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Family Lamiaceae
Botonesan
Hyptis capitata Jacq.

KNOBWEED

Boto-botonesan or phonetic variations are shared by four plants of different species: (1) Mutha (Cyperus rotundus) Boto-botones (2) Gatas-gatas (Euphorbia hirta) botobotonis, botbotonis, botonis (3) Botoncillo (Gomphrena globosa) botbotonis, botones-botonesan, and (4) Botonesan (Hyptis capitata): bababañga, liñga-liñgahan.
Other scientific names Common names
Pycnanthemum decurrens Blanco  Arbaka (Maranao)
Thymus virginicus Blanco Bababañga (Bon.)
  Botonesan (Tag.)
k Kambali (Tag.)
f Kombar-kombaran (Tag.)
f Leng-leñga (Bon.)
  Liñga-liñgahan (Tag.)
  Palapasagi (P. Bis.)
  Palopalot (Ilk.)
  Pansi-pansi (Bik.)
  Tabaku-tabaku (Ilk.)
  Tarotabako (Bik.)
  Tetetei (Bon.)
  Tultulisan (Ilk.)
  Turukan (Tag.)
  Knobweed (Engl.)

Botany:
Stout, erect, nonaromatic, hairy, annual herb, about 0.5 to 1.5 meters high, with green or purplish 4-angled stems. Leaves are lanceolate, 8 to 14 cm long, with toothed margins. Flowers are numerous, crowded in long-peduncles, growing up to 10 cm in length and the heads 1-2 cm in diamter with basal involucres of hairy bracts. Calyx is green 4 mm long, accrescent, 8 mm long in fruit. Corolla is white, 6 mm long.

Distribution
In almost all islands, as a weed in settled areas, open waste places, fallow rice paddies.

Parts utilized
Leaves

Properties and constituents
• Tonic and excitant.
• Contains alkaloids, camphor, cyanogenic glycosides and alkaloids.
• Study isolated two new compounds: a lignan and a pyrone; with no alkaloids.

Uses
Folkloric
Decoction of leaves used to clean wounds.
Decoction of roots used for amenorrhea.
Used by the Maranaos for dry cough and tooth aches; gas pains in infants and convulsions in children.
In Malaysia, used for stomach ache; the young leaves are pounded into a paste and applied to the affected areas.
In Costa Rica, used for toothaches.

Studies
Cytotoxicity: Study isolated five triterpene acids including new hyptatic acids. Hyptatic acid A and 2a-hydroxyursolic acid demonstrated in vitro cytotoxicity in human colon HCT-8 tumor cells.
Oleanolic Acid / Pomolic Acid / Anti-HIV Activity: Oleanolic acid was identified as anti-HIV principle from several plants, including Hyptis capitata. Study also isolated pomolic acid from H capitata, also identified as an anti-HIV agent.

Availability
Wild-crafted.


Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
A lignan and pyrone and other constituents from Hyptis capitata / Almtorp, G.T. : Hazell, A.C. : Torssell, K.B.G.
(2)
Cytototoxic Principles of Hyptis capitata and the Structures of the New Triterpenes Hyptatic Acid-A and - B / Takashi Yamagishi et al / Phytochemistry - Vol 27 No 10, pp 3213-3216, 1988

(3)
Antimicrobial Screening of Maranao Medicinal Plants / Carmelita G. Hansel and Verna B. Lagare

(4)
Anti-AIDS Agents. 30. Anti-HIV Activity of Oleanolic Acid, Pomolic Acid, and Structurally Related Triterpenoids / Yoshiki Kashiwada et al / J. Nat. Prod., 1998, 61 (9), pp 1090–1095
DOI: 10.1021/np9800710


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