 Botany
Taka is a much-branched, slender, smooth, pale, leafless parasitic plant, forming a green undershrub. Branches are flat, with pendulous tufts, 15 to 90 cm long; the internodes being variable in length; usually a trifle wider at the distal end, and striate. Leaves are visible only in the very young internodes as small bracts below the flowers. Flowers are very minute, stalkless, and in stalkless 3-flowered spikes. Spikes are two or several at a joint. Perianth of the male flowers is reflexed, and hardly 1/4 mm long. Female flowers are about 1/2 mm long, with two bracts, and the perianth lobes erect and triangular. Fruit is stalkless, nearly spherical, about 3 mm in diameter, white and shining when ripe.
Distribution
- From northern Luzon to Mindanao, on trees at low and medium altitudes, ascending to 1,200 meters in some regions.
- Occurs in India to Taiwan and Malaya.
Constituents
- Leaves yield a tannic acid and resins, soluble in ether and alcohol, producing a blood-red colour with strong sulfuric acid.
- Stems yield protein, 0.560 g/100 g dry weight; reducing sugar, 0.0225 g/100 g dry weight, phenols, 0.598 g/100 g, alkaloids, 5.8% per g/100g dry weight.
- Stems yield saponins, anthraquinones, proteins, reducing sugar, alkaloids, glycosides.
- Phytochemical screening yielded polyphenolics and triterpenoids, such as oleanolic acid and lupeol.
Properties
Febrifuge, vulnerary.
Uses
Folkloric
Plant given in cases of fever with aching limbs.
Poultice of plant applied to cuts.
In Meghalaya, India, whole plant along with roots of Smilax ferox is boild in water until the color becomes like red tea, then cooled. The concotion, called Dawai Niangsophet, is then placed in 500 cc bottles; to each bottle, 2 to 3 pieces of Zingiber zerumbet (luiang-usiu) is addedt is given to newborns, and also, applied over the stomach to prevent stomach troubles. Juice given to lactating and expectant mothers to avoid stomach troubles. Bark of the roots is used to stop dysentery.
In Chinese medicine, used for treatment of hemorrhage, pleurisy, gout, heart disease, hypertension, epilepsy and arthritis.
Studies
• Phytochemicals / Phenolic Glycosides: Study of dried whole plant of Viscum articulatum yielded two new phenolic glycosides, 1-O-benzyl-[5-O-benzoyl-β-D-apiofuranosyl (1→2)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), and 4′-hydroxy-7,3′-dimethoxyflavan-5-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, together with nine known flavanones. Compound 9 showed weat anti-HIV-1 activity.
• Flavanone Glycosides / Antioxidant: Study yielded seven new compounds includiing 3 flavanone glycosides, visartisides A-C, three glycoside acyl esters, visartisides D-F, and one diphenylpropane glycoside along with four known flavanone glycosides. Six compounds exhibited antioxidant activity in either a DPPH or lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide assay.
• Anticancer: A preliminary study on the anticancer activity of an ethanolic extract of Viscum articulatum using a Brine Shrimp Lethality Assay showed very potent cytotoxic activity. Study also showed the hemiparasite exhibited different cytotoxicity on the different hosts suggesting a possible variable transfer of metabolities from the host plants.
• Antifungal Activity: Plant exhibits antifungal activity attributed to the tannic acids and resins.
• Oleanolic Acid / Antihypertensive Activity: Study evaluated the antihypertensive activity of oleanolic acid isolated from V. articulatum in glucocorticoid-induced hypertension in rats. Study showed oleanolic acid significantly prevented the rise in systolic blood pressure and cardiac lipid peroxidation level after administration of dexamethasone. Results suggest oleanolic acid prevents dexamethasone-induced hypertension in rats possibly through its antioxidant and nitric oxide releasing action.
• Diuretic Activity: Study of a methanol extract of V. articulatum demonstrated significant and dose-dependent furosemide pattern of diuretic activity in rats.
• Nephroprotective Activity: Study showed oleanolic acid, isolated from the cuticular epithelium of V. articulatum, exerted a nephroprotective effect on gentamicin-induced renal damage in rats.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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