 Botany
Kolinta is an erect, smooth, branched shrub, growing up to 1 to 2 meters high, with slender axillary spines. Leaves are elliptic to elliptic-ovate, 6 to 12 cm long, narrowed, and pointed at both ends. Flowers are yellow and axillary, with the upper ones in spikes. Bracts and calyx are green, with the outer bract usually foliaceous. Corolla is about 4 cm long.
Distribution
In thickets and waste places, in and about towns, at low altitudes.
Introduced.
Constituents
No trace of alkaloidal principle.
Large amount of neutral and acid resin soluble in light petroleum ether.
Properties
Considered diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge.
Parts used
Leaves, tops, roots, juice.
Uses
Folkloric
Whole plant used for urinary and paralytic affections, rheumatism, jaundice, hepatic obstruction and dropsy.
In Abyssinia, used as febrifuge.
Paste of roots is applied to boils and glandular swellings.
In the Konkan, dried bark is given in whooping cough; for anasarca, the juice of the fresh bark with milk.
In catarrhal afflictions of children with fever and phlegm, two teaspons of a mixture of the juice of leaves in honey or sugar and water, twice daily.
For rain soaked feet, juice of the leaves applied to the feet to prevent cracking and laceration.
Juice of leaves mixed with honey applied to bleeding gums; also used as ear drops for otitis.
In indigenous systems of medicine in India, stem, leaves and flowers are used for fever, toothaches, inflammation, gastrointestinal disorders, whooping cough. Roots used as tonic and diuretic.
In Thailand and India, decoction of leaves and flowers used for viral fever.
Studies
• Anti-Inflammatory / Anti-Arthritic: Study of 'TAF' fraction from methanol-water extract of B prionitis exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity against different animal test models and significant anti-arthritic activity in adjuvant-induced polyarthritis test in rats.
• Hepatoprotective: Study ethanol extract of aerial parts exhibited significant and concentration dependent hepatoprotective activity against carbon tetrachloride, galactosamine and paracetamol induced hepatotoxicity in rats.
• Anti-Diabetic: Study of the alcoholic leaf extract of Barleria prionitis showed a significant decrease of blood glucose levels and glycosylated hemoglobin.
• Antifertility / Spermatogenesis Effects: (1) Study of isolated fractions of BP root methanolic extract in rats showed a significant reduction of spermatogenesis, with significant reduction of sperm motility. (2) Study showed root extract to exhibit interference with spermatogenesis. The antifertility effects seem to be mediated by a disturbance in testicular somatic cells functions (Leydig and Sertoli cells) resulting in the physio-morphological events of spermatogenesis.
• Flowers / Antinociceptive / Anti-Inflammatory Activity: Results showed the ethanolic extract of the flower of B. prionitis possess significant anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activity.
• GTS (glutathion S-transferase) and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition: Screening of crude extracts of B prionitis showed GST inhibitory activity and AChE inhibition. GTS are considered responsible for decreasing the effectiveness of anticancer / antiparasitic agents and AChE inhibitors have potential applications in the treatment of cardiac disorders and Alzheimer's disease.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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