Trichosanthes tricuspidata:
Exploration of Its Medicinal Value
ABSTRACT:
India, with its great biodiversity about 15% out of the
20,000 medicinal plants of the world, has a tremendous potential and advantage
in the emerging field of herbal medicines. Medicinal plants are the main
sources of chemical substances with potential therapeutic effects. A lot of
compounds were characterized from plants which are now using in the treatment
of many diseases. The use of medicinal plants for the treatment of many
diseases is associated with folk medicine from different parts of the world.
Naturally occurring compounds from plants, fungi and microbes are still used in
pharmaceutical preparations in pure or extracted forms about three hundred
species are used by 7800 medicinal drug manufacturing units in India which
consume about 2000 tons of herbs annually. There are estimated to be more than
717,319 registered practitioners of ayurveda, siddha, unani and homeopathy in
India and in recent years, the growing demand for herbal products has led to
the extinction of many important herbs because the drugs have no or very less
side effect. Trichosanthes tricuspidata
is a little-exploited plant with immense medicinal potential. Considering its
importance, more research is necessitated to explore the potential of this
plant.
KEY WORDS: Trichosanthes tricuspidata,
medicinal plant, trichosanthin, AIDS, antipyretic.
INTRODUCTION:
Ayurveda is conventional medicinal systems of Indian’s. Now the
whole world is interested in India’s ayurveda
and other traditional
medicine systems. The demand of medicinal plants is increasing
day by day in both developing as well as developed countries as a result of
recognition of the non-narcotic nature, lack of side effects and easily
availability of many herbal drugs. Most often the medicinal plants are
collected from the wild(1). There are numerous
data on the uses of medicinal plants. Gadgil and Vartak (2) have reported the uses of such plants in India.
The therapeutic potential of various herbal plant have need to be explore for
its medicinal use.
In this present paper we have attempted to briefly summarize the information
available on the potency of Trichosanthes tricuspidata because of its immense medicinal potential
it is a very important medicinal plant.(3)
Classification
of Trichosanthes tricaspidata
Kingdom
Plantae
Family Cucurbitceae
Genus Trichosanthes
Species tricaspidata
Authority Roxb.
Synonym Trichosanthes palmate
Common Name Lal indrayn, redball snakegourd
Habit
A large vigorous climber with
tendrils. Its large, alternate
leaves are palmately divided into three to seven
lobes so called palmate, their petioles are reddish
and stout. Its large white flowers have beautiful hair-like fringed petals. The
fruit is a succulent, nearly globular gourd with a hard rind initially green
but turn in red; its diameter is about 5-8 cm.
Habitat
T. tricuspidata
is a cucurbitacian which is found at an
elevation of 1200 to 2300 m. It ranges from Eastern Himalayas in India and
southern China through southern Japan, Malaysia, and tropical Australia. In India
it is a large climber, often attaining a height of 9-10 meters. It has a robust stem that is woody below, and has
3-cleft tendrils. The leaves are variable, palmately
3-5 lobed with a cordate base, and the lobes are
ovate to oblong with serrate or dentate margins. Male flowers are in axillary 5-10 flowered racemes with large bracts, while
the female flowers are solitary. The corolla petals are wedge-shaped, fringed
and white in color. The fruits are globose, and when
ripe are red with ten orange streaks.
Uses
T. tricuspidata is very important medicinal
plant in several traditional systems. In ayurvedic
medicines systems, the fruits are used in the treatment of asthma, earache
and ozoena (intranasal crusting, atrophy and fetid
odor). In the Unani system of medicine, the fruits
are used as a carminative (an agent that relieves flatulence), a purgative, and
an abortifacient, to lessen inflammation, cure
migraines, and reduce heat of the brain, as a treatment for opthalmia
(inflammation of the eye), leprosy (infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium
leprae), epilepsy (episodic impairment or loss of
consciousness, abnormal motor phenomenon) and rheumatism,
(painful local inflammation of joints and muscles) as well as other uses. The
seeds are emetic and a good purgative (4). The roots of the plant are used to
treat lung diseases in cattle and for the treatment of diabetic carbuncles and
headaches (5). Gaur (6) has reported the use of this plant in curing
bronchitis, and the application of seed paste for hoof and mouth disease in
cattle.
The vaidyas, or practictioners of ayurveda,
also use the fruits in treating stomatitis. The oil
extracted from the roots is used as a pain killer. In Bastar
District, Chhattisgarh, India, the plant is used for curing snakebite poisoning
and the juice of the plant is applied externally for skin eruptions. In Nepal
the roots are used to cure bleeding in chickens.
Chemical
constituents
Mohamed (7) isolated a tetrahydroxy pentacyclic triterpene “trichotetrol” from
the root extract of T. tricuspidata. And from
the fruits of T. tricuspidata, 14 cucurbitane glycosides
were isolated (8). An extract of the fruits of this plant was found to be cytotoxic in KB cells, and two new cucurbitacins
were tricuspidatin and 2-O-glucocucurbitacin J also reported(9). Kaneda and Uchikoba (10) reported a protease from the sarcocarp of the fruits of this plant. The root contains
methyl palmitate, palmitic
acid, suberic acid, α-spinasterol,
stigmast-7-en-3-beta-ol, α-spinasterol
3-o-beta-D-glucopyranoside, stigmast-7-en-3-beta-ol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside,
glyceryl 1-palmitate,glyceryl 1-stearate, bryonolic acid, cucurbitacin B, isocucurbitacin B, 3-epi-isocucurbitacin B,
23,24-dihydrocucurbitacin D, isocucurbitacin D and
D-glucose. The roots of T. tricuspidata contain
more than 6 times more cucurbitacin than the roots of
T. kirilowii Maxim. Var. japonicum Kitam.
(11). Kasai et.al., (12) isolated 3 new cycloartane glycosides, named cyclotricuspidosides
A, B and C, from the leaf and stem parts.
