 Botany
Jasmin is a smooth, woody vine, reaching a length of 8 meters, often with pendulous branches. Leaves are odd-pinnate, 6 to 9 centimeters long, with 7 to 9 leaflets. Lower leaflets are shortly stalked, while the upper ones are stalkless and often somewhat fused; both are ovate, 1 to 2 centimeters long, and pointed at the tip. Flowers are white with faint, pinkish streaks or a purplish tinge outside, delightfully fragrant, and borne in lax, terminal inflorescences. Calyx-teeth are very slender, about 7 millimeters long. Corolla is white, with a slender tube nearly 2 centimeters long; the spreading lobes about 1.5 centimeters long.
Distribution
- Cultivated in Manila and other large towns for its very fragrant flowers.
- Nowhere spontaneous.
- Native of India.
Constituents
- Flowers contain a volatile oil, jasminol, and indol.
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Essence also contains benzyl-acetate, linalol, indol, and a ketone called jasmone.
- Ethereal extract from the leaves yield an alkaloid, jasminine.
- Study reports salicylic acid and an astringent principle in the leaves.
- Study yielded moderate phenols and abundant flavonoids and terpenoids.
- Phytochemical screening yielded alkaloids, glycoside, flavonoid, triterpenes, saponins, tannin, resin, and salicylic acid.
Properties
- Plant considered deobstruent, anthelmintic, diuretic, emmenagogue.
- Considered anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-tumor, anticarcinogenic.
- In China, oil considered tonic.
- Considered aphrodisiac.
- Tea considered calming and helpful for nervous debility.
Trivia
To extract 2.2 lb of jasmine essence, 2,200 lbs of fresh flowers are needed.
Parts used
Flowers, leaves, oil.
Uses
Edibility
- Flowers used for tea.
Folkloric
- In the Philippines, water in which the flowers were macerated the night before used as eyewash.
- Flowers macerated in oil or alcohol extract used for rheumatism.
- Cataplasm of flowers used as poultice to prevent the flow of milk.
- Leaves used in treating ulcerative stomatitis, ulcers, and wounds.
- Hindu physicians use the leaves as a remedy for skin diseases, ulcers of the mouth, and otorrhea.
- Fresh juice of leaves used to soften corns; oil prepared with it used for otorrhea.
- In Bhavaprakasa, the leaves are chewed for ulcerations of the mucous membranes of the mouth.
- In Ayurveda, used for skin diseases and wound healing.
- Plaster of flowers applied to the loins and pubes as an aphrodisiac.
- In south China, used for treatment of hepatitis.
- In China, oil used as tonic.
- Leaves used in preventing and treating cancers.
- In Thailand, infusion of flowers used as cosmetic after bathing.
Others
- Cosmetics: In Siam, infusion of flowers used as cosmetic after bathing. Extracts used in facial moisturizing products, bleaching, anti-aging, lotions, sprays and shampoos.
- Flowers used in biotherapy, aromatherapy and perfumery.
Studies
• Flower Chemical Constituents: Study isolated six secoiridoids from the flowers of J officinale: jasgranoside, jaspolyoside, 8-epi-kingiside, 10-hydroxy-oleuropein, 10-hydroxy-ligstroside, oleoside-7, 11-dimethyl ester.
• Antifertility: Study of aqueous extract of JO on female fertility in rats showed a dose-dependent significant anti-implantation effect, but failed to produce complete infertility. Treatment from day 8 to day 20 of pregnancy did not produce any significant abortifacient activity. A significant decrease in serum progesterone on day 5 of pregnancy may be responsible for the antiimplantation effect.
• Oleuropein / Anti-Hepatitis B: Oleuropein, derived from the flowers of Jasminum officinale effectively blocks HBsAg secretion in HepG cells in a dose-dependent manner. It also reduced viremia in DHBV-infected ducks.
• Glycosides: Study isolated 7 glycosides from the flower of J officinale var grandiflorum.
• Antibacterial: In a study on the antibacterial activity of extracts of J. grandiflorum and J. sambac, both showed effective activity against tested pathogens. J. grandiflorum scored highest with Salmonella typhi and lowest with Proteus mirabilis.
• Anti-Ulcer: Study of ethanolic extract of leaves in pyloric-ligated and aspirin-induced ulcer models in rats showed significant dose-dependent decrease in the ulcerative lesion index compared to the standard drug Omeprazole. The reduction in gastric fluid volume, free acid, total acid and increase in pH in rats proved an antisecretory and potential antiulcer activity of leaves of J. grandiflorum.
• Antioxidant / Anti-Ulcer: Study of 70% ethanolic extract of leaves in rat showed dose-dependent decrease in the ulcerative lesion index in 3 ulcer models. The free radical scavenging activities of JGLE was dependent on concentration and the antiulcer activity may be attributed to its antioxidant mechanism of action.
• Antifungal: Study exhibited antimycotic activity against fungi causing onychomycosis in cancer patients. without significant side effects. It significant retarded the growth of fungi Alternaria sp.
• Chemopreventive / Anti-Lipid Peroxidative Potential: Study of an ethanol extract of Jg flowers on 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced rat mammary carcinogenesis showed potent chemopreventive efficacy. It also exerted significant anti-lipid peroxidative effect and improved the antioxidant defense system in DMBA-treated rats.
• Antihelmintic: Study of various extracts of Jg leaves against adult earthworm Pheretima posthuma showed the methanol, chloroform and aqueous extracts to show better anthelmintic activity compared with the standard drug albendazole.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
Oil, teas, extracts in the cybermarket.
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