Celastrus paniculatus (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Celastrus paniculatus Willd.

Protologue: Sp. pl. 1: 1125 (1797).

Family: Celastraceae

Chromosome number: 2n= 46

• Celastrus multiflorus Roxb. (1814),
• Celastrus australis Harv. & F. Muell. ex F. Muell. (1855).

• Indonesia: sila (Javanese)
• Philippines: bilogo (Tagalog)
• Thailand: kra thong laai
• Vietnam: dây săng máu.

C. paniculatus is widely distributed from India, Burma (Myanmar) to southern China, Taiwan and throughout South-East Asia (except Borneo) to Australia and New Caledonia.

In Java, the leaves of C. paniculatus can be an ingredient together with "adas-pulasari" (Alyxia reinwardtii Blume and Foeniculum vulgare Miller) of a prescription against dysentery. In traditional Thai medicine, the root is used as an antimalarial and antipyretic, the wood is used in the treatment of tuberculosis, the stem bark as an antidysenteric and a decoction of the stem as a diuretic in the treatment of kidney disorders. The fruits are considered antiflatulent, a blood tonic and a relief for fainting, and the leaves are considered antidysenteric. In India and the Philippines, the crushed seeds, a decoction of the seeds or the fixed oil from the seed are applied as a poultice, or taken internally. Credited with stimulant and diaphoretic properties, they are applied to relieve fevers, joint and muscular pains, and paralysis. The leaf sap has been used as an antidote for opium poisoning.

The seed oil of C. paniculatus in combination with Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell is traded as a cognitive booster under the name Smart Oil^TM. The seed oil is a major component in various products to relieve rheumatic and muscular pains. C. paniculatus oil is an ingredient of many more herbal medicines, claiming to enhance the nervous and mental system.

In South-East Asia C. paniculatus is only used locally. India and China export seed and seed oil but no trade statistics are available. In the United States 1 kg of seed fetches US$ 195 wholesale price, 100 cc seed oil fetches US$ 50 wholesale price.

For a detailed GLC analysis of the fatty acid composition of the seed oil of C. paniculatus, the oil was fractionated into 4 lipid fractions: normal triglycerides (20.2%), polar triglycerides (44.4%), polar nonglyceridic esters (23.5%) and nonpolar nonglyceridic esters (11.9%). In general, the percentage contents of the major fatty acids in these fractions were determined as palmitic, 25.1, 42.0, 12.7, 58.2; stearic, 6.7, 4.5, 0, 15.8; oleic, 46.1, 24.8, 4.7, 14.2; linoleic, 15.4, 14.7, 10.7, 0; and linolenic, 3.0, 13.1, 43.0, 0, respectively. Furthermore, the main components of the normal triglyceride fraction included palmito-oleopalmitin (6.8%), palmito-oleostearin (5.6%), palmito-diolein (14.7%), palmito-oleolinolein (7.0%), stearo-diolein (6.1%), triolein (8.0%) and dioleolinolein (7.6%). In addition, lipolysis of the polar triglyceride fraction indicated that 59.6% of saturated acids were linked to the 2-position of glycerol.

Reputed as a pharmaceutical aid for learning and memory the seed oil of C. paniculatus has been tested in various animal models. In a navigational memory task model (the Morris water maze model), using young adult rats, chronic administration of the seed oil selectively reversed the impairment in spatial memory produced by acute central muscarinic receptor blockade using scopolamine. This supports the possibility that one or more constituents of the oil may offer cognitive enhancing properties. Furthermore, in a two compartment passive avoidance task model in albino rats, Celastrus-oil treated rats showed significant improvement in retention ability. On a biochemical level, Celastrus oil was also shown to cause an overall decrease in turnover of three central monoamines (norepinephrine, dopamine, serotin) involved in the learning and memory process.

Pharmacological studies in cats and dogs have shown that the seed oil has sedative and tranquillizing properties. Seed extracts increased the total lipid and phospholipid content of the brain of rats treated for 30 days.

In order to study possible toxic effects of polar and semipolar compounds isolated from the fractionated seed oil, these compounds were injected into rats. Although fatty degeneration in the liver and proximal tubular damage in the kidney were observed, these harmful effects appeared to be transient. In addition, an oily seed extract given to rats showed strong antispermatogenic action, thereby pointing to useful antifertility effects of the seed oil.

Other pharmacological effects include a methanolic extract of the flowers of C. paniculatus showing oral analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities in the hot water tail-immersion test in mice, and the carrageenan-induced pedal oedema in rats. An ethanol extract of dried stems of C. hindsii Benth., collected in Taiwan, showed potent cytotoxicity against HEPA-2B (hepatoma), HELA (cervix carcinoma), COLO-25 (colon carcinoma) and KB (nasopharynx carcinoma) cells, as well as HIV replication inhibitory activity in H9 lymphocytes in vitro. Activity can be ascribed to the triterpenoid compounds present in the extract: maytenfolone-A demonstrated cytotoxicity against hepatoma at an ED₅₀ of 2.3μg/ml and nasopharynx carcinoma at an ED₅₀ of 3.8μg/ml; celasdin-B exhibited anti HIV-replication activity in H9 lymphocyte cells with an EC₅₀ of 0.8μg/ml.

Finally, various β-dihydroagarofuran sesquiterpene polyesters isolated from members of the Celastraceae have been found to have insecticidal and/or insect antifeedant activities.

