Lunasia amara (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Lunasia amara Blanco

Protologue: Fl. Filip. ed. 1: 783 (1873).

Family: Rutaceae

Chromosome number: 2n= unknown

Synonyms

• Pilocarpus amara (Blanco) Blanco (1845),
• Rabelaisia parvifolia Planch. (1845).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: kemaitan (Javanese), pingsang (Sulawesi), bungkus kusu (Moluccas)
• Philippines: lunas (Tagalog), bunglai (Bikol), paitan (Bisaya, Iloko).

Origin and geographic distribution

L. amara is found throughout the Philippines, Borneo and eastern Java eastward to south-eastern New Guinea and Cape York in Australia.

Uses

L. amara is well known in native medicine of the Philippines and Indonesia. In Indonesia, a decoction of the bark and leaves is rubbed on swollen limbs and is also used as a treatment for skin diseases. In Central Sulawesi, sap from the bark is used as eyedrops for inflamed or irritated eyes. In the Philippines and Thailand, the bark is mentioned as a remedy for snakebites and stomach problems. Bark and leaves or seeds are taken for digestive disorders. Sometimes mention is made of the use of L. amara in arrow poison.

Production and international trade

L. amara is only used on a local scale.

Properties

Fresh leaves of L. amara yield 0.1-0.15% of an essential oil which is almost entirely sesquiterpenoid in nature. The principal sesquiterpenes are γ-elemene (0.7-19%), germacrene-D (18-51%) and bicyclogermacrene (7-26%). There are lesser amounts of bicycloelemene (1-2%), β-bourbonene (0.7-3%), β-elemene (4-9%), α-farnesene (1-3%) and δ-cadinene (3-5%).

Furthermore, some 13 alkaloids have been identified from several parts of L. amara. From the bark, 9 furoquinoline type alkaloids, i.e. hydroxylunacridine, hydroxylunacrine, hydroxylunidine, hydroxylunine, kokusaginine, lunacridine, lunacrine, lunine and skimmianine, and 4 quinoline type alkaloids, i.e lunamarine, 4-methoxy-2-(3',4'-methylenedioxy-phenyl)-quinoline, eduleine and 4-methoxy-2-phenylquinoline are reported in the literature. Biochemically, both types of alkaloids are strongly related, and formally derived from the anthranilic acid unit, which is common to all of them.

Lunacrine, which is the principle alkaloid found in the leaves, and lunasin, a related quaternary furoquinoline, both show a distinct action on muscles, evidenced by a continually increasing tone and a rapid diminution of the power of response of the muscle to stimulation. This action on muscular tone is seen not only upon isolated voluntary and smooth muscles but also upon the blood vessel walls, where a distinct contraction occurs, and upon the heart where a distinct diminution in the contractions was observed. The lethal effect of both alkaloids is due to stoppage of respiration simultaneously with that of the circulation. Blood pressure experiments upon anaesthetized, decerebrated and decapitated animals show a sudden drop which is principally due to the action on the heart muscle. Lunasine, however, causes a rise in the decapitated preparations, showing considerable action on the vasomotor centre which is not seen by lunacrine.

Adulterations and substitutes

(Furo-)quinoline alkaloids are found in many other species belonging to Rutaceae. Especially the alkaloids skimmianine and kokusaginine seem to be distributed very widely. Some of the many examples containing the alkaloids include: Acronychia baueri Schott(both), Casimiroa edulis Llave & Lex. (both), Eriostemon spp. (skimmianine), Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) A.DC. (both), Ruta graveolens (both) and Zanthoxylum spp. (skimmianine).

Description

• A dioecious, evergreen, sparsely branched shrub or small tree up to 12 m tall; all parts covered with scale-like and/or stellate trichomes.
• Leaves alternate, simple, crowded towards the tip of branchlets, oblanceolate to obovate, elliptical or lanceolate, 5.5-60 cm long, base cuneate to narrowly rounded or cordate, apex rounded to acuminate, margin subentire to sinuate, chartaceous to coriaceous, with scattered oil dots; petiole 1.5-15 cm long, conspicuously swollen just below the insertion of the blade; stipules absent.
• Inflorescence an axillary panicle, with head-like clusters of trimerous flowers.
• Male inflorescence up to 28 cm × 8 cm; sepals ovate, 0.5 mm long; petals obovate, 1 mm long, greenish-yellow to white; stamens 1 mm long; rudimentary gynoecium pulvinate.
• Female inflorescence up to 25 cm × 2 cm; sepals broadly ovate, 1-1.5 mm long; petals ovate, 2-2.3 mm long, greenish-yellow to white; staminodes 3; gynoecium about 0.5 mm × 1 mm, 3-carpellate.
• Fruit consisting of 1-3 follicles; follicle obovate, truncate, 6-15 mm × 5-10 mm, transversely ribbed, 1-seeded, 2-valved, dehiscent along the apical and adaxial edges, pericarp dry, endocarp cartilaginous and discharged from the follicle with the seed.
• Seed obovoid, dark brown to reddish-brown, with fleshy oily cotyledons, endosperm absent.

