 Botany
Bankalanan is an erect or spreading, branched, half-woody shrub, usually less than 1 meter high. Leaves are oblong-ovate, and 2 to 6 centimeters long, with pointed tip and broad, rounded, or heart-shaped base. Flowers are somewhat crowded in terminal or axillary heads. Petals are obovate, white, pink or pale purple, and about 7 millimeters long. Capsules are depressed-globose, 4 to 5 millimeters in diameter
Distribution
- A weed common in waste places, open grasslands, fallow fields, etc., throughout the Philippines, at low and medium altitudes in the settled areas.
- Pantropic.
- Prevalent in trocpical areas of Africa, Asia, and Australia.
- Reported in Peninsular Malaysia
Constituents
- Phytochemical screening of leaves of M. corchorifolia yielded triterpenes (friedelin, friedelinol, and ß-amyrin), flavonol glycosides (hibifolin, triflin, and melocorin), aliphatic compounds, flavonoids (vitexin and robunin), ß-D-sitosterol and its stearate,-D-glucoside, and alkaloids.
- Study yielded adouetine and a new cyclopeptide alkaloid, melofoline.
- Study isolated a cyclopeptide alkaloid, franganine, and a new pseudooxindole alkaloid, melochicorine.
Properties
- Dried powdered leaves show (by dry weight content %): a high crude protein content (23%), crude lipid value (13.33%), low carbohydrate (2.83%), high dietary fiber (23.33%), high ash (10%). Fresh leaves have a low energy value (275 kcal/100g).
- Contains dietary minerals: potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
Parts used
Leaves, roots, stems, sap.
Uses
Edibility / Culinary
- Consumed aw a potherb in West Africa and southern Africa.
- Leaves eaten in northern India and Annam.
- Leaves are cooked into a popular, slimy side-dish in Malawi.
Folkloric
- Leaves used for poulticing sores.
- Roots and leaves used for snakebites.
- Sap used for wounds poisoned by Antiaris.
- Leaves used for poulticing swellings of the abdomen and the heart.
- Leaves and roots used for poulticing in small pox.
- Decoction of roots and leaves used for dysentery.
- Simple leaf decoction used to stop vomiting; compound decoction, with Millettia and Celosia, used for urinary troubles.
- Plant is used to relieve gastralgia and headaches.
Studies
• Flavonoids / Antifungal: Aerial parts of M. corchorifolia yielded 5,7-dihydroxyflavone, apigenin, kaempferol and quercetin. The flavonoids exhibited significant antifungal activity.
• Antifeedant / Insecticidal / Ovicidal: Study evaluated the antifeedant, insecticidal, oviposition deterrent and ovicidal activity of different fractions obtained from the crude extracts M. corchorifolia against the armyworm, Spodoptera litura. MC showeds feeding deterrent activity and significant ovicidal and larvicidal activity.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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