| Botany
Abanico is an erect and tufted perennial herb with
a thick creeping rootstock, growing to a height of 0.5 to 1.5 meters.
Leaves are 2-ranked, narrow lanceolate, sword-shaped, 40 to 60 cm long, 2.5 to 4 cm wide,
and overlapping at the base. Inflorescence is dichotomously branched, terminal and erect. Spathes are ovate to ovate-lanceolate, about 1 cm long. Flowers are numerous and pedicelled, opening 1 or 2 at a time, 4 to 6
cm across. Perianth-tube is very short, and the segments narrowly elliptic, spreading, yellowish outside, and reddish-yellow inside with reddish spots. Capsules are obovoid, membraneous and loculicidal. Seeds are nearly spherical in shape, with lax and shining testa.
Distribution
Planted for ornamental purposes, flowering
most of the year.
Nowhere naturalized.
Native of southeastern Asia.
Now cultivated in most warm countries.
Parts utilized
Rhizomes.
Properties
Bitter and acrid.
Aperient, expectorant, deobstruent, carminative and resolvent.
Constituents
- Study yielded two major isoflavonoid glucosides: iridin and tectoridin.
- Study of ethanol extract of rhizomes yielded three compounds: isorhamnetin, hispidulin and dichotomitin. From the n-BuOH extract, iridin, tecdtoriin, daucosterol, vittadinoside or stigmasterol-3-O- glucoside.
Uses
Folkloric
Rhizomes used as expectorant.
Used for purifying the blood, for liver and pulmonary complaints.
In Malaya, used as a remedy for gonorrhea.
In Malabar, used as alexipharmic.
In Cochin-China (Vietnam), roots used for aperient and resolvent properties.
In traditional Chinese medicine, used for pharyngitis, tonsillitis, cough,
wheezing, bronchitis and mumps.
Studies
• Antiproliferative / Anticancer:
Phenolic constituents of rhizomes of
the Thai medicinal plant with proliferative activity for two breast
cancer lines – Three new compounds were identified–
belalloside A, belalloside B and belamphenone along with other compounds
resveratrol, iriflophenone, irisflorentine, tectoridin, among the 13
others. Results showed two isolates to have proliferation stimulatory
activity against human breast cancer cell lines..
• Antifungal: A
study on the antifungal activity of Belamcanda chinensis isolated a
compound identical to tectorigenin (5,7-dihydroxy-3-(4-hydroxy phenyl)-6-methoxy-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one).
This compound showed marked antifungal activity against dermatophytes
of the genera Trichophyton.
• Phytoestrogens / Anticancer:
Study demonstrated a role for tectorigenin and irigenin in regulating
the number of prostate cancer cells by inhibition of proliferation through
cell cycle regulation.
• Hepatoprotective / Antioxidative:
Study of tectorigenin and tectoridin isolated from
BC rhizomes was shown to have antioxidative and hepatoprotective activities
in CCl4-intoxicated rats.
• Aldose Reductase Inhibition / Tectoridin / Antidiabetic: Aldose reductase is the key enzyme in the polyol pathway, and plays an important role in diabetic complications. Study isolated 12 phenolic compounds from the rhizomes of B. chinensis, with tectoridin and tectorigenin exhibiting the highest aldose reductase inhibitory potency. Administered in STZ-induced diabetic rats, it showed significant inhibition of sorbitol accumulation in the lens, RBC and sciatic nerves.
• Irigenin / Anti-Inflammatory: Study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of six flavanoids isolated from the rhizomes of Belamcanda chinensis. Irigenin exhibited concentration-dependent inhibition of LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin (PGE2) production.
• Tectorigenin / Prostate Cancer: Study of showed who tectorigenin and other compounds extracted from B. chinensis can significantly rectify the aberrant expression of genes involved in prostate cancer. Irigenin from the rhizomes presents as a leading compound for anti-inflammation.
• Isoflavonoids / Antioxidant / Antimutagenic: Isoflavonoid fractions from a methanolic extract of BC rhizomes inhibited chemically induced mutations in S typhimurium TA98 and TA100 and also showed capability to scavenge free radicals. Results suggest additional value of the plant as a phytoestrogenic and chemopreventive agent.
Availability
Cultivated.
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