Growth and development

L. amara can be found flowering and fruiting throughout the year.

Other botanical information

L. amara is the only species retained in the genus Lunasia. It is extremely variable in certain vegetative features. Trichomes vary from flat, scale-like structures composed of as many as 60 connate, radiating cells to stellate structures, composed of as few as 2 separate ascending cells. However, a gradation exists from scale-like to stellate. This gradation is found within a single individual and between populations. Likewise, leaves are exceptionally variable in size, texture, number of lateral veins and irregularities of the margin. Based on these differences many taxa have been described. However, as the variations are repeated, in varying degrees of similarity, without a particular pattern, all taxa have been united in a single taxon.

Ecology

L. amara is found on soils ranging from ultramafic to limestone in well-drained rain forest, moist to rather dry thickets, gallery forest and secondary growth, from sea-level up to 900 m altitude.

Propagation and planting

L. amara is only occasionally planted and propagated by seed.

Harvesting

Bark, leaves and fruits of L. amara are collected whenever the need arises.

Genetic resources and breeding

L. amara is widespread and locally common throughout its distribution area, and apparently well adapted to disturbance and therefore not endangered. Apart from collections in botanical gardens no breeding programmes exist.

Prospects

Not much is known about the biological activities of isolated alkaloids from L. amara. Therefore, more research will be needed in order to fully evaluate its potential as a medicine.

Literature

• Brophy, J.J., Goldsack, R.J., Forster, P.I. & Hutton, I., 1997. Leaf essential oils of Lunasia amara var. amara and Sarcomelicope simplicifolia subsp. simplicifolia (Rutaceae) from Australia. Journal of Essential Oil Research 9(2): 141-144.
• Finlayson, A. & Prager, R.H., 1978. Biosynthetic studies on alkaloids in Lunasia amara. Australian Journal of Chemistry 31(12): 2751-2755.
• Hartley, T.G., 1967. A revision of the genus Lunasia (Rutaceae). Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 48: 460-475.
• Mansur, M., Walujo, E.B. & Rahajoe, J.S., 1995. Kajian pemanfaatan tumbuhan oleh Suku Wana di kawasan Cagar Alam Morowali, Sulawesi Tengah [The study of plants used by Wana traditional people in Morowali Nature Reserve, Central Sulawesi]. Prosiding Seminar dan Lokakarya Nasional Etnobotani II, Yogyakarta 24-25 Januari 1995. Buku 2. Ikatan Pustakawan Indonesia, Jakarta. pp. 511-519.
• Price, J.R., 1963. The distribution of alkaloids in the Rutaceae. In: Swaine, T. (Editor): Chemical plant taxonomy. Academic Press, London, United Kingdom & New York, United States. pp. 429-452.
• Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. pp. 461-462.

Other selected sources

• [74] Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1964—1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1964) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
• [241] de Padua, L.S., Lugod, G.C. & Pancho, J.V., 1977—1983. Handbook on Philippine medicinal plants. 4 volumes. Documentation and Information Section, Office of the Director of Research, University of the Philippines at Los Baños, the Philippines.
• [380] Gutierrez, H.G., 1980—1982. An illustrated manual of Philippine materia medica. 2 volumes. Natural Research Council of the Philippines, Tagig, Metro Manila, the Philippines. Vol. 1 (1980) pp. 1—234, Vol. 2 (1982) pp. 235—485.
• [407] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
• [873] Sastrapradja, S., 1978. Tumbuhan obat [Medicinal plants]. Lembaga Biologi Nasional , Bogor, Indonesia. LBN 11/SDE 53. 126 pp.
• [949] Soepadmo, E., Wong, K.M. & Saw, L.G. (Editors), 1995—. Tree flora of Sabah and Sarawak. Sabah Forestry Department, Forest Research Institute Malaysia and Sarawak Forestry Department, Kepong, Malaysia.
• [1028] van Steenis-Kruseman, M.J., 1953. Select Indonesian medicinal plants. Bulletin No 18. Organization for Scientific Research in Indonesia, Djakarta, Indonesia. 90 pp.

Authors

• Muhammad Mansur