• A scandent, deciduous, usually dioecious shrub up to 10 m tall; stem up to 25 cm in diameter, branchlets terete, pubescent.
• Leaves spirally arranged, simple, elliptical to suborbicular to oblong, 5-15 cm × 2.5-6 cm, base cuneate, obtuse or rounded, apex acute, acuminate, obtuse, rarely emarginate, margin remotely crenulate, midrib elevated, glabrous; petiole 0.5-1.5 cm long; stipules small.
• Inflorescence an axillary or terminal panicle, usually thrice to multi-compound, spreading, (2-)5-10(-20) cm long, peduncle 0.6-1 cm long.
• Flowers unisexual, 5-merous, pale greenish, pedicel 1.5-3.5 mm long, accrescent to 3-6 mm, articulated at base; calyx campanulate, persistent, lobes semi-orbicular, short-ciliate, about 1 mm × 1.5 mm; petals oblong to obovate-oblong, obtuse, entire, 2.5-3 mm × 1-1.5 mm; disk cupular, obscurely 5-lobed; in male flower stamens about 3 mm long, pistil columnar, about 1 mm long; in female flowers staminodes about 1 mm long, pistil 2-2.5 mm long, ovary superior, globose, (in)completely 3-celled, ovules 1-2 per cell, style columnar, stigma 3-lobed.
• Fruit a subglobose capsule, loculicidally 3-valved, valves broad-elliptical, 5-10 mm × 5-8 mm, 3-6-seeded.
• Seed ellipsoid, 3.5-5 mm × 2-3 mm, enveloped by a fleshy orange to crimson aril, yellowish to reddish brown, smooth or with obscure areoles; albumen copious, cotyledons thin and broadly spathulate.
• Seedling with epigeal germination.

In Java, C. paniculatus flowers and fruits, from October-December. The presence of a nectariferous disk in the flower may well point to insect-pollination. The bright-coloured fleshy aril of the fruits is a great attraction to birds, which are the likely means of dispersal.

Celastrus comprises about 32 species, in tropical and subtropical areas, widely distributed chiefly in eastern Asia, with 5 species present in Malesia. The leaves of C. monospermoides Loes. (synonym C. malayensis Ridley) occurring in Malaysia and Indonesia, are used in Peninsular Malaysia for poulticing the head in fevers. Recently, C. hindsii Benth. a species from thickets at 1000-1800 m altitude, has been the subject of pharmacological screening. It is found from India eastward to southern China and Taiwan and is indigenous to Indonesia but has no traditional medicinal use. In China C. angulatus Maxim. is used as an insecticide.

C. paniculatus is mainly found in thickets at 200-1800 m altitude.

C. paniculatus can be propagated by seed. The aril has to be removed to facilitate germination. The aril protects the seed from desiccation. Germination can be further enhanced by chemical scarification of the hard seed coat. It can be alternatively propagated by cutting, layering or air-layering. Plants should be grown in a sheltered position in sun or partial shade on moderately fertile, well-drained neutral to acid soils.

In the absence of natural support for C. paniculatus trellis or another sort of framework is essential.

Roots, stems and leaves of C. paniculatus are collected whenever the need arises. Seed is collected when ripe.

Root and stem portions of C. paniculatus are cut into smaller pieces and dried for future use. Leaves can be dried and stored to be used later on. Drying of seed prior to oil extraction is preferably done under vacuum at low temperatures, to retain its quality.

C. paniculatus is widespread throughout South-East Asia, and common in thickets and secondary growth. It therefore does not appear to be endangered. There are no known breeding programmes of C. paniculatus.

Especially the seed oil of C. paniculatus shows a range of interesting pharmacological effects, e.g. a claimed improvement of the learning and memory activity, together with sedative and tranquillizing properties. The compounds or fractions responsible for these effects, together with a full investigation of their toxicology involved, are still missing, however, and therefore there is a need for further research. Also the cytotoxic triterpenes merit further investigations to evaluate their possibilities.

• Ahmad, F., Khan, R.A. & Rasheed, S., 1994. Preliminary screening of methanolic extracts of Celastrus paniculatus and Tecomella undulata for analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 42(3): 193-198.
• Bidwai, P.P., Wangoo, D. & Sharma, V., 1990. Effects of polar and semipolar compounds from the seeds of Celastrus paniculatus on the liver and kidneys in rats. Fitoterapia 61(5): 417-424.
• Ding Hou, 1962. Celastraceae. In: van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (Editor): Flora Malesiana. Series 1, Vol. 6. Wolters-Noordhoff Publishing, Groningen, the Netherlands. pp. 227-291.
• Gattu, M., Boss, K.L., Terry Jr, A.V. & Buccafusco, J.J., 1997. Reversal of scopolamine-induced deficits in navigational memory performance by the seed oil of Celastrus paniculatus. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behaviour 57(4): 793-799.
• Kuo, Y.H. & Kuo, L.M., 1997. Antitumour and anti-AIDS triterpenes from Celastrus hindsii. Phytochemistry 44(7): 1275-1281.
• Nalini, K., Karanth, K.S., Rao, A. & Aroor, A.R., 1995. Effects of Celastrus paniculatus on passive avoidance performance and biogenic amine turnover in albino rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 47(2): 101-108.

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• H.C. Ong