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Family Araceae
Biga
Alocasia macrorrhiza (L.) Schott
ELEPHANT EAR

Other scientific names Common names  
Arum macrorrhizon Linn. Aba (Ibn.) Gandus (Pamp.)
Calla maxima Blanco Aba-aba (Ig.) Malabiga (Tag.)
Arum grandifolium Blanco Badiang (Tag., Bis.) Ragiang (Bis.)
Calla badian Blanco Bagiang (Bis.) Sininaba (Ilk.)
Alocasia indica Naves. Bira (Ilk.) Talipan (Bik.)
  Biga (Tag., Ilk., Bis., Pamp.) Taliang (Bis.)
  Bilbila (Bon.) Elephant ear (Engl.)
  Gabi (Bik.) Giant taro (Engl.)
  Galiang (Bis.)  

Botany
A coarse and erect plant with a stout trunik, growing up to 2 meters high. Leaves are very large, broadly ovate, up to 1.5 meters long, with undulate margins, a pointed apex and a deeply cordate base. Petiloes are long and stout. Spathes are peduncled with the tube 4 to 5 cm long. Blade is yellowish to yellowish-green up to 23 cm long and 9 cm wide, purple-mottled inside. Spadix pistillate is 3 to 4 cm long, 1.5 cm thick, the male inflorescence about 6 cm long. Berries are globose or ovoid, fleshy, and red when mature.

Distribution
In clearings and secondary forests at low and medium altitudes.
Common ornamental cultivation.

Constituents and properties
Rhizomes contain phytosterols, alkaloids, glucose and fructose.
Root tuber contains neurotoxin, sapotoxin.

Parts used
Stems, leave, rhizomes.

Uses
Nutritional
Stems and corms are edible; used as food during scarce times.
Folkloric
• Leaves and corms used for furuncles, impetigo and snake bites
• Ground petioles in near-decayed state are placed in cloth and heated in coals, used for toothaches.
• Decoction of rhizomes used for abdominal pains and vomiting.
• Acrid juice used for stings of giant nettles (Laportea).
• In Java, chopped roots and leaves applied to painful joints.
• In India, rhizomes are rubefacient; employed as external stimulant and for fevers.

Studies
Antifungal / Anti-HIV1 Reverse Transcriptase: Alocasin, an anti-fungal protein was isolated from the rhizome of Alocasia macrorrhiza. and showed antifungal activity against Botrytis cineria. Alocasin also reduced the activity of HIV1 reverse transcriptase.
Neurotoxicity / Sapotoxin: A case report of poisoning due to the raw root tuber of Chinese medicinal plant, A macrorrhiza, presenting with severe pain and numbness periorally, with nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Root tuber is known to contain the neurotoxin, sapotoxin.
Anti-Tumor: In a study of the antitumor effect of water extract of Alocasia macrorrhiza, the inhibitory rate was 29.38% against S180 in mice and 51.72% against transplantable human gastroadenitis in nude mice.

Caution !
Stinging Raphides: Stems, corms, leaves and petioles contain stinging raphides (calcium oxalate crystals) that are destroyed by boiling and roasting.
Neurotoxicity: Case report possiblty caused by tuber root neurotoxin, sapotoxin.

Availability
Wildcrafted.


Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Alocasin, an anti-fungal protein from rhizomes of the giant taro Alocasia macrorrhiza / H X Wang and T B Ng / Protein Expression and Purification • Volume 28, Issue 1, March 2003, Pages 9-14 / doi:10.1016/S1046-5928(02)00604-6
(2)
Neurotoxicity following the ingestion of a Chinese medicinal plant, Alocasia macrorrhiza / Chan T Y K et al / Human & experimental toxicology ISSN 0960-/1995, vol. 14, no 9, pp. 737-773 (8 ref.), pp. 727-7283271
(3)
Studies on the antitumour effect of Alocasia macrorrhiza / Ke, Y Zhou X and Bai Q / : Zhong-Yao-Cai. 1999 May; 22(5): 252-3


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