Botany
Ajuga bracteosa is a low herb covered with soft hairs, with erect, ascending stems which arise from the rootstock, branching usually diffusely from the base and measuring 10 to 20 centimeters in length. Leaves are oblanceolate or subspatulate, 2.5 to 10 centimeters long, and 1 to 3.5 centimeters wide; the lower ones are stalked; the upper ones are stalkless and sinuate-toothed or nearly entire. Calyx is hairy, with ovate-lanceolate teeth. Corolla is pale blue or white and hairy; the tube is rarely twice as long as the calyx; the upper lip is erect and 2-fed; the side lobes or lower lobes are oblong, and the midlobe is dilated and variable in length. Stamens protrude from the upper lip. Nutlets are ellipsoid and very small.
Distribution
- Found in Benguet, Bontoc, and Cavite Provinces in Luzon, and in Mindanao.
- Mainly in ravines, and sometimes in open cultivated areas, at an altitude of 600 to 1,700 meters.
- Also occurs in East Asia - Himalayas from Kashmir to Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Malaysia.
Constituents
- Plant yields phytoecdysteroids, iridoid glycosides, sterols, withanolids (bracteosin A, B, and C), neo-clerodane diterpenoids.
- Yields glycosides, tannin, ceryl alcohol, ß-sitosterol, y-sitosterol, cerotic acid, palmitic acid, oleic and linoleic acid, glucose, arabinose, phenolic bitter compounds.
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Study of the whole plant yielded five compounds including a new clerodane diterpenoid designated Bracteolin-A. The other compounds were a hydroxy ajugapitin, beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol.
- A dichlormethane extract yielded both clerodin- and dihydroclerodin-type diterpenes - ajubractins A-D, along with clerodin, 3-epi-car- yoptin, ajugapitin, 14,15-dihydroclerodin, 3-epi- 14,15-dihydrocaryoptin, ivain II , and 14,15-dihydroajugapitin.
Properties
- Leaves have a peculiar resinous color and bitter taste.
- Considered stimulant, diuretic, depurtative, and aperient.
- Plant considered aromatic, astringent, and tonic.
Uses
Folkloric
- Unknown medicinally in the Philippines.
- Elsewhere, given for rheumatism, gout, palsy and amenorrhea.
- Used to kill lice.
- Juice of leaves used as blood purifier.
- Powdered leaves used for burns and boils.
- Juice roots used for diarrhea and dysentery.
- A bitter astringent, substituted for Cinchona in the treatment of fevers.
- Considered depurative, and an aromatic tonic especially useful in ague.
- Leaves used for fevers as a substitute for quinine.
- Extracts used for swollen wounds, insect bites, eye problems, bladder affetions, and also tumors.
Others
- Perfumery: Plant is a new source of linalyl acetate, a valuable perfumery compound.
Studies
• Diuretic: Aqueous extract of leaves showed diuretic activity on rats. An alkaloidal fraction isolated from the leaves showed stimulant action on isolated perfused frog heart, rabbit auricle and rat ventricle.
• Anti-Inflammatory: Study showed the 70% ethanol extract of Ajuga bracteosa possesses promisiing anti-inflammatory activity, probably mediated through inhibition of COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes. Results support its traditional used for inflammatory diseases.
• Antiplasmodial: Study to evaluate the antiplasmodial activity of an ethanolic extract of A bracteosa in Plasmodium berghei infected mice demonstrated a dose-dependent inhibition of parasitemia and survival time during early and in established infections.
• Chemical Constituents / Enzyme Inhibition: Phytochemical study yielded Bractin A and bractin B, new sphingolipids, bractic acid, and a long-chain polyhydroxyl acid from the whole plant along with four known diterpenoids 4-7. Various activities displayed were inhibition of enzyme lipoxygenase, concentration-dependent inhibition of cholinesterase enzymes.
• New Phthalic Acid Ester / Perfumery Source: Study yielded a new phthalic ester from the hexane extract of AB. Linalyl acetate was common in two oil fractions. The plant is a new source of linalyl acetate, a valuable perfumery compound.
• Anti-Feedant Activity / neo-Clerodane Diterpenoids: Study yielded different neo-clerodane diterpenoids from a dichlormethane extract. Antifeedant activity against Spodoptera littoralis larvae was evaluated for the compounds obtained.
• Antimicrobial Activity: Ethanolic extract of leaves showed a dose-dependent chemosuppression during early and in established infections, along with significant repository activity.
• Cardiotonic: Alkaloidal fraction showed cardiostimulant action on frog heart and rat ventricle. The activity was antagonized by dichlorisoprenaline, and may be due to liberation of catecholamine stores in the heart.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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