|  Etymology
"Pyrostegia"
is Greek derived, meaning 'fire' and "stege" meaning 'covering'
with its various common names: Flame vine, flame flower, flaming trumpet
vine, flower vine.
source
Botany
Flame flower is a climbing shrub with
6 to 8 ribbed branchlets. Leaves are compound, with 2 or 3 leaflets, bearing
3-parted terminal tendrils. Leaflets are ovate, acuminate, up to 5 centimeters
long. Flowers are reddish orange, in terminal panicled cymes, up to
5 centimeters long with reflexed corolla lobes. Fruit is a capsule, up to 30
centimeters long.
Distribution
- Recently introduced.
- Grows well in the Baguio area.
- Native to Brazil and Paraguay.
Constituents
- Phytochemical screening yielded terpenoids, alkaloids, tannins, steroids, and saponins.
- Phytochemical studies
yield chemical constituents from the roots: allantoin, beta-sitosterol,
3b-O-beta-D glupyranosylsitosterol and hesperidin.
Properties
Considered antimicrobial, antioxidant, tonic, and vulnerary.
Parts used
Roots, flowers.
Folkloric
• No recorded
folkloric use in the Philippines.
• In Iracambi,
used as a tonic and antidiuretic.
• In Brazil, used
as general tonic; also for diarrhea, dysentery, leucoderma and vitiligo, and common diseases of the respiratory tract, such as bronchitis, flu, and cold.
Studies
• Antioxidant:
Phytochemical screening
of P venusta showed the presence of carotenoids, steroids, terpenoids
and anthraquinones in pet ether extract and flavonoids and tannins in
the methanolic extracts. Results showed antioxidant activity due to
the flavonoids and b-carotene, and a potential source of natural antioxidation.
• Antioxidant / Flowers and Roots: Study evaluated the antioxidant potential of P. venusta using DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. Results showed P. venusta is a natural source of antioxidants. The extracts of flowers and roots contained significant amounts of phytochemicals with antioxidative properties to serve as inhibitors or scavengers of free radicals.
• ACE Inhibition: One of the
plant extracts studied for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition.
• Attenuation of Behavior Changes Induced by Lipopolysaccharide: Extract of P. venusta attenuated the depressive-live and exploratory behaviors induced by lipopolysaccharide. Results support the usefulness of the plant in traditional therapies for disorders like flu and cold, that induce sickness behaviors.
• Anti-Inflammatory / Antinociceptive: Study of a hydroethanolic extract in Swiss mice demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity. PvHE reduced paw edema induced by carrageenan and inhibited leukocyte recruitment into the peritoneal cavity. Extracts showed antinociceptive activity in acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin tests. The anti-inflammatory actions were attributed to the presence of acacetin-7-O-B-glucopyranoside.
• Antimicrobial / Wound Healing: Study of extract showed potent wound healing capacity as shown by wound contraction and increased tensile strength. Induction in cytokine production may be one of the mechanisms involved in the wound healing acceleration. A PvE also showed moderate antimicrobial activity against B subtilis, S epidermis, S pyogenes, S aureus, E coli, M luteus, P aeruginosa, C albicans among others.
Availability
Ornamental cultivation.
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