''Alchornea cordifolia'' is a shrub or small tree distributed throughout tropical Africa, it can grow up to 8 metres tall. The plant is used in traditional African medicine.
[ Common name is the Christmas bush.
]
Chemical constituents
The leaves, roots and stem bark contain terpenoid
The terpenoids, also known as isoprenoids, are a class of naturally occurring organic chemicals derived from the 5-carbon compound isoprene and its derivatives called terpenes, diterpenes, etc. While sometimes used interchangeably with "terpenes" ...
s, steroid glycosides, flavonoid
Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans.
Chemically, flavonoids ...
s, tannin
Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.
The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', ...
s, saponin
Saponins (Latin "sapon", soap + "-in", one of), also selectively referred to as triterpene glycosides, are bitter-tasting usually toxic plant-derived organic chemicals that have a foamy quality when agitated in water. They are widely distributed ...
s, carbohydrate
In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or ma ...
s and the imidazopyrimidine alkaloid
Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...
s alchorneine, alchornidine, and several guanidine
Guanidine is the compound with the formula HNC(NH2)2. It is a colourless solid that dissolves in polar solvents. It is a strong base that is used in the production of plastics and explosives. It is found in urine predominantly in patients experie ...
alkaloids. The leaves also contain a range of hydroxybenzoic acid Hydroxybenzoic acid may refer to several related chemical compounds:
* 2-Hydroxybenzoic acid (salicylic acid, ''o''-hydroxybenzoic acid)
* 3-Hydroxybenzoic acid (''m''-hydroxybenzoic acid)
* 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid (''p''-hydroxybenzoic acid)
See ...
s: gallic acid
Gallic acid (also known as 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) is a trihydroxybenzoic acid with the formula C6 H2( OH)3CO2H. It is classified as a phenolic acid. It is found in gallnuts, sumac, witch hazel, tea leaves, oak bark, and other plants. It i ...
and its ethyl ester, gentisic acid
Gentisic acid is a dihydroxybenzoic acid. It is a derivative of benzoic acid and a minor (1%) product of the metabolic break down of aspirin, excreted by the kidneys.
It is also found in the African tree ''Alchornea cordifolia'' and in wine.
Pro ...
, anthranilic acid
Anthranilic acid is an aromatic acid with the formula C6H4(NH2)(CO2H) and has a sweetish taste. The molecule consists of a benzene ring, ''ortho''-substituted with a carboxylic acid and an amine. As a result of containing both acidic and basic f ...
, protocatechuic acid
Protocatechuic acid (PCA) is a dihydroxybenzoic acid, a type of phenolic acid. It is a major metabolite of antioxidant polyphenols found in green tea. It has mixed effects on normal and cancer cells in ''in vitro'' and ''in vivo'' studies.
Biolo ...
, and ellagic acid
Ellagic acid is a polyphenol found in numerous fruits and vegetables. It is the dilactone of hexahydroxydiphenic acid.
Name
The name comes from the French term ''acide ellagique'', from the word ''galle'' spelled backwards because it can be ob ...
(alizarine yellow). A C20 homolog
In biology, homology is similarity due to shared ancestry between a pair of structures or genes in different taxa. A common example of homologous structures is the forelimbs of vertebrates, where the wings of bats and birds, the arms of prima ...
of vernolic acid
Vernolic acid (leukotoxin) is a long chain fatty acid that is monounsaturated and contains an epoxide. It is the R,R-''cis'' epoxide derived from the C12–C13 alkene of linoleic acid. Vernolic acid was first definitively characterized in 1954. I ...
named alchornoic acid can be found in the seed oil.
Uses of Alchornea cordifolia
The plant is cultivated for its medicinal purposes in the country Democratic Republic of Congo. It supplies dye and wood and in other occasions it is widely used for food. Its dried leaves are substituted for tea.
References
External links
*
Alchorneae
Flora of Africa
Medicinal plants of Africa
{{medicinal-plant-stub