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Family Asteraceae
Harañgan
Centipeda minima (Linn.) A. Br. & Asch.
SNEEZE WEED, SNEEZE WORT
O-pu-sh'ih

Scientific names  Common names 
Artemisia minima L. Harangan (Tag., Bis.)
Centipeda minima (Linn.) A. Br. & Asch. Pisik (Bis.)
Centipeda minuta C.B. Clarke. Sneeze weed (Engl.)
Centipeda orbicularis Lour. Sneeze wort (Engl.)
  O-pu-sh'ih (Chin.)


Botany:
Harañgan is a prostrate or ascending, slender, leafy herb, somewhat wooly or nearly smooth, with numerous branches spreading from the root, and 8 to 20 cm long. Leaves are oblong-obovate to oblanceolate, 1 cm long or less, and with few coarse teeth on the margins. Heads are stalkless, rounded, 3 to 4 mm in diameter, many flowered, and borne singly in the axils of the leaves. Achenes are about 1 mm long, tipped with the persistent style, and bristly on the angles.

Distribution
- In open waste places, rice paddies, etc. at low and medium altitudes.
- In Cagayan, Nueva Viscaya, Pampanga, Rizal and Laguna Provinces in Luzon; in Lanao, Mindanao.
- Also reported from eastern Asia to China through Malaya to tropical Australia.

Parts utilized
Entire plant.
Collect from February to July.
Rinse and sun-dry.

Constituents
• Yields an amorphous volatile oil and a bitter principle, myriogynin.
• Contains an alkaloid, a glucoside and traces of saponin.

Study yielded three antibacterial sesquiterpene lactones.
• Study yielded
two monoterpedoids together with five known thymol derivatives. (Link)

Properties
• Considered anodye, antiphlogistic, anticontusion, antitussive, diuretic, depurative, antiinfectious, antirheumatic.
• Pungent-warming, clears out nose, ear cavity, invigorates blood circulation, relieves gastrointestinal disorders


Uses
Folkloric
• In the Philippines, squeezed between the fingers and inhaled, clearing the head by provoking sneezing.
• Used for rheumatic lumbar and leg pains.
• Powdered herb and minute seeds used as sternutatory.
• Infusion of plant used for purulent ophthalmia.
• Used as hot and dry medicine for paralysis, joint pains and worms.
• Rhinitis: Ointment made dried pulverized material with camphor or yerba buena (Mentha arvensis) to make a 10% valenine ointment) applied to the nose for rhinitis.
• Sprains, bone fractures, poisonous snake bites, furuncle.
• Dosage: use 3 to 9 gms dried material or 9 to 15 gms fresh material in decoction.
• Poultice used for sprains, contusions and snake bites.
• In India, used as snuff for treatment of head colds.
• The Mundas of Chota Nagpur sniff the crushed plant for fevers and colds. In Punjab, herb is boiled to a pasted and applied to the cheeks for toothache.
• In Nepal, used to treat sinus infections.
• In China, used for nasopharyngeal cancers. Also, the plant used as a kind of snuff for ophthalmia, causing the eyes to water.

Studies
Antibacterial: (1) Antibacterial constituents of the Nepalese medicinal herb, Centipeda minima: Study yielded three antibacterial sesquiterpene lactones which showed activity against Bacilus subtilis and Staph aureus. (2) Study isolated two new monoterpenoids with five known thymol derivatives. All the agents tested exhibited antibacterial effects against all the bacteria investigated. Thymol, as a component of volatile oils, has been shown to possess antimicrobial activities. Results suggest C. minima could be a potential source for antibacterial substances for food preservation.
Antimicrobial / Chemical Composition:
Study showed the extract to have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial acitivity against all tested strains, esp Enterobacter aerogenes, Klebsiella pneumonia, Staph aureus and Yersinia enterocolitica. Twenty three compounds were identified. Results show the extract to be a good antimicrobial agent with a potential for public health applications.
Allergic Rhinitis: Treatment with active extract in in an allergic-rhinitic animal model induced by ragweed pollen showed significantly decreased pathologic changes, with decreased infiltration of eosinophils and mast cells in the connective tissue. Results conclude that Cm is effective in treating allergic rhinitis.
Antiinflammatory: Study showed the volatile oil of Centipeda minima to have a protective effect on acute pleural effusion in rats induced by an intrapleural injection of Car.
Anti-Protozoal: Study isolated a sesquiterpene lactone, brevilin A, which was found to have antigiardial activity and similarly active in vitro against Entamoeba histolytica and against Plasmodium falcifarum. Three falvonoids were isolated: quercetin, quercetin 3-methyl ether and kaempferol 7-glucosylrhamnoside.

Antiproliferative: Study isolated a sesquiterpene lactone, IF (2B-(isobutylryloxy)florilenalin that showed a significant dose- and time-dependent inhibition on the growth of human nasophayngeal carcinoma epithelial cells. Overall, Cm showed potent antiproliferative effect on NPC cells and suggests further investigation of its medicinal potential.
Antiasthmatic: Study on the essential oil of Centipeda minima showed a good therapeutic effect with significant prolongation asthma latency and gasping on a guinea pig model of spray-induced asthma.
Molluscicidal Effect: Study of water and ethanol extracts against Oncomelania hupensis showed a molluscicidal effect, the aqueous extract higher than the ethanol extract. The main components were sesquiterpenes lactones and sterols.

Availability
Wild-crafted.
Extracts and supplements in the cybermarkets.


Last Update March 2011

IMAGE SOURCE: File:Centipeda minima 3.JPG / Dalgial / 16 September 2009 / 1866-1868 / Creative Commons Attribution / Wikimedia Commons

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Antibacterial constituents of the Nepalese medicinal herb, Centipeda minima

(2)
Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of the Centipeda minima (Asteraceae) / Soetardjo, Surjani et al / Malaysian Journal of Nutrition, 13 (1). pp. 81-87, 2007
(3)
Histopathological study on allergic rhinitis treated with Centipeda minima / Liu ZG, Yu HM, Wen SL, Liu YL. / Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2005 Feb;30(4):292-4 /
(4)
Effects of the volatile oil of Centipeda minima on acute pleural effusion in rats induced by an intrapleural injection of car / Qin RA, Mei X, Wan L, Shi JL, Shen YJ. / Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2005 Aug;30(15):1192-4.
(5)
Antiprotozoal activities of Centipeda minima / H. W. Yu et al / Phytotherapy Research • Volume 8 Issue 7, Pages 436 - 438 / (DOI) 10.1002/ptr.2650080713
(6)
2B-(Isobutyryloxy)florilenalin, a Sesquiterpene Lactone Isolated from the Medicinal Plant Centipeda minima, Induces Apoptosis in Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma CNE Cells / Miaoxian Su et al / Molecules 2009, 14(6), 2135-2146; doi:10.3390/molecules1406213
(7)
Antibacterial Thymol Derivatives Isolated from Centipeda minima
/ Hengxing Liang et al / Molecules 2007, 12, 1606-1613
(8)
Study on the Antiasthmatic Effects of Essential Oil from Centipeda minima / Chen Qiang, Zhou Chunquan et al / Chinese Journal of Modern Applied Pharmacy, 2010-06 / DOI: CNKI:SUN:XDYD.0.2010-06-004
(9)
Preliminary study on molluscicidal effect of active components from Centipeda minima / Zhongguo Ji Sheng Chong Xue Yu Ji Sheng Chong Bing Za Zhi. 2009 Aug;27(4):377-8


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