 Botany
Botolan is a small, deciduous, smooth, large, graceful shrub. Leaves are extremely variable in shape, elliptic-ovate, obovate or orbicular, 2.5 to 10 centimeters in length, rather glaucous beneath, and rounded, obtuse or pointed at the tip. Flowers are usually borne on axillary fascicles. Fruit is mostly small, black or white, dry, and about 3 to 5 millimeters in diameter.
Distribution
In dry thickets at low and medium altitudes.
Constituents
- Bark contains 10% tannic acid and an alkaloid.
- Phytochemical screening yielded reducing sugars, cardiac glycosides, resin, tannins, saponins, glycosides, flavonoids, glycerin carbohydrate, anthraguine and steroids.
Properties
- Bark is astringent and considered poisonous.
Parts used
Roots, leaves, wood, juice.
Uses
Culinary
- Fruit is edible.
- White fruit reportedly eaten in East Africa.
Folkloric
- Charcoal of the wood is powdered and used as cicatrizant of wounds.
- Decoction of leaves used for cleaning wounds.
- Juice of leaves of paste of leaves with tobacco used to destroy worms in sores.
- Decoction of leaves used as laxative.
- Root, sometimes with the leaves, taken for venereal disease.
- In tropical Africa, used as remedy for diarrhea. Root decoction given as drink to calm children and to help them sleep.
- In Rhodesia, roots used as aphrodisiac.
- In West Ashantis, root used for gonorrhea.
- Ewe people of Togoland used decoction of leaves internally for constipation.
- In Northern Nigeria, root decoction used for treatment of mental illness.
Others
- Bark is used for tanning and as a black dye for matting.
Studies
• Cytotoxic Alkaloids: Study isolated virosecurinine and viroallosecurinine as cytotoxic alkaloids from the leaves of Securinega virosa.
• Anti-Diabetic: Study of a methanol extract of Securinega virosa leaves on streptozocin-induced diabetic rats showed significant reductions of blood glucose levels on three different extract doses.
• Antidiarrheal: Study investigating the antidiarrheal activity of methanolic extracts of leaves, stem bark and root bark of Securinega virosa on a castor oil-induced diarrheal model showed the leaves and root bark extract to possess pharmacological activity against diarrhea.
• Analgesic / Anti-Inflammatory: Study showed the methanol leaf extract had significant analgesic effect and moderate anti-inflammatory activity. Phytochemical screening revealed alkaloids, tannins, saponins, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids and resins.
• Behavioral Effects / Sedative / Sleep-Inducing: (1) Study of methanol extract showed significant and dose-dependent reduction of the onset and prolonged the duration of sleep. It also produced significant and dose-dependent motor coordination deficit in mice. Results suggest the root bark extract contains biologically active principles that are sedative. (2) Fractions from a methanolic bark extract exhibited sedative activity. Sedative properties could be due to the presence of flavonoids, saponins, and other phytochemical constituents.
• Antioxidant / New Phenolic Glycosides: Study of leaves isolated one new flavonoid glycoside, 3-O-kaemferol 4-O-(galloyl)-beta-D-glucoside, a new bergenin derivative, 11-0-caffeoylbergenin, along with known flavonoids and phenolic derivatives. The isolated compounds showed quenching activity of DPPH radicals and a direct scavenging activity on superoxide anion.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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