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Family Amaryllidaceae
Bakong
Crinum asiaticum Linn.

SPIDER LILY

Other scientific names  Common names
Crinum giganteum Blanco Agabahan (Bis.) 
Haemanthus pubescens Blanco Agakong (Bon..) 
  Bakong (Tag., Bag., Ilk., Sbl.) 
  Biliba (Sub.)
  Kabong (Bik.)
  Palagukon (Bis.)
  Saknib (Bon.)
  Salibangbang (Bis.)
  Teba (Bon.)
  Poison bulb (Engl.)
  Spider lily (Engl.)
Bakong is a local name shared by (1) Crinum asiaticum (2) Crinum latifolium, lirio and (3) Hymenocallis littorale, spider lily.
Spider lily is a shared common name of (1) Hymenocallis littorale, bakong, lirio and (2) Crinum asiaticum

Botany
Bakong has large coated bulbs, 5 to 10 cm in diameters. Leaves are crowded at the apex, lanceolate, 90 to 150 cm long, 12 to 15 cm wide. Scape, arising from the axils of old leaves, is erect, stout, and solid, about 1 meter high. Spathe subtending the flowers is about 15 cm long. Flowers are fragrant, 20 to 40, each subtended by a thin, narrow bracteole. Perianth tube is greenish, about 1 cm long, the lobes spreading, white, linear, recurved or revolute, about 8 cm long and 8 mm wide. Filaments are very slender, free and purplish above. Fruits are subglobose, about 5 cm in diameter.

Distribution
Throughout the Philippines along sandy seashores.
Sometimes planted inland.
Occasionally ornamental cultivation.

Parts utilized
Leaves and bulbs.

Constituents
- Contains an emetic component, an alkaloid, lycorine (1 to 1.8 percent) allied to emetine.
- Bulb has yielded alkaloids lycorine and crinamine.
- The bulbs have been reported to contain baconine.
- Considered astringent due to the presence of considerable amounts of tannin.
- An ethanol extract study revealed a new phenolic compound from the bulbs of Crinum asiaticum L. var sinicum.
- Phytochemical screening yielded alkaloids, coumarins, glycosides, triterpenes and flavonoids.

Properties
Astringent, analgesic, emollient, emetic.

Uses
Folkloric
Bulbs prepared as an ointment and leaves used as an emollient.
In India, the leaves and roots are emetic and diaphoretic, used as a substitute for ipecacuanha.
Warmed succulent leaves smeared with castor oil or bruised leaves mixed with oil are used for whitlow and other inflammations at the ends of toes and fingers.
Also used as fomentations on inflammed joints and sprains.
Juice of leaves, with a little salt, used for earaches and other ear complaints.
Poultice made from heated, pounded fresh bulb used for osteodynia and rheumatism.
Juice of fresh bulb is emetic. Also, instilled in the ear to treat otitis.
Poultice of heated, pounded fresh leaves used for contusion, sprains, fractures, luxations.
In Java, roots regarded as good emetic.
Roots used for fevers lumbago, headaches and swellings.
In Malaysia, used as rheumatic remedy and for local pain relief.
In Australia, aborigines use warm infusions of C asiaticum bulb to disinfect wounds.
In the Congo, used for leprosy.

Studies
Anti-inflammatory: The plant extract of Crinum asiaticum was studied for antiinflammatory effects on carrageenan-induced hind paw edema in mice. Results indicated active inflammatory compounds in the chloroform fraction of the methanol extract with dose-dependent results that support its use in traditional medicine.
Prostatic Hypertrophy: Model proved the leaf extract of Crinum asiaticum to be effective against hypertrophy of prostate in rats.
Mast Cell Effect: Lycoriside, an acylglucosyloxy-alkaloid from Crinum asiaticum on albino rats was studied for the mechanism of a dual response it elicited in view of a concentration-dependent anti- or prelease-effect on mast cell mediators.

