Justicia gendarussa
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''Justicia gendarussa'', commonly known as willow-leaved justicia ( mr, बाकस, , , ; sa, कसनः, , , ),Lapsulis in Creole Seychelles; is a small erect, branched shrub. It has been described as rare and endemic to
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
, though those claims are at least confusing, in the context of statements that the plant is widely used in various forms for many of its medicinal and insecticidal properties, and that it is a quick-growing, evergreen forest shrub considered to be a native of China and distributed in Sri Lanka, India and Malaysia. ''J. Gendarussa'' is harvested for its leaves for the treatment of various ailments. It is said to be useful for the treatment of
asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...
,
rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including ar ...
and colics of children. Used as a treatment for skin problems like eczema. It may have the potential to be the basis for a birth control pill for men. Clinical tests are being conducted in Indonesia. The plant has shown promise as a source of a compound that inhibits an enzyme crucial to the development of HIV.


Description

''J. gendarussa'' is an erect, branched shrub which belongs to the family of
Acanthaceae Acanthaceae is a family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in tem ...
. It is a dicotyledonous plant that can reach heights up to 1.5 m. Its leaves are lanceolate, 4–14 cm long and 1-2.5 cm wide. The color of the leaves can be white, green or grey and hairy on both sides. They are bitter, acrid and thermogenic. The rather small flowers grow as 4–12 cm long spikes at the end of branches or in leaf axils. The color of the flowers is white or pink with purple spots. The flowers are hermaphrodite and the bark has a dark purple. The capsule of ''J. gendarussa'' is about 1.2 cm long and smooth. The plant contains a wide range of biologically active compounds like flavonoids,
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, steroids and phenolic compounds.


Cultivation

The plant prefers shadow and therefore is distributed in the forests of India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. ''J. gendarussa'' is harvested from the wild. Because of its wide range of medicinal use, this causes jeopardizing of its natural biodiversity. Combined with the habitat destruction this uncontrolled harvesting causes the decline of the population. In addition, the plant is propagated by seeds, whose viability is only for a very short period of time. For all this reason it is important to look for alternative and sustainable methods to cultivate and to conserve the plant. The hydroponic system is an alternative cultivation method for large-scale production. Explants of the ''J. gendarussa'' are placed in thermocole sheets and then put into water. The water contains a nutrient solution. There is the possibility to add plant growth regulators, e.g. Indole-3butyric acid, to increase the biomass production especially in the beginning phase to initiate root growth. The temperature is set between 28° to 34 °C and the plants can be harvested after 50 days. The
silviculture Silviculture is the practice of controlling the growth, composition/structure, and quality of forests to meet values and needs, specifically timber production. The name comes from the Latin ('forest') and ('growing'). The study of forests and wo ...
presents a possibility for an improved production of ''J. gendarussa''. Possible fertilizers are chicken manure and bamboo charcoal at a rate of 1.5 t/ha. The plant has a high root infection and strong mycorrhizal association. The arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungus   A mycorrhiza (from Greek μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; pl. mycorrhizae, mycorrhiza or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant ...
plays an important role for the soil fertility and the maintenance of the plant vigor due to its influence on microflora and nutrient cycle. The association with mycorrhiza can increase the growth and yield of the plant.


Medicine

''J. gendarussa'' was proved to contain several phytochemicals, which are natural secondary plant compounds. Overall in the plant, roots, stem and leaves, following phytochemicals were found: alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and phenols. The ingredients of the plant may vary depending on the age, physiological stage of the organ parts or the geographic region of cultivation. The plant was proved to have both anti-microbial and anti-fungal action on selected pathogen strains, and therefore this plant can be used to develop herbal drugs. ''J. gendarussa'' leaf extract was proven to potentially become a male, non-hormonally contraceptive method due to its competitive and reversible inhibition of the spermatozoan hyaluronidase enzyme. The plant is already used as traditional contraceptive method in Indonesia. The plant compound Patentiflorin A contained in ''J. gendarussa'' has shown to have a positive activity against several HIV strains, higher than the clinically used first anti-HIV drug, zidovudine AZT. Further, extracts of the leaves have an anti-inflammatory effect. This has been demonstrated especially in mice, specific for the carrageenan-induced paw edema. The juice of the leaves can be drizzled into the ear for earache. To treat external edema, an oil made from the leaves can be used.


Other uses

''J. gendarussa'' can be considered as a potential phytoremediator. It can absorb high amounts of
aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
,
iron Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...
and
copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
in leaves, roots and stems. The problem is that when the plant is used as a phytoremediator, it can no longer be used for medicinal use.


References


External links

*
Australian Plant Names IndexMale Contraception Initiative article on gendarussa
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2717628 gendarussa Plants described in 1768 Taxa named by Nicolaas Laurens Burman