Botany
Yellow bell is an erect,
branched, sparingly hairy or nearly smooth shrub, about 2 to 4 meters
in height. Leaves are opposite, odd-pinnate, and up to 20 centimeters in length,
with 5 or 7 leaflets. Leaflets are lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate,
6 to 13 centimeters long, pointed at both ends, and toothed at the margins. Flowers
are yellow, faintly scented, borne in short, dense, terminal clusters.
Calyx is green, 5 to 7 millimeters long and 5-toothed. The capsules are linear,
compressed, 15 to 20 centimeters long, 6 to 8 millimeters wide, pointed and hanging from
the branches. Seeds are numerous, less than 2 centimeters long, 7 millimeters wide and
furnished with a transparent wing.
Distribution
- Widely distributed in cultivation, although scarcely naturalized in the Philippines.
- Native of tropical America.
- Planted as an ornamental throughout the tropics and subtropics.
Constituents
- Phytochemical analysis yielded tannin, flavonoids, phenol, alkaloids, steroids, anthraquinones and saponins in all solvent extracts.
- Isolated from the seed kernels: water,
fixed oil, ash, tannin, resin, a bitter principle and a tannoid. From
the leaves, water, ash, fat, resin and resinic acid. From the bark,
water, ash, curnarin, a little fat, resin.
- Plant yields monoterpene alkaloids.
- Air-dried flowers yielded a new fatty acid cinnamate ester and a mixture of stigmasterol and sitosterol in a ratio of 1:1.
- In India, a foliage study yielded 17% crude protein, 6% ash, 18% fat, 25% fiber, and 14% total polyphenols.
 Properties
Considered diuretic, tonic, anti-syphilitic, and vermifuge.
Parts
utilized
Entire plant.
Uses
Folkloric
No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
Roots are reported to be diuretic,
tonic, anti-syphilitic and vermifuge.
In Veracruz, decoction of flowers and bark are used for stomach pains.
In some parts of Mexico and in central and south America, the plant is used in the treatment of diabetes.
Others
In Guadalajara, roots used for making beer.
Studies
• Lipoxygenase
Inhibitory Activity: Screening of 20 extracts
from different parts of 10 Malaysian plants belong to 4 families showed
the methanol extract of leaves and stems of Stenolobium stans had moderate
inhibitory activity against soybean 15-lipoxygenase.
• Phytochemicals
/ Secondary Metabolites: Air-dried flowers of
Stenolobium stans yielded a new fatty acid cinnamate ester and a mixture
of stigmasterol and sitosterol in a 1:1 ratio.
• Genotoxic / Cytotoic Potential: Study evaluated the genotoxic activity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts. On higher concentrations, the plant extracts had a cytotoxic effect on a Mouse Embryo Fibroblast cell line. No clastogenic effect was noted in vivo but showed cytotoxic effects on mouse embryo in vitro.
• Antiulcer: Study of ethanolic extract for antiulcer properties showed a reduction of gastric juice, pH, free acid ulcer socre, and percentage of ulcer protection in pyloric ligated models. It was as effective as standard synthetic drugs like Ranitidine. Results showed a therapeutic potential for control of ulcer.
• Antidiabetic: Study of evaluated the antidiabetic mechanisms of Tecoma stans and Teucrium cubense. Results showed both exert their antidiabetic effects through stimulation of glucose uptake in both insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant murine and human adipocytes without significant proadipogenic and antiadipoigenic side effects.
• Antimicrobial / Antioxidant: Study of methanol and ethanol extracts showed potent antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa, P. fluorescens and moderate activity against Xanthomonas oryzae. All solvent extracts showed high activity against Aspergillus and Alternaria. Although the DPPH radical scavenging activity was less than ascorbic acid, results showed a proton donating ability and a potential to serve as free radical inhibitors or scavenging, acting possibly as primary antioxidants.
• Nephroprotective: Study an ethyl acetate floral extract showed an important role of reactive oxygen species and the relation to renal dysfunction and suggest a therapeutic potential of T. stans in gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity.
• Antifungal: In a study of antifungal activity of nine different plant species, Tecoma stans showed to give the best zone of inhibition against the fungal activity.
• CNS Depressant Activity: Study in albino mice evaluated the CNS depressant potential of different extracts of T. stans flowers by measuring pentobarbitone-induced sleeping time and locomotor activity. The methanolic extract exhibited the highest depressant activity.
Availability
Wild-crafted and ornamental cultivation.
Seeds in the cybermarket.
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