alleviation of commonly occurring
ailments by the poor and under privileged people of
India. In spite of its various medicinal uses no
systematic studies in the literature regarding the
pharmacological effect of Sehund leaves extract for
degenerative diseases has been reported.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors are thankful to the authorities of
Banasthali University for providing support to the
study.
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