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Botany
A rapid growing juicy
herb. Leaves are thick, fleshy and simple or compound in pairs
on reddish stems.
Plantlets grow along
the notches of the leaf margins which can develop while still
attached to the plant or when detached, a fascinating characteristic
that earns its name.
Flowers are about 5 cm long,
nodding, dangling and bell-shaped, greenish or yellowish, reddish by
the stems.
Distribution
Easily propagated and
widely distributed in the Philippines, found in thickets and
open places. Also cultivated, flowering from December to March.
Probably of prehistoric introduction.
Chemical constituents
and properties
• Phytochemical evalutation
of leaf extract yielded bryophyllum A, B and C, a potent cytotoxic bufadienolide
orthoacetate.
• Bufadienolide has been reported to be poisonous with digitalis-toxicity
type cardiac effects (slowing of heart rate, heart blocks and potentially
fatal ventricular arryhthmias.
• Bryophillin A, a bufadienolide compound, has shown anti-tumor
promoting activity.
Parts
utilized
Entire plant. May be collected
year round; preferably used fresh.
Uses
Folkloric
Pounded fresh material
is applied as a poultice for a variety of conditions: Sprains, eczema,
infections, burns; carbuncle and erysipelas. Usually not taken internally.
For boils, the whole leaf is pressed by hand, to and fro, until it becomes
moist with the leaf extract. A small opening is made in the middle of
the leaf which is then placed on the boil with hole over the pointing
of the abscess.
Studies
• Depressant:
Neuropharmacological Effects of Aqueous Leaf Extract of Bryophyllum
Pinnatum in Mice: Study revealed CNS depressant activity of the aqueous
leaf extract that could be due to the presence of bufadienolide.
• Antinociceptive / Anti-inflammatory
/ Hypoglycemic: Leaf extract study of BP on animals
showed it to possess antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic
properties probably due to the flavonoid, polyphenol and triterpenoid
contents.
• Antiulcer: Results
of methanolic extract study in rats showed that BP possessed potent
antiulcer properties. Leaf extract showed significant reduction in incidence of ulceration in indomethacin-induced gastric ulceration in a dose-dependent manner.
• Tocolytic / Pre-term labor:
(1) Study characterized the tocolytic activity of Bp in vitro vs the betamimetic, fenoterol. Results confirmed its tocolytic activity and justifies further clinical studies. (2) Intravenous tocolysis with Bryophyllum pinnatum is better tolerated
than beta-agonist application.
• Analgesic: The
study concludes that the aqueous extract of BP has strong analgesic
potency comparable in a times- and dose-dependent manner to a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
• Antileishmanial: The
antileishmanial activity assessment of unusual flavonoids from Kalanchoe
pinnata: Quercetin from K pinnata has demonstrated to be a potent antileshmanial
flavonoid. Another study yielded unusual flavonoids with antileishmanial
effect.
• Cytotoxic: A
study isolated a potent cytotoxic bufadienolide orthoacetate and identified as bersaldegenin 1,3, 5-orthoacetate.
• Antimicrobial: Extract of leaves showed activity against all test organisms except for Candida albicans. Of all the extracts of Bp, themethanol extract was the most active with marked antibacterial activities against control strain of S aureus, E faecalis, B subtilis and P aeruginosa.
Availability
Wild-crafted. |
