1240

12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2

Picria fel-terrae Lour.

Fl. cochinch.: 393 (1790).

SCROPHULARIACEAE

2n = unknown

Curanga amara Vahl (1804), Curanga fel-terrae (Lour.) Merr. (1917).

Indonesia: tamah raheut (Sundanese), daun kukurang (Moluccas), papaita (Ternate). Malaysia: hempedu tanah, gelumak susu, rumput kerak nasi. Philippines: sagai-uak (Sulu). Laos: kông saden, (do:k) pu:n. Vietnam: m[aaj]t d[aas]t, thanh ng[aa]m.

Picria fel-terrae is distributed in Asia from the eastern Himalayas to India, Burma (Myanmar), southern China, Indo-China, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Java, Sulawesi, Moluccas and the Philippines.

The fresh leaves are very bitter and are generally considered aperient, emmenagogue, stimulant to the intestines, sudorific and diuretic. In Peninsular Malaysia, a decoction of the plant is taken for stomach-ache, nausea, liver complaints and as an appetizer. A poultice of the pounded leaves is applied to wounds. In the Moluccas and the Philippines, the sap or a decoction of the plant is considered a vermifuge for children, and a remedy for colic and malaria. In Indonesia, a poultice of the leaves cures itch and other skin diseases. An infusion of the leaves together with those of Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. is used to treat whooping cough and tightness of the chest. An infusion with alcohol is taken by the Chinese in Java for exhaustion, especially after a fall or a fight, in which bruising occurred. In Peninsular Malaysia and Indo-China, the leaves combined with those of Hedyotis capitellata Wallich ex G. Don are applied to snakebites. The leaves, macerated in alcohol, are considered a tonic. In the Philippines, an infusion or decoction is considered stomachic and emmenagogue; alternatively the plant may be chewed to the same effect. In Vietnam, the whole plant is also used for treating fever, herpes infections and tumours. In India, the leaves are applied to early stages of dropsy, to intermittent fever, amenorrhoea, colic and lumbar pains. In China the decoction of the leaves is used for the treatment of herpes.

Picria fel-terrae is often cultivated in gardens and sold fresh on the markets in Indo-China and China.

From a butanol extract of Picria fel-terrae, the flavonoid glucuronides apigenin-7-O-'BETA'-glucuronide, luteolin-7-O-'BETA'-glucuronide and apigenin-7-O-'BETA'-(2'-O-'ALFA'-rhamnosyl)-glucuronide were isolated. The plant also contains the glycoside curangin, which seems to possess similar properties as digitalin, and also is a heart-stimulant. It is only slightly poisonous.
In a phytopharmacological screening, the ethyl acetate and butanol fractions of an ethanol extract of the dried plant showed antibacterial activity against Proteus vulgaris and Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the methanol fraction showed antiviral activity against herpes simplex 1 and inhibited the classical pathway of the complement system.
The plant also contains a series of triterpene saponins, i.e. the picfeltarraenins IA, IB, II, III, IV, V and VI (= picfeltarraegenin I 3-O-'BETA'-D-xylopyranoside). Picfeltarraenins IA, IB, IV and VI acted as inhibitors on both the classical and alternative pathways of the complement system, with picfeltarraenin II exhibiting the highest inhibitory activity. None of the compounds showed antiviral, antibacterial or antifungal activities. Picfeltarraenins IA and IB were tested in an in vitro human tumour cell line panel, but displayed no cytotoxic activity.

An annual herb, up to 40 cm tall, stems laxly branched, erect or prostrate, quadrangular, rooting at the nodes, densely minutely pubescent. Leaves simple, opposite, ovate, 2B-5 cm x 1.5-B3 cm, base cuneate to rounded, apex subacute, margins crenate, minutely pubescent; petiole 2-B15 mm long. Inflorescence a terminal or pseudo-axillary raceme, 2-B6 cm long, 2—16-flowered, bracts small, lanceolate; pedicel 4—7 mm long, calyx flat, with 4 sepals in 2 series, upper outer one cordate, 7—9 mm x 6—8 mm, lower outer one slightly bilobed, 5—6 mm x 4—5 mm long, accrescent in fruit, 2 lateral inner ones filiform, 2—3 mm long, all minutely pubescent; corolla tubular, bilabiate, tube 8 mm long, glabrous outside, 2 lateral ridges with glandular hairs inside, upper lip 2—3 mm long, lower lip 2.5—3.5 mm long, 3-lobed, tube and upper lip reddish brown, lower lip white; stamens 2, posterior, 1 mm long, staminodes 2, anterior, yellow; ovary superior, deltoid-ovoid, glabrous, style filiform, stigma shortly bilobed. Fruit an obovate capsule, 4 mm x 3 mm, compressed, septically bivalved, seeds several. Seed globose, about 0.6 mm in diameter, with 8 oblong hollows.

Picria fel-terrae can be found flowering and fruiting throughout the year.

Picria is a monotypic genus, different from other Scrophulariaceae because it has a flattened fruit surrounded by 2 large, rounded calyx lobes and 2 filiform calyx lobes.

Picria fel-terrae is a rare to rather common herb, occurring on forest slopes, or shady forest edges, from sea-level up to 900 m altitude.

Picria fel-terrae is propagated by seed.

The leaves or the whole plant of Picria fel-terrae are harvested when the plant is flowering.

Plants of Picria fel-terrae are used fresh or dried for later use.

Picria fel-terrae has a rather large area of distribution, and is also planted in gardens, and thus does not seem to be at risk of genetic erosion. There are no known breeding programmes for Picria fel-terrae.

Picria fel-terrae contains compounds which display interesting pharmacological activities, and therefore merits further research in order to fully evaluate their possible potential.

Huang, Y., de Bruyne, T., Apers, S., Ma, Y., Claeys, M., vanden Berghe, D., Pieters, L. & Vlietinck, A.J., 1998. Complement-inhibiting cucurbitacin glycosides from Picria fel-terrae. Journal of Natural Products 61: 757—761.
Huang, Y., Cimanga, K., Lasure, A., van Poel, B., Pieters, L., vanden Berghe, D. & Vlietinck, A.J., 1994. Biological activities of Picria fel-terrae Lour. Pharmacy World and Science, Supplement 16(6): 18.
Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. p. 384.
Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. pp. 867-B868.
Yamazaki, T., 1985. Picria. In: Leroy, J.-F. (Editor): Flore du Cambodge, du Laos et du Viêtnam [Flora of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam]. Vol. 21. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. pp. 37-B38.
Yamazaki, T., 1990. Picria. In: Smitinand, T. & Larsen, K. (Editors): Flora of Thailand. Vol. 5(2). The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department, Bangkok, Thailand. pp. 153—154.

[135] Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A—H) pp. 1—1240, Vol. 2 (I—Z) pp. 1241—2444.
[452] Hu, L.H., Chen, Z.L. & Xie, Y.Y., 1996. New triterpenoid saponins from Picria fel-terrae. Journal of Natural Products 59(12): 1186—1188.
[456] Huang, Y., de Bruyne, T., Apers, S., Ma, Y.L., Claeys, M., Pieters, L. & Vlietinck, A., 1999. Flavonoid glucuronides from Picria fel-terrae. Phytochemistry 52(8): 1701—1703.
[739] Nguyen Van Duong, 1993. Medicinal plants of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Mekong Printing, Santa Ana, California, United States. 528 pp.

G.H. Schmelzer & S.F.A.J. Horsten

Schmelzer, G.H. & Horsten, S.F.A.J., 2001. Picria fel-terrae Lour.. In: van Valkenburg, J.L.C.H. and Bunyapraphatsara, N. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea