Botany Chapter: Calumba Root Quiz

Calumba Root

• Origin: Dried, transversely or obliquely sliced root of Jateorhiza palmata
• Family: Menispermaceae
• Geographic Origin: Indigenous to the forests of Mozambique and East African countries.
• Collection & Preparation: Rhizomes with roots are dug up during dry weather; swollen fleshy roots are cut into transverse or oblique slices and dried in the shade.
• Macroscopic Characteristics:
  • Shape: Irregular, elliptical, or nearly circular slices, depressed in the center on both sides.
  • Size: 3-8 cm in diameter and 6-12 mm in thickness.
  • Color: Greyish-brown.
  • Odor: Distinct.
  • Taste: Bitter.

Microscopical Characteristics

• Cork: Several layers of tabular, polygonal, thin-walled brown cells.
• Phelloderm: Parenchymatous, contains starch granules; has an eccentric radiate or cleft hilum. Outer region contains isolated stone cells with unevenly thickened, pitted, and lignified yellow walls. May contain one to six prisms of calcium oxalate.
• Phloem: Consists of parenchyma and radial bands of collapsed sieve tissue, separated by wide medullary rays.
• Xylem: Largely composed of parenchyma containing starch granules; radial rows of yellowish vessels (reticulate or pitted thickened); few fibrous tracheids (often irregularly curved and with pitted walls).

Powder Characteristics

• Color: Yellowish-brown.
• Odor: Slight.
• Taste: Bitter.
• Microscopic Features:
  • Starch granules, mostly simple, some compound. Hilum is eccentric cleft or stellate.
  • Large yellow sclereids are thickened, yellow, pitted, lignified and contain 1-6 prisms of calcium oxalate.
  • Fragments of cork cells; thin-walled and polygonal in surface view, giving a characteristic "camera-shaped" appearance.
  • Fragments of large vessels, reticulately or pitted thickened; lignified yellow walls.

Active Constituents

• Alkaloids (2-3%): Palmatine, calumbamine, jateorhizine (yellow crystalline).
• Non-alkaloidal furano-diterpenes (colorless crystalline): calumbin, palmarin, isocalumbin, jateorin.
• Mucilage, starch, no tannin.

Uses

• Bitter tonic without astringency and stomachic.
• Prescribed with iron salts.
• Prescribed in cases of anorexia and flatulent dyspepsia.
• Stimulate taste buds, leading to stimulation of saliva and digestive juices.

Krameria Root

• Origin: Dried roots of Krameria triandra. Known as Peruvian Rhatany; Family Leguminosae.
• Geographic Origin: Peru and Bolivia.

Macroscopical Characteristics

• Root: Large, showing several long branches, from which smaller branches proceed.
• Color: Dark reddish-brown (large pieces), brighter (smaller pieces).
• Bark: Rugged and scaly.
• Taste: Astringent (bark), nearly tasteless (wood).

Active Constituents

• Tannins: Phlobatannin or Krameria tannic acid (7-9%).
• Coloring Matter: Krameria-red (phlobaphene); produced by oxidation of tannins.
• Starch and Calcium Oxalate: Present
• Benzofuran Derivatives: Rhataniphenols I and II.

Uses

• Astringent: Tincture used as a mouthwash.
• Antimicrobial: Effective against mouth and throat infections as gargles.
• UV Filters: Benzofuran compounds are used in sun protection preparations.

Althaea (Marshmallow) Root

• Origin: Dried root of Althaea officinalis. Family Malvaceae.
• Geographic Origin: England, Europe, France, and Germany (cultivated).

Active Constituents

• Mucilage: Main constituent.
• Starch and Calcium Oxalate: Present.

Uses

• Emollient and Demulcent: Used to soothe and protect tissues, especially in urinary and respiratory tract infections.
• Poultice: Powder used externally for soothing and protective purposes.
• Pill Excipient: Powder used in manufacturing pills.

Sarsaparilla Root

• Origin: Dried roots and sometimes rhizomes of Smilax ornata. Family Liliaceae.

• Geographic Origin: Central America; especially Costa Rica and Jamaica.

• Macroscopical Characters: Imported in bundles of numerous long slender roots (3m long, 3mm thick). Dark reddish-brown colour; shrunken and longitudinally furrowed surface. Odourless and somewhat sweetish, acrid taste.

Active Constituents

• Steroidal saponins (related to cortisone and sex hormones). Sarsaponin (yields sarsapogenin, rhamnose, and glucose on hydrolysis) and similagenin (isomeric with sarsapogenin).
• Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A and D, sarsapic acid, starch, sulfur, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium.

Uses

• Hepatic Stimulant & Tonic: Stimulates bile secretion, reduces propensity for stones, restores normal liver function, increases digestive fluid and enzyme production. Used in atonic dyspepsia (loss of appetite, indigestion, liver and gallbladder problems).

Dandelion Root

• Origin: Vertical rhizome and taproot of Taraxacum officinale. Family Compositae.

• Geographic Origin: Indigenous to Europe and North America.

• Active Constituents: -Inulin and other polysaccharides (25-30%) -Sesquiterpene lactones (e.g., taraxacoside) -Triterpenes (e.g., taraxerol, a-amyrin) -Various acids (e.g., caffeic acid, p-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid) -Carotenoid yellow colouring matter -Volatile oil, tannins, potassium salts

• Uses: -Hepatic stimulant and tonic (traxacoside): Stimulates bile secretion, decreases stone formation, improves liver function, increases digestive fluid and enzyme production. -Mild laxative: Increases urine flow. Good diuretic.

Ginseng Root

• Origin: Dried roots of Panax ginseng (Asian ginseng) and Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng). Family Araliaceae

• Geographic Origins: Eastern North America (American ginseng), China, Korea, and Japan (Asian ginseng).

• Panax: Greek for "all-healing" and "best-healing"

• Ginseng: The Wonder of the world.

• Active Constituents: -Triterpenoidal saponins (ginsenosides) -Polysaccharides (e.g., glycans, panaxans, ginsanans) -Poly-acetylenic alcohols -Sesquiterpenes (e.g., γ-elemene) -Lignans -Amino Acids and vitamins

• Uses: -General tonic, anabolic, increases protein synthesis, and promotes growth and body weight. -Improves mental and physical performance -Reduces fatigue -Improves stamina and resistance to stress

Echinacea

• Origin: Dried roots and rhizomes of Echinacea angustifolia. Family Asteraceae.

• Geographic Origin: Indigenous to America and Europe.

• Active Constituents: -Caffeic acid glycosides (e.g., echinacoside) -Volatile oils (e.g., containing 1.8-pentadecadiene) -Polyacetylenes -Polysaccharides (e.g., echinacin B)

• Uses: -Immuno-stimulant: Activating the body's infection-fighting capacity, and increasing resistance to infections (e.g., cold, respiratory tract infection, AIDS). -Topical application: Bacteriostatic, fungistatic, and antiviral for wounds, burns, eczema, and psoriasis. -Anticancer and antiseptic for urinary tract infections.