Medicinal
use
According
to Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their
Uses (Dorling Kindersley, London, 1995), recent research has isolated
a protein called 'trichosanthin' in the roots and
this is undergoing trials as a possible remedy for AIDS. Antipyretic Antibacterial, anticholesterolemic, antifungal, antiinflammatory,
antitussive, cancer, emollient, Expectorant, uterine
tonic, oxytoic,galactogogue
etc. The fruit can inhibit Staphylococcus aureus,
Diplococcus pneumoniae,
hemolytic streptococcus, Bacillus pyocyaneus,
Bacillus influenzae, Bacillus dysenteriae,
B. typhi, B. paratyphi, E.
coli, pseudomonas, Vibrio cholerae,
V. proteus, etc. The fruit is traditionally prepared
as a winter soup to ward off colds and influenza. (13)
Ethanolic
extract of Tricosanthes tricuspidata
Linn have
antipyretic activity (12)
According to famous physician, “Clears obstruction
of the chest , making the human face look pleasant and
lustrous.”
The Compendium of Material Medica
“Moisturizing the lungs, removing fire in
the lungs, arresting coughing, washing away phlegm stagnated in the chest,
relieving sore throat, curing diabetes, lubricating the large intestine and
healing skin and external diseases.”(15)
The
Narration of Materia Medica :
"Trichosanthes fruit (Fructus
Trichosanthis) is fluid, thick, fatty and moistening,
so it is an herb to deal with the stagnation of phlegm due to heat and dryness.
Therefore it is used for cold-phlegm, damp-phlegm, phlegm stagnated due
to qi deficiency and phlegm
accumulated due to food stagnancy, all of which are harmful with no
benefit."(14)
CONCLUSION:
After
the searching lot of literature and paper related to this plant I have found that
it have so much medicinal properties like it may have anti-HIV activity, antibacterial, anticholesterolemic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antitussive, cancer, emollient, Expectorant, uterine tonic, etc. except this, it also have antipyretic
activity so more research work is
required to explore the medicinal value of this plant.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
I
would like to say thanks to Dr. S. P. Bhardwase
(V.C.) of Manav Bharti
University, Solan H.P. who give us continuous support
and direction to write this review article, I would also like to give my
regards the library staff of Manav Bharti University and Dr. Y S. Parmar
University, Nouni, H.P. who provided related
information on this plant and the last but not least Special thanks to Dr. Rajesh for identification and
authentication of the plant.
REFERENCES:
1.
Kala CP, PP Dhyani and BS Sajwan (2006)
Developing the medicinal plants sector in northern India: challenges and
opportunities. Journal of Ethnobotany and Ethnomedicine 2:32. doi:
10.1186/1746-4269-2-32
2.
Sadangi N, RN Padhy and RK Sahu (2005) A contribution to medico-ethnobotany
of Kalahandi District, Orissa on ear and mouth
disease. Ancient Science of Life 24(3):160-163.
3.
Gadgil M and VD Vartak (1981)
Studies on sacred groves along the Western Ghats from Maharashtra and Goa: role
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4.
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(2002) Cucurbitane, hexanorcucurbitane
and octanorcucurbitane glycosides from fruits of Trichosanthes tricuspidata.
Phytochemistry 59:215-228.
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Chopra RN, SN Nayar and TC Chopra (1956) Glossary of Indian Medicinal
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Gaur RD (1999) Flora
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Publishers. 811.
7.
Mohamed PA (1974)
Isolation of “Trichotetrol”—A new tetrahydroxy
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Trichosanthes bracteata
(Cucurbitaceae). Linn.,Voight. Syn. T. palmata
(Roxb.). Current Science 43:116.
8.
Mai le P, D Guenard, M Franck, TM Van, C Gaspard
and T Sevenet (1994) New cytotoxic
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fruits. Natural Product Letters 16(1):15-19
9.
Kaneda M and T Uchikoba (1994)
Protease from the sarcocarp of Trichosanthes
bracteata. Phytochemistry 35(3):583-586.
10.
Kitajima J, A Mukai, Y Masuda and Y
Tanaka (1989) Studies on the constituents of Trichosanthes
root. III. Constituents of roots of Trichosanthes
bracteata Voight. Yakugaku Zasshi 109(4):265-270.
(Japanese)
11.
Evaluation of Anti-Pyretic Effect of Trichosanthes tricuspidata
Linn on Albino Rats Vol. 2(4) Oct - Dec 2011 www.ijrpbsonline.com
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Kasai R, A Sasaki,
T Hashimoto, K Ohtani and K Yamasaki (1999) Cycloartane glycosides from Trichosanthes
tricuspidata. Phytochemistry 51:803-808.
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http://www.e2121.com/herb_db/viewherb.php3?viewid=442andsetlang=
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ENaturalHealthCenter.com (e2121.com
15. Singh HP (2001) National perspective on development of
medicinal and aromatic plants. Technical report. AgriWatch.
http://www.agriwatch.com
Received on 27.01.2012 Accepted on 12.03.2012
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Asian J. Pharm. Tech. 2(1): Jan.-Mar. 2012; Page 26-28