Medicinal Plant Identification: Flower Structure

Overall Course Aims:

• Upon completion, students know how to identify medicinal plants.
• Knowledge of macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of medicinal/toxic plants, including flowers, fruits, and seeds is a key skill
• Recognition of diagnostic elements, active constituents, and their actions for organs like flower, fruit, and seeds is important.
• The course will teach evaluation of identification methods and standardization of active substances.

Learning Outcomes:

• Identification of morphological and microscopical features of medicinal plants like flowers, fruits, or seeds is a focal point
• A fundamental understanding of basic and pharmaceutical sciences is critical
• Proper use of pharmaceutical terms, abbreviations, and symbols is essential.
• Listing active constituents, using microscopical exams and chemical tests are useful when identifying medicinal plants.

Flower Structure

• Idealized flower structure encompasses the stamen, anther, filament, stigma, carpel, and style
• Other key parts include the ovary, petal, receptacle, and sepal.
• Monocots have flower parts in multiples of three
• Dicots have flower parts in multiples of four or five.
• The pedicel is the stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence
• The Peduncle is the main stalk supporting the entire inflorescence.
• A receptacle is the enlarged part of the pedicel where it joins the flower.
• Gamopetalous flowers feature petals fused into a tube, while polypetalous flowers have distinct, separate petals.

Pollination and Fertilization

• Pollination refers to the process in which pollen is transferred from the stamen to the pistil
• Fertilization is the second step after pollination
• Pollen lands on the stigma then a tube grows down the style, entering the ovary to fertilize ovules.
• The ovary subsequently swells as seeds ripen

Flowers with Medicinal Properties

• Clove buds, lavender, and hibiscus flowers posses medicinal value
• Santonica, calendula, chamomile, and pyrethrum flowers also posses medicinal value.
• Clove can be a home remedy for teeth pain

Clove (القرنفل)

• Clove originates from the dried flower buds of Eugenia aromaticum, which belongs to the Myrtaceae family
• Cloves should contain less than 5% stalks and 1% foreign matter.
• They should yield at least 15% V.O. (volatile oil).
• Primary geographical sources include Zanzibar, Ceylon, and India.
• Clove bud essential oil may provide certain benefits
  • It aids digestion and protects the liver against infections.
  • Clove oil may relieve inflammation and pain and helps in preserving bone density.
  • Clove oil supports the treatment of gum diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis.

Clove Morphology

• Solid and cylindrical, tapering towards the base
• Bracts sometimes stick to the base.
• The calyx has four thick, triangular, acute sepals.
• The corolla possesses four rounded, unexpanded, membranous petals forming a dome-shaped head.

The Hypanthium

• An elongated receptacle that extends below the calyx and ovary in the plant .
• It features a central zone called the columella, which is surrounded by a dark lacunous layer.
• It has a large outer zone with numerous shining schizolysogenous oval oil glands near the periphery.
• Oil glands and aerenchyma exist in the transverse section
• Fiber layers and pollen grains are visible in clove powder
• Clove contains 15-20% V.O., including 80-90% eugenol, acetyl eugenol, and caryophyllene

Clove Applications

• Cloves can used for tooth aches and other dentistry procedures
• Active constituents include gallo tannins, resin, and fixed oil
• Agreeable as an aromatic stimulant and spice, clove acts as an anti-spasmodic
• As found in recent research, the anti-carcinogenic compound is sesquiterpene.

Clove Adulteration and Concerns

• Exhausted cloves turn darker in color, shrunken in appearance, and float on water.
• Clove oil is sometimes mixed with palm oil and pimento berries/leaves.
• Copaiba (oil from Brazilian balsam tree gum resin) also acts an adulterant
• The essential oil's therapeutic properties and eugenol can corrode metal.

Lavender (‫)الالفندر‬

• Lavender comes from dried flowers of Lavendula officinalis in the Labiatae family
• Lavender is sourced from France and the Mediterranean region.
• Characteristics of lavender powder include:
  • Labiacous, candellabra, and knotty hairs
  • Hexagonal pollen grains
  • Epidermal cells showing dacitic stomata
• Lavender’s 0.8-2.8% volatile oil mainly comprise linalyl acetate ester and linalool/geraniol alcohols.
• Utilized in perfumery, as a flavoring agent, aromatherapy, to promote calming/soothing as well as possessing antiseptic qualities for tropical uses

Active Components of Lavender:

• Borneol treats inflammation,relieves pain & eliminates odours
• Geraniol reduces acne breakouts, skin irritation
• Lavandulol anti-inflammatory as well as sedative properties
• Linalool reduces stress & soothing effects

Hibiscus Flower (‫)الكركديه‬

• Also know as Karkadeh or Roselle, from the family Malvaceae
• Originates from dried calyx and epicalyx of Hibiscus sabdariffa
• Commonly found in southeast Asia, Africa, and South America.
• Powdered hibiscus are identified through alembic and stellate hairs.
• Anomocytic stomata along with thick walls are present
• Undulate fibers and pigment cells are also characteristics of hibiscus powder

Hibiscus Active Constituents and Properties

• Active consituents include Anthocyanins along with many acids.
• Acids included are phenolic acids, organic acids.
• Roselle flower and leaf also provides Minerals and Vitamins
• Hibiscus demonstrates health promoting activities such as being, Anti-hypertensive, hypolipidemic, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, and chemopreventive
• Used as a mild diuretic,laxative.
• Hibiscus a sedative, food coloring, and for lowering high blood pressure.

Chemical Test for Anthocyanins

• Add power and HCL and boil and filter
• Depending which chemical is added different colors will be observed.

Flowers from Family Compositae

• Chamomile, and pyrethrum flower are in the family compositae
• Calendula and santonica are also in the compositae family

Compositae: General Characteristics

• Annual or perennial herbs, with an inflorescence.
• A capitulum inflorescence is often described as a flower head.
• Their receptacle is swollen, flattened, or conical and the flowers are very small and called florets.

Types of Florets

• Ray florets (Ligulate)
• Disc florets (Tubular)

Calendula (‫)االقحوان‬

• Also known as Chinese saffron, marigold florets belong to Compositae family
• Originate from dried ligulate corollas of Calendula officinalis
• It can be applied in 2 ways:
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Hepatoprotective

Calendula: Active Ingredients

• Calendula's components include triterpenoids, flavonoids, coumarins, and volatile oils.
• Key flower components include psi-taraxasteol, calenduloside, and Calendula glycosides.
• The oil comprises limonene and nerolidol
• Heals skin disorders, bactericide, anitseptic and is anti-inflammatory
• The petals and pollen contain triterpenoid esters (an anti- inflammatory)
• It possess The carotenoids flavoxanthin & Auroxanthin (antioxidants, and the source of the yellow-orange coloration

Calendula as a Topical Treatment

• The flower oil acts as an anti-inflammatory, which can heal wounds that are not healing well.
• Flavonoids have water-soluble elements for wound-healing effect
• It is an antibacterial, antiviral, with antitumor activity

Chamomile

• Chamomile flowers belong to the family Asteraceae
• They smell slightly like apple
• Chamomile includes both german and roman chamomile
• Chamomile are know for providing help with sleeping

Chamomile types

• Matricaria chamomilla is german chamomile
• Roman chamomile is Anthemis nobilis

German Chamomile

• German chamomile is the more potent variety and is used for medicinal purposes.

Uses of Chamomile

• Chamomile has been used in medicine for centuries
• It has been used to treat many things such as fevers, headaches, digestion issues etc

Chamomile : Constituents

• volatile oils and sesquiterpene
• flavonoids, Coumarins as well as tannins
• Constituents demonstrate anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity
• Chamomile provides relief of many problems such as oral health, eczema and diabetes

Roman Chamomile

• Higher ester content, with a yellow-pale blue color
• Roman Chamomile is an anti-spasmodic
• It relieves: -Sore muscules -Arthritis -Headaches Roman Chamomile is used for children in useful for cases of- -Teething -Colic -Temper

Chemical Test

• Add chamomile + Sudan II and examine under the microscope for results
• add aqueous extract of the powerd and caustic to the results are yellow

Pyrethrum flower

• زهرة الباير ثروم the pyrethrum flower is used a natural insecticide
• Expanded heads of chrysanthemum
• Family composita
• Harvested in kenya and tanzania
• Pyrethrum have sperical extine
• And biserriate stalks
• Is use to kill animals

Pyrethrum active consitutents

• Esters are a key components of pyrethrum
• Pyrethric acids while pyrethrin is on cincerin
• Resin and apigenin

uses

• used as insecticide
• harmless to human

Santonica

• Is consistenr of desc florets
• And no ray florets
• Consist of worms seeds flower
• Commonly named artemisia
• santonica is a medicine to expel warms

Santonica

• Sesquiterpene lactones
• Volatile OIl

Arteminsin

• is use to expel ascaris

Ovule

• the funicle- which attatches the ovule with placenta
• the nucellus
• The micropyle minute pore
• the base chalaza