Gen info
- Cordia is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family, Boraginaceae, comprising more than 300 species of shrubs and trees.
- The genus name Cordia honors the German botanist and pharmacist Valerius Cordus (1515-1544).
Botany
The botanical characteristics of the genus Cordia include alternate petiolate leaves with entire or dentate margin. Flowers are white, yellow, or orange in color with cyme,, spike, or head inflorescences. Calyx is generally tubular or campanulate with three or five short teeth. Corolla is infundibuliform, hypocrateriform or campanulate with four to eight lobes. Stamens are included or exserted with pubescent or glabrous filaments at the base. Generally, four locules are present in the ovary with one erect ovule in each locule. Fruits are ovoid, globose, or ellipsoid i shape with body endocarp and viscid pulp.
Distribution
- Introduced.
- Native to is Assam, Bangladesh, Myanmar.
Constituents
- Methanol extract of wood of Cordia fragrantissima exhibited significant activity against Leishmania major. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the extract yielded three new compounds (1-3) and five known compounds (4-8). The compounds despite the presence of asymmetric carbons, were found to be racemates. (see study below) (4)
- Wood yielded hydroquinones alliodorin, cordiachrome A, B, and C, cordiaquinol C, I, J, and K. (3)
- Alliodorin, a precursor of cordiachromes, and cordiaquinol C were isolated from the timber of C. fragrantissima.
Bioactivity-guided fractionation of wood have yielded corodiachrome A, cordiachrome B, cordiachrome C, cordiaquinol I, cordiaquinol J and cordiaquinol K, (3)
Properties
- Study has suggested anti-leshmanial property.
Parts used
Wood, bark, leaves.
Uses
Edibility
- Fruit is edible, raw or cooked.
Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
-
In Myanmar, bark used to treat fever, diarrhea and skin diseases, and as anthelmintic. Fruit used as diuretic, expectorant, anthelmintic, and to treat lung and splenic diseases. (3)
- In India, the tribals of Meghalaya, northeast India, use the bark for the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery. (5)
- the Ralte communities of north eastern Mizoram north east India, apply the juice from crushed leaves to areas of melasma (common disorder of skin pigmentation). (6)
Studies
• Antileishmanial / Wood: A methanol extract of wood of Cordia fragrantissima exhibited significant activity against Leishmania major. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the extract yielded three new compounds (1-3) and five known compounds (4-8). The isolates were evaluated against the promastigote forms of Leishmania major, L. panamensis, and L. guyanensis. (4)
• Cardioquinol / Wood: Cardioquinol, isolated from the wood of Cordia fragrantissima, has been shown to contain very effective leishmanicidal activity at low concentrations (IC50 81.2 µg/ml). (8)
Availability
Wild-crafted.
|