| Botany
Rootstock is stout
and tuberous. The basal leaves are linear, 40 to 60 cm long, less than
a cm wide, those on the stem much shorter. The inflorescence is erect,
0.5 to 1 m high. Flowers are fragrant, waxy white, in pairs, 5 to 6
cm long, and the segments, oblong-lanceolate, 1 to 1.5 cm long.
Distribution
Cultivated for its
fragrant flowers.
Constituents
and chemical properties
Volatile oil from
the flowers isolated tuberone.
Methyl anthranilate has been noted in the tuberose oil.
Inulin has been reported in the bulbs.
Uses
Folkloric
• Bulbs have been
used in decoction for gonorrhea.
• Poultice of bulbs employed as maturative in the formation of
pus in boils or abscesses.
• In India, flowers used as diuretic
and emetic.
• In Sind, bulbs are dried, powdered
and used for gonorrhea.
Others
Volatile oil used in perfumery/
In aromatherapy, the warm and seductive scent is useful as a hypnotic for women suffering from insomnia and depressed with low sexual drive.
Studies
• Steroidal Glycosides / Cytotoxic Activity: Study of aerial parts of Polianthes tuberosa isolated a new bisdesmosidic cholestane glycoside and 3 new spirostanol saponins along with known cholestane glycoside. The compounds were evaluated for cytotoxic activity on HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells.
• Immunosuppressive Activity: Study yielded an acidic polysaccharide (ANK-102) from P tuberosa cells. Pretreatment with ANK-102 deteriorated the murine survival against lethal injection of Listeria monocytogenes, eliminated manily by macrophages through T-cell mediated immune response.
Availability
Cultivated.
Wildcrafted. |
