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 Botany
Erect and climbing
ornamental smooth shrub, about 2 to 3 meters in height, with
long drooping branches. Leaves are oblong-ovate to oblong-lanceolate,
8 to 10 cm long, pointed at the tips. Flowers are numerous, slender,
yellowish-green, about 2 to 2.3 cm long, borne in lax, axillary
and terminal inflorescences, 7 to 10 cm long.
Distribution
Widely cultivated
for its sweet-scented flowers that bloom at night.
Toxicity concerns
- Toxic to livestock
with poisoning symptoms of tachycardia, fever, oliguria, and slowing
of respiratory rate; in extreme cases, convulsions and coma.
- Cuttings reported to be produce poisoning when eaten by animals.
- Experiements have shown the plant does not always poison stock and that toxicity is more likely with dry plants.
Parts
used
Leaves.
.
Uses
Folkloric
Extract of the plant used
as antispasmodic and treatment of epilepsy.
Studies
• Flavonol glycosides / Steroidal
saponins/ Cytotoxicity: The study isolated two new
flavonoid glycosides and seven steroidal saponins. The study reports
cytotoxic activities of the compounds against human oral squamous cell
carcinoma and normal human gingival fibroblasts.
• Atrial Contractility Effect: Effects of cestrum nocturnum n-butyl
alcohol extract on contractile characteristics of right atrium:
The extract study showed a two-fold regulation on contraction of right
atrium in isolated guinea pig.
• Antiepileptic / Analgesic:
Decoctions from the dried leaves of the plant were tested in different
neuropharmacological models. Although not effective against pharmacologically
induced convulsions, repeated administration reduced the amplitude of
epileptic spikes in both primary and secondary foci. Results suggest
CN possesses analgesic activity through a peripheral mechaism.
• Antibacterial:
The aqueous and methanol extracts of Cestrum nocturnum showed bacteridal
activity against S aureus, B subtilis, E coli and P aeruginosa.
• Antitumor: The n-butanol and polysaccharides extracts of Cestrum nocturnum are able to inhibit tumor growth and prolong the lifetime of tumor-bearing mice in a dose-dependent manner.
• Phytochemicals / Steroidal Glycoside: Phytochemical testing yielded eight new steroidal glycosides: spirostanol saponin, furostanol saponin, a pseudo-furostanol saponin, two pregnane glycosides, two cholestane glycosides and a pregnane-carboxylic acid g-lactone glycoside and two known spinostanol glycosides.
• Mosquito Larvicidal Activity: Study on the extracts of Cestrum nocturnum and Plumbago zeylanica for larvicidal activity against larvae of Aedes aegypti. The qualitative analysis of crude extracts yielded bioactive phytochemicals with the predominance of saponins in C. nocturnum and plumbagin in P zeylanica. Experiments on the partially purified secondary metabolites showed potent mosquito larvicidal activity against forth instar larval form. It presents another public health potential of plant extracts for vector control.
Toxicity
• Toxicity to livestock (above).
• Plant has anticholinergic properties.
• Anticholergic syndrome results from the inhibition of muscarinic
cholinergic neurotransmission. Signs and symptoms are: flushing, dry
skin, altered mental state, fever, tachycardia, urinary retention, hypertension,
tremulousness, confusion, hallucinations. In severe cases, coma, respiratory
failure and cardiovascular collapse.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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