Difference between revisions of "Barringtonia (PROSEA Medicinal plants)"

Latest revision as of 13:00, 20 March 2023

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Barringtonia J.R. Forster & J.G. Forster

Protologue: Charact. gen. pl.: 75, t.38 (1776).

Family: Lecythidaceae

Chromosome number: x = unknown; B. acutangula: 2n= 26, B. racemosa: 2n= 52

Major species

• Barringtonia acutangula (L.) Gaertner,
• B. asiatica (L.) Kurz,
• B. racemosa (L.) Spreng.

Vernacular names

• Barringtonia (En).
• Brunei: angas gimpalang, angas gimplang
• Indonesia: butun (general), keben (Javanese)
• Malaysia: tampalang (Sabah)
• Philippines: botong, ulam (Tagalog).
• Burma (Myanmar): kyi-bin, kyi-gyi
• Thailand: chik
• Vietnam: lộc vừng.

Origin and geographic distribution

Barringtonia comprises about 50 species which occur from tropical and subtropical regions of East Africa (1 species) and Madagascar (2 species) to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Indo-China, southern China, Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, Thailand and the whole of the Malesian region towards northern Australia and the Pacific, and east to Samoa and the Society Islands (Tahiti). Malesia represents the centre of diversity of Barringtonia with 40 species occurring there. One species (B. asiatica) has been introduced into East Africa, Hawaii, the West Indies and St. Helena.

Uses

Seed of most Barringtonia species contain saponins which are used as fish poison; the fruit, bark, wood or root is sometimes employed for the same purpose. The presence of the saponins in the bark explains the use in poulticing. In the Philippines, the fruits of B. racemosa are used to poison wild pigs and also for fish-net floats. In Peninsular Malaysia, the leaves of B. racemosa are consumed as a vegetable, against high blood pressure and as a depurative. Pounded leaves are said to cure chickenpox. Bark, leaves and fruits of B. asiatica are used for treating sores. In the Philippines, its leaves have been topically applied against rheumatism and the seeds as a vermifuge. An infusion of the leaves and bark of B. calyptrata (Miers) R.Br. ex F.M. Bailey has been used by aborigines in Australia to treat chest pains and fever. Some of the uses mentioned for B. acutangula in the Philippines may well apply to B. reticulata (Blume) Miq. (synonyms B. sumatrana Miq., B. gitingensis Elmer, B. lingaensis Knuth). In Kalimantan, juice of the wood was formerly used to blacken teeth. Pounded seeds or bark of B. scortechinii King are applied as a fish poison in Malaysia. The fruit can be used as a flavouring in food.

Young leaves and shoots of some Barringtonia are eaten as a salad or in chutneys (e.g. B. fusiformis King). The bark of some species is locally used for tanning. In India, B. acutangula is an important "bee plant" used for the production of honey. In Vanuatu and other Pacific Islands, B. edulis Seem., B. novae-hiberniae Laut. and B. procera (Miers) Knuth are cultivated for their edible seeds.

The wood of Barringtonia is used for local house building, general planking, flooring, boat building, mouldings, interior finish, household utensils, agricultural implements, boxes, crates and wooden pallets. The wood is suitable for veneer and plywood manufacturing. In the Nicobar Islands, New Guinea and Pacific islands, the bole is used to make canoes. In the Pacific region the wood has additionally been used for carving and turnery. The wood is sometimes used for fuel. Several species are planted as ornamentals. B. asiatica has also been planted as a windbreak and for shade.

Production and international trade

The medicinal use of Barringtonia is of local importance only, and occasionally fruits are found in the market.

Properties

The seeds of B. asiatica contain hydrocyanic acid, and triterpene acids (e.g. bartogenic acid). Triterpenoid glucosides, saponins (e.g. barringtosides A,B,C) and sapogenins (barringtogenol C) were isolated from the seeds of B. acutangula.

In addition to triterpenes like the barrigenols, neo-clerodane diterpenoids (nasimaluns A,B) are also present in the roots of B. racemosa. Some coumarins, ellagic acid, 3,3'-di-O-methyl ellagic acid and 3-O-methyl ellagic acid were isolated from the bark of B. acutangula and B. racemosa.

The ethanol extract of the leaves of B. racemosa displayed cytotoxicity against human cervical carcinoma (HeLa)-cell lines at a CD₅₀ value of 10-30 μg/ml. Furthermore, field investigations in Iloilo Province (the Philippines) pointed to the use of B. asiatica seeds to induce regression of breast and ovarian tumours. In vitro tests with B. asiatica indicated a high antitumour potential of its active compounds.

In addition, an ethanolic extract of B. macrostachya leaves showed strong inhibitory activity towards Epstein-Barr virus activation in Raji cells. However, the extract was toxic to the Raji cells as well. Extracts of B. asiatica showed some in vitro antifungal activity.

Expressions from seeds of B. asiatica were studied for mutagenicity, clastogenicity and antimutagenic potential. The use of the rec assay revealed that there was no direct DNA damaging capacity. Mutagenicity before metabolic activation was not detected using the Ames pour plate method (Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 1535 and TA 1537); mutagenicity after metabolic activation was not observed using the host-mediated assay (Salmonella typhimurium His G46 as the indicator organism). Lack of chromosome breaking effects was indicated by the results of the micronucleus test. The test system, however, did exhibit antimutagenic effects against mitomycin C, metronidazole, safrole and cytoxan, which are all well-known muta-carcinogens. The latter was shown in the reduction of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes when expressions from seeds of B. asiatica were co-administered with the mentioned muta-carcinogens. A water extract of B. acutangula inhibited germination and growth of Cuscuta reflexa Roxb.

Description

• Evergreen shrubs or small to medium-sized or occasionally large trees up to 30(-47) m tall; bole branchless for up to 18 m, up to 60(-100) cm in diameter, sometimes with buttresses; bark surface slightly grooved and longitudinally fissured, cracked or scaly, thick, lenticels often distinctly diamond-shaped, brown, red-brown or grey, sometimes tinged with pink; inner bark finely, firmly fibrous, yellow-brown to pink or white with yellowish streaks ( B. asiatica ), without exudate.
• Leaves arranged spirally, crowded towards the ends of twigs, simple, obovate or obovate-oblong, dentate (except in B. asiatica) , glabrous, with numerous lateral veins; petiole sometimes very short; stipules small, triangular, caducous.
• Inflorescence a many-flowered, terminal or axillary, or sometimes cauliflorous, erect or pendulous raceme or spike.
• Flowers white, pink or red, often very large, very fragrant, fluffy from the numerous stamens; calyx rupturing circumscissile or into 2-4(-5) segments or with 4(-5) free lobes, tube angular or winged; petals (3-)4(-5), free but connate to the filament tube; disk circular; ovary inferior, 2-4-locular with 2-6 ovules in each cell, style 1.
• Fruit a medium to large, 1-seeded berry, ovoid to fusiform, smooth, grooved or angled, crowned by the persistent calyx.
• Seedling with hypogeal germination; cotyledons absent (seed containing a swollen hypocotyl); shoot with scales at the first few nodes.

Growth and development

Branching in Barringtonia is predominantly sympodial. Flowering takes place during the night with the corolla opening early in the evening and falling the next morning. In B. asiatica only 1 flower per inflorescence opens every night whereas in B. racemosa about half of the flowers in a single inflorescence bloom simultaneously. Most species flower throughout the year but full bloom is generally reached in May and August to September. Pollination of the fragrant flowers is generally by bats or insects (mainly moths), which are also attracted by the copious nectar. After shedding of the flowers, the inflorescences are often crowded with ants attracted by the nectar. A comparatively high percentage of the fruits is seedless. Seed dispersal is usually by squirrels and other animals that feed on the fruits. Fruits of B. asiatica and several other species are buoyant thanks to the thick layer of spongy, fibrous pericarp, and are dispersed by rivers and sea currents.

Other botanical information

The family Lecythidaceae is sometimes split into three separate families, with Barringtonia being a member of the Barringtoniaceae. Species of Barringtonia are extremely variable in e.g. leaf shape, size and margin, position and shape of spikes, and fruit shape and size. Despite this polymorphism the species are generally easy to distinguish.

Ecology

Most Barringtonia are quite common elements of the canopy layer in evergreen, primary or sometimes secondary, lowland rain forest. They often occur on river banks or in estuaries, or in permanently or seasonally swampy locations but some species prefer well-drained habitats. Most species are found below 600 m but a few grow in montane forest up to 1500(-2000) m altitude. Barringtonia species are present in areas subject to per-humid or seasonal conditions. B. asiatica is a very characteristic element of the coastal fringe forest (Barringtonia formation) and is associated with other trees like Calophyllum inophyllum L., Casuarina equisetifolia L., Hibiscus tiliaceus L. and pandans (Pandanus spp.). B. racemosa may form almost pure stands along tidal rivers or in upper mangrove swamps.

Propagation and planting

Barringtonia can be propagated by seed or by cuttings. Seeds of B. asiatica show about 70% germination in about 35-65 days, compared with about 75% for B. scortechinii in 5-15 months. Sown fruits of B. macrostachya have a germination rate of about 40% in 9-22 months. Seeds of B. acutangula should be sown in full light, giving a germination rate of about 90%. B. asiatica can also be propagated by cuttings.

Diseases and pests

The fungi Phyllachora barringtoniicola and P. naqsii may cause leaf spots in Barringtonia spp.

Harvesting

Mature seeds of Barringtonia are simply collected from the ground underneath the trees.

Yield

A mature B. asiatica tree yields about 500-2000 fruits per year.

Handling after harvest

Seeds of Barringtonia are obtained by simply cutting the fruits open.

Genetic resources and breeding

Barringtonia species of medicinal importance are widespread and common throughout South-East Asia, and therefore certainly not endangered. There are no records of Barringtonia in seed or germplasm banks.

Prospects

Too little is known about the phytochemistry and pharmacology of Barringtonia . More research is therefore needed in these fields to fully evaluate a possible potential of this well-known fish poison.

Literature

• Chantaranothai, P., 1995. Six new species of Barringtonia (Lecythidaceae). Kew Bulletin 50(4): 695-705.
• Hasan, C.M., Khan, S., Jabbar, A. & Rashid, M.A., 2000. Nasimaluns A and B: neo-clerodane diterpenoids from Barringtonia racemosa. Journal of Natural Products 63(3): 410-411.
• Mackeen, M.M., Ali, A.M., El-Sharkawy, S.H., Manap, M.Y., Salleh, K.M., Lajis, N.H. & Kawazu, K., 1997. Antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties of some Malaysian traditional vegetables (ulam). International Journal of Pharmacognosy 35(3): 174-178.
• Mooi, L.Y., Ali, A.M., Norhanom, A.B., Salleh, K.M., Murakami, A. & Koshimizu, K., 1999. Anti-tumor promoting activity of some Malaysian traditional vegetables (Ulam). Natural Product Sciences 5(1): 33-38.
• Payens, J.P.D.W., 1967. A monograph of the genus Barringtonia (Lecythidaceae). Blumea 15(2): 157-263.

Selection of species

Authors

• M.A. Yaplito