| Botany
A sprawling bush or small tree, growing
to a maximum height of 8 m. Bark is smooth and yellowish.Leaves are
alternate, short-petioled, large, leathery, glossy, dark green, broadly
bean-shaped, with wavy margins, up to 15 cm long, with a reddish-colored
primary vein extending from the base. Flowers are small, white and fragrant
in terminal racemes, with five petals and eight stamens. Fruits are
pear-shaped, reddish purple and green-dotted, 1.5 cm long, clustered
in pendulous branches.
Distribution
Salt tolerant, planted near beaches
edges.
Ornamental distribution
in parks and gardnes.
Propagated by seeds, layering, or stem cuttings.
Parts utilized
Leaves, bark, foots, fruit.
Uses
Folkloric
No reported
folkloric medicinal use in the Philippiines.
In other countries, juice and decoction of wood, bark and roots are
used to treat dysentery, hemorrhages, venereal disease.
Applied externally for rashes and skin afflictions.
Decoction of leaves used to treat asthma, hoarseness and to wash wounds.
Others
Fruit is edible, eaten off the tree or made into jams, jellies and wine.
Resin of the bark used for tanning and dyeing.
Wood is used for fuel and making furniture.
Studies
• Phytochemical:
Studies show the chemical composition of Coccoloba uvifera as: Alpha-Amyrin
(antitumor, cytotoxic), chrysophanol (antiseptic, bactericial, cathartic,
hemostat, purgative), emodin (anti-aggregant, antiinflammatory, antitumore,
antiulcer, immunosuppressive, viricide), physcion (antiseptic, cathartic,
purgative), rhein, anticarcinomic, antitumore, fungicide), royleanone,
beta-sitosterol (hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, hypocholesterolemic, hepatoprotective).
• Glucose Lowering:
Case studies have shown glucose lowering effect with daily ingestion
of tea brewed from Coccoloba uvifera leaves. There is concern for lowering
the blood sugar too much, especially with concurrent use of pharmaceutical
hypoglycemics.
• Preparation of Leaf Extract: Preparationn of leaf extract is done by immersing coccoloba
uvifera leaves in water, heating the water to boiling for about 4 hours.
This brewing time must be just enough to dissolve the compound from
the leaves. The active compounds are resistant to the low gastric pH
and high temperatures.
• The preferred embodiment is a ratio of 4 green leaves
to every 3.8 liters of water.
• Alternatively, leaf extract can be done by drying the c. uvifera
leaves and dehydrating the pulp into a tea. In a preferred embodiment,
15 cc of the tea is dissolved in 3.8 liters of water before ingestion.
• Other forms of delivery may be through tablets, capsules, powders,
seasoning.
• A distinct advantage of the leaf extract is its oral route and
its resistance to the digestive processes of the stomach. source
• Photoprotective / Antioxidant:
Coccoloba uvifera showed antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase activities,
and also inhibited the production of interleukin-1a and TNF-a and a-MSH in melanocytes subjected to UV radiation.
• Antibacterial / Antifungal / Phytochemicals:
Study yielded flavonoids, saponins, polyphenols and tannins. Ethanolic and methanol extracts inhibited the growth of E coli and P aeruginosa and showed antifungal activity against C albicans, Fusarium oxysporum and F. decencellulare.
Availability
Wildcrafted.
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