|
Botany
Kamokamotihan is a twining, rather slender, herbaceous, more or less hairy, annual vine reaching
a length of several meters. Leaves are prominently 3-lobed, subovate,
8 to 15 centimeters long, heart-shaped at the base. Peduncles are solitary, shorter
than the petioles, borne in the axils of leaves, each with 1 to 6 flowers.
Calyx is green, very hairy at the base, and about 3 centimeters long. Corolla
is pale blue, or the tube white within, turning purplish pink, about
5 centimeters long, with the limb shallowly 5-lobed. The capsules are ovoid,
about 1 centimeter diameter, each containing 2 black and smooth seeds.
 Distribution
- Found in Abra, Lepanto, Bontoc, and Rizal Provinces in Luzon, In thickets and waste
places at low and medium altitudes.
- Some forms cultivated for their flowers.
- Native of tropical America, but pantropic in distribution.
Constituents
• The active
principle is the kalandana resin, called "Pharbitisin" in
India. It is considered comparable to the resin of jalap or the
convolvulin from Ipomoea purga.
• Phytochemical studies of various fractions yielded reducing sugars, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, flavonoids, and tannins.
Properties
• Resin has a nauseous and acrid taste with an unpleasant odor, especially
when heated.
• Seeds considered cathartic.
Part utilized
Seeds
Uses
Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
- In India, besides the resin, the pharmacopoeia
includes an extract, tincture and compound powder.
- In many parts of India, roasted seeds are used as purgative; the powdered
seeds used for constipation.
- In China, seeds are used as diuretic, antihelmintic, deobstruent; prescribed
for constipation and dropsy, also to promote menstruation and as an
abortifacient.
Studies
• Phytochemicals: Study
isolated five ecdysteroids (hederasterone A, hederasterone A-20,22 monoacetonide
and hederasterone B) , two steroidal glycosides, one triterpene and
two aromatic acids. One compound showed inhibition of butyrylcholinesterase,
another inhibited lypooxygenase.
• Hepatoprotective / Antioxidant: Ethanol extract of Ipomoea hederacea was shown to have hepatoprotective and antioxidant potential against carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity in rats.
• Antioxidant: Study
of an ethyl acetate fraction yielded the highest phenolic content and highest antioxidant activity compared to other fractions.
• Nematicidal: Study
evaluated the potential toxicity of selected medicinal plants against juveniles of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne spp and Cephalobus litoralis. Ipomoea hederacea exhibited moderate activity.
• Antibacterial: In a study
screening the antimicrtobial activity of selected flora of Pakistan, Ipomoea heredacea showed highest activity against Bacillus subtilis and highest activity against the fungal strains.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
Seeds in the cybermarket.
|