Crinumin: Study purified crinumin, a glycosylated serine protease with chymotrypsin-like activity from the latex of C asiaticum. Its varied activities make it applicable for the pharmaceutical and food industries.
Central Inhibitory Activity / Sedative: Study of aqueous extract of Crinum giganteum in mice showed it contained biologically active principles with sedative activity.
Anti-Inflammatory / Anti-Lymphocytic / Analgesic: Study of extract of C giganteum showed significant dose-dependent inhibition of pain and a significant effect on leucocyte count. Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of tannins. Results showed CG bulb contains biologically active principles with potentials for treatment of inflammatory processes.
Palmilycorine and Lycoriside / Alkaloids: Study isolated two new types of alkaloidal conjugates: palmilycorine and lycoriside from the fruits of Crinum asiaticum. The were also detected fro the fleshy scale leaves and roots.
Antibacterial / Phytochemicals: The aqueous and ethanol extracts of leaves of Crinum asiaticum were evaluated for their antibacterial activity. The ethanolic extract showed more inhibitory activity than the aqueous extract. Phytochemical analysis yielded n-Hexadecanoic acid (22.44%), 9, 12, 15-octadecatrienoic acid (15.42%), 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid (14.78%), 9, 10–Anthracenedione 2-amino (7.65%) and phytol (7.43%) as major present components. Results showed it to be a natural source of new antibacterial compounds.
Antinociceptive / Phytochemicals: Study yielded alkaloids, coumarins, glycosides, triterpenes, and flavonoids. Results in a carrageenan-induced paw edema model showed antinociceptive activity using indomethacin as control.
Norgalanthamine / Hair Growth: Study in rats treated with an ethanol extract showed an increase expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the bulb region. Study yielded norgalanthamine, a principal of C. asiaticum, that exhibitede a potential to promote hair growth via the proliferation of dermal papilla.

Availability
Cultivated.

Last Update May 2011

IMAGE SOURCE: Crinum Lily (Crinum asiaticum) / File:Crinum Lily.JPG / Cody Hough / College student and photographer in the Michgian area / Feb 9, 2008 / GNU Free Documentaion License / Wikipedia

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Anti-inflammatory activity of Crinum asiaticum plant and its effect on bradykinin-induced contractions on isolated uterus / Awatef M Samud et al / Immunopharmacology / Vol 43, Issues 2-3, September 1999, Pages 311-316 / doi:10.1016/S0162-3109(99)00132-0
(2)
A new phenolic compound from Crinum asiaticum L. / Chinese Chemical Letters Vol19, Issue 4, April 2008, Pages 447-449 / doi:10.1016/j.cclet.2008.01.022
(3)
Experimental induction of Prostatic Hypertrophy in rats for study of leaf extract of Crinum asiaticum L. / Do Trung Dam, Nguyen Ba Hoat, Le Minh Phuong, Nguyen Kim Phuong, Do Thi Phuong
(4)
Effect of lycoriside, an acylglucosyloxy alkaloid, on mast cells / Shibnath Ghosal, Amirthalingam Shanthy et al / Pharmaceutical Research / Vol 3, Number 4 / August, 1986
DOI 10.1023/A:1016346931894

(5)
Crinumin, a chymotrypsin-like but glycosylated serine protease from Crinum asiaticum: Purification and physicochemical characterisation / Kunwar Awaneesh Singh et al / Food Chemistry • Volume 119, Issue 4, 15 April 2010, Pages 1352-1358 / doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.09.012
(6)
Central inhibitory activity of the aqueous extract of Crinum giganteum / S Amos, L Binda et al / Fitoterapia
Volume 74, Issues 1-2, February 2003, Pages 23-28 / doi:10.1016/S0367-326X(02)00287-3
(7)
Anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-lymphocytic activities of the aqueous extract of Crinum giganteum / S D Kapu, Y B Ngwai et al / Journal of Ethnopharmacology • Volume 78, Issue 1, November 2001, Pages 7-13/ doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(01)00308-7
(8)
Palmilycorine and lycoriside: acyloxy and acylglucosyloxy alkaloids from crinum asiaticum / Shibnath Ghosal, Amirthalingam Shanthy et al / Phytochemistry, Vol 24, Issue 11, 29 October 1985, Pages 2703-2706 / doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)80698-6
(9)
EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY AND PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF
Crinum asiaticum
/ Ilavenil S, B Kaleeswaran and Ravikumar S / International Journal of Current Research
Vol. 1, pp. 035-040, January, 2010
(10)
Crinum asiaticum L. / Plants For A Future
(11)
In vivo Antinociceptive Activity of Leaf Extract of Crinum asiaticum and Phytochemical Analysis of the Bioactive Fractions / M Z Asmawi, O M Arafat, S Amirin and I M eldeen / International Journ of Pharmacology, 7 (1): 125-129, 2011.
(12)
Promotion effect of norgalanthamine, a component of Crinum asiaticum, on hair growth
/ Sang-Cheol Kim, Jun-Il Kang et al / European journal of dermatology : EJD. 10/2009; DOI: 10.1684/ejd.2010.0807


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