| Botany
A procumbent herb, browing up to 1
meter or more in height. Leaves are ovate, 2.5 to 3 cm wide with pointed
tips and rounded or narrowed base. Flowers are borne on one side of
lax racemes 5 to 12 cm in length. Sepals are linear-lanceolate, about
5 mm long and hairy on the back. Corolla is hairy, 2-3 cm long, with
a yellow inflated tube, limb is pink or pale purple. Capsule is cylindric-compressed,
about 2.5 cm long and hairy. Seeds are smooth, compressed, ovoid, angular,
wrinkled or subtubercular, less than 5 mm in diameter.
Distribution
In thickets at low altitude.
Constituents
and properties
• Study yielded a megastigmane
glucoside, asysgangoside, from the aerial parts, with other known compounds.
source
Parts utilized
Leaves and flowers.
Uses
Folkloric
Leaves and flowers used as intestinal
astringent.
In the Africa, infusion
of plant used to ease pain during childbirth; infusion of plant mixed
with peppers used as an enema in the later months of pregnancy.
In Nigeria, leaves used
for treatment of asthma.
In India, sap is applied
to swellings; also used for rheumatism and as vermifuge.
Culinary
Edible: In some countries, leaves and flowers eaten
as pot herb.
In Uganda and Kenya, consumed as a popular vegetable mixed with beans,
groundnut or sesame paste.
Others
In Kenya and Uganda,
used as forage for cattle
In Tanzania, plants pounded
in water and used to wash flea-infested young animals.
In Africa, commonly as
ornamental ground cover.
Studies
• Antiasthmatic:
Phytochemical screening yielded carbohydrates, proteins, alkaloids,
tannins, steroidal saponins, flavonoids, triterpenoids. Leaf extract
relaxed histamine-precontracted trachial strips and exhibited antiinflammatory
activity. Study justified its use in Nigerian folk medicine for asthma
treatment.
• Bronchospasmolytic activity:
Another Nigerian study suggests that the leaves of A gangetica provides
benefit through a bronchospasmolytic effect of the terpenoid compounds.
• Antihypertensive:
In a South African study of 16 plants on the ACE Inhibitor Activity
of Nutritive Plants, Asystasia gangetica was one of eight that showed
significant ACE inhibition activity.
• Antioxidant / Antiinflammatory:
Asystasia gangetica was one of 18 plants investigated for free radical
scavenging activity, total phenolic content and antiinflammatory properties.
• Asysgangoside / Phytochemicals:
Study isolated a 5,11-epoxymegastigman glucoside (asysgangoside) together with known compounds.
• Anti-Diabetic / Antioxidant:
(1) Results showed significant antidiabetic and antioxidant potential for A gangetica and M indica, individually or in combination. (2) Study results suggest the potential of A. gangetica as antioxidant in protecting the tissue defense system against oxidative damage in streptozotocin-induced diabetes.
• Angiotension Converting Enzyme Inhhibition / Antihypertensive:
Study showed A gangetica as one of eight plants that showed significant ACEI activity.
Availability
Cultivated.
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