2520

12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3

Dalbergia L.f.

Suppl. pl.: 52 (1782).

LEGUMINOSAE

x = 10

Dalbergia comprises almost 200 species and is found in tropical and subtropical regions of all continents. Most species are found in Asia (about 100). Africa and tropical America comprise each about 40 species. About 70 species have been recorded for the Malesian region, and about 30 each for Indo-China and Thailand.

Dalbergia is apparently not much used in traditional medicine in South-East Asia. A poultice of leaves is most commonly used to treat skin diseases, sores and varicose veins, whereas a decoction of the wood is used internally against stomach-ache and as an emmenagogue. In Thailand, the wood of Dalbergia candenatensis (Dennst.) Prain is applied as a blood tonic and expectorant, and the roots of Dalbergia velutina Benth. as a fish poison.
Elsewhere, Dalbergia is commonly used medicinally. In Africa, the roots and leaves of several species are used to treat a wide variety of complaints including leprosy, wounds, ulcers, fever, colds and bronchitis, and they are also used as a vermifuge. In tropical America, a root decoction