Thonningia sanguinea (PROTA)

Plant Resources of Tropical Africa Introduction

List of species

General importance
Geographic coverage Africa
Geographic coverage World
Medicinal
Fibre

Thonningia sanguinea Vahl

distribution in Africa (wild)

1, host root and tuber; 2, male inflorescences; 3, longitudinal section of male inflorescence; 4, male flower; 5, female inflorescence; 6, female flower. Redrawn and adapted by W. Wessel-Brand

stamp from Belgian Congo. Taken from Parasitic Plants

Protologue: Skr. Naturhist.-Selsk. 6: 125, t. 6 (1810).

Family: Balanophoraceae

• Ground pineapple (En).
• Ananas de brousse (Fr).

Thonningia sanguinea occurs throughout the humid forest zone of tropical Africa.

Thonningia sanguinea is a well-known medicinal plant throughout its distribution area. The inflorescence, scales and rhizome are widely taken as infusion or decoction to treat intestinal worms, diarrhoea, dysentery, venereal diseases and rheumatism, as a gargle and mouth wash to treat gum infections, caries and a sore throat and are externally applied to treat skin infections, leprosy, paralysis and a stiff neck. Crushed aerial parts or rhizomes are applied to abscesses, skin rashes and as an embrocation to treat rheumatism. The whole plant is ground and the sap swallowed with sugar to treat venereal diseases.

In Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria the inner part of the young inflorescence is eaten as an aphrodisiac. In central Nigeria an ointment is prepared for treating swellings on the neck and around the ears. In Ghana a root extract is taken to treat asthma. In the Central African Republic and Gabon a steam bath is taken to treat haemorrhoids; the crushed flowers with peppers are used as an enema for the same purpose. In Gabon ash from burnt flowers is applied to ulcers on the soles of the feet. In Gabon and Congo the juice of the crushed plant is given to young children to treat fever, and an embrocation is applied to the abdomen for the same purpose. The juice from the inflorescence is used as eye-drops to treat rachitis in children. In DR Congo the crushed inflorescence is put on the abdomen against incontinence and bedwetting. In Rwanda an infusion of the whole plant is taken to treat heart problems.

In Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Gabon the prickly flower-heads are tied to the ankles of young infants to hasten their learning to walk. Thonningia sanguinea is a renowned fetish plant. In Côte d’Ivoire it is possibly used as such as an ingredient of arrow poison.

In northern Nigeria the Hausa people use the tuberous part of the rhizome as a flavouring for soups and sauces.

The thickened tuber and rhizomes are widely sold in local markets for medicinal purposes and in Nigeria also as a condiment.

From the rhizomes the ellagitannins thonningianins A and B were isolated. From the flowers brevifolin carboxylic acid and gallic acid were isolated. Thonningianins A and B showed strong free radical scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), as well as inhibition of H2O2-induced lipid peroxidation in liver microsomes, and hepatoprotective effects against murine acute hepatitis induced by carbon tetrachloride, galactosamine and aflatoxin B1. Thonningianin A was also found to be a potent glutathione S-transferase inhibitor in vitro. An aqueous extract of the whole plant was shown to be anti-anaphylactic and anti-asthmatic in guinea pigs when administered orally. The plant extract, intraperitoneally administered to rats with induced liver injury by different compounds, showed significant hepatoprotective activity.

Brevifolin carboxylic acid and gallic acid demonstrated moderate to promising antibacterial activity against a range of multi-drug resistant strains of different Salmonella spp., as well as against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and Shigella sonnei. Gallic acid has an IC50 = 13.5 μM and brevifolin carboxylic acid had an IC50 = 18.0 μM. An aqueous extract of the whole plant also showed moderate antifungal activity against Cryptococcus neoformans in vitro. Several other pathogenic fungi were not affected by the extract.

An aqueous extract was administered to egg-laying hens 2 days after they were infected by Salmonella enteritidis lysotype 6, causing severe diarrhoea. The extract showed a complete suppression of Salmonella in the eggs, an efficient restoration of laying ability of the birds and improved egg weight and egg shell thickness.

A plant extract did not show antimalarial activity in albino mice, experimentally infected with Plasmodium berghei.

Dioecious, perennial, fleshy holoparasitic herb, up to 20 cm tall. Tuber irregularly shaped from almost spherical up to 8–10 cm in diameter to elongate, 5–17 cm × 1.5–4 cm, densely short-hairy, attached to host, with horizontal, cylindrical, branched rhizomes 0.5–1 cm in diameter, yellow, short-hairy, 10–15 cm below soil surface. Inflorescence a dense, fleshy head, from buds on rhizome, with or without peduncle; peduncle 0–13 cm long, bright red or pink, glabrous to short-hairy, covered with scales; scales spirally arranged, ovate to lanceolate, 4–10 (–20) mm × 2–5(–8) mm, larger towards the head, apex acute, margins sometimes slightly toothed, rigid, glabrous; head 2.5–5 cm long, 1.5–5.5 cm in diameter, male heads less dense than female heads; bracts ovate to lanceolate, 5–30 mm × 3–10 mm, apex acute to acuminate, margins slightly toothed, rigid, forming an involucrum, becoming to the base a continuum with the scales on the peduncle, pink, dull red to bright red turning brown with age. Flowers unisexual, irregular; male flowers with 2–4 perianth segments, segments lanceolate, 8–15 mm long, acute, stamens 2–6, completely fused; female flowers with tubular perianth 1–1.5 mm long and obscurely 2–3-lobed; ovary inferior, 1-celled, style 2–3 mm long, thread-like, exserted. Fruit a 1-seeded achene, aggregated into a rounded infructescence resembling a strawberry, 2.5–3.5 cm diameter, reddish-black to bright red. Seed ellipsoid, 1–1.5 mm long, cream-coloured.

Thonningia comprises a single, variable species.

Thonningia sanguinea can be found flowering throughout the year.

Thonningia sanguinea occurs in rainforest, secondary forest, thickets and bordering savanna on a large variety of hosts, from sea-level up to 1700 m altitude.

It is a holoparasite occurring on the roots of a wide variety of trees from different families, including the following species: Antiaris toxicaria Lesch., Baphia nitida Lodd., Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill., Funtumia africana (Benth.) Stapf, Myrianthus arboreus P.Beauv. and Pentachlethra eetveldeana De Wild. & T.Durand. Generally, Thonningia sanguinea does not kill the host, but causes a reduction in vigour.

Thonningia sanguinea is propagated by seed.

Thonningia sanguinea also parasitizes plantation crops, including rubber (Hevea brasiliensis (A.Juss.) Müll.Arg.), oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) and cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). The only management practice known is uprooting of the parasite.

Thonningia sanguinea can be harvested throughout the year, whenever the need arises.

Thonningia sanguinea is nowhere common, but there are no indications that it is threatened by genetic erosion.

Thonningia sanguinea is widely used as a medicinal plant throughout its distribution area. Only a few active compounds have been isolated so far, but these show interesting antimicrobial and hepatoprotective activities. More research into its active compounds is warranted.

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• Gyamfi, M.A., Tanaka, T. & Aniya, Y., 2004. Selective suppression of cytochrome P450 gene expression by the medicinal herb, Thonningia sanguinea in rat liver. Life Sciences 74(14): 1723–1737.
• Gyamfi, M.A., Ohtani, I.I., Shinno, E. & Aniya, Y., 2004. Inhibition of glutathione s-transferases by thonningianin A, isolated from the African medicinal herb, Thonningia sanguinea, in vitro. Food and Chemical Toxicology 42(9): 1401–1408.
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• Ouattara, K., Coulibaly, A., N'Guessen, J.D., Gueda-Guina, F. & Djaman, A.J., 2007. Effects of Thonningia sanguinea (Thos) on the quality of the eggs and egg-laying rate of hens during an experimental salmonellosis induced by the ingestion of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis lysotype 6. Agronomie Africaine 19(1): 21–28.
• Ouattara, B., Kra, A.M., Coulibaly, A. & Guede-Guina, F., 2007. Efficacité de l'extrait ethanolique de Thonningia sanguinea sur Cryptococcus neoformans. Cahiers d'Etudes et de Recherches Francophones 17(4): 219–222.
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• Stannard, B.L., 2006. Balanophoraceae. In: Pope, G.V., Polhill, R.M. & Martins, E.S. (Editors). Flora Zambesiaca. Volume 9, part 3. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom. pp. 247–251.

• H.P. Bourobou Bourobou, Institut de Pharmacopée et de Médecine Traditionnelle, IPHAMETRA/CENAREST, B.P. 842, Libreville, Gabon
• J.-A. Bourobou Bourobou, Institut de Pharmacopée et de Médecine Traditionnelle, IPHAMETRA/CENAREST, B.P. 842, Libreville, Gabon

Bourobou Bourobou, H.P. & Bourobou Bourobou, J.-A., 2012. Thonningia sanguinea Vahl. In: Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors). Prota 11(2): Medicinal plants/Plantes médicinales 2. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. Accessed 3 April 2025.

• See this page on the Prota4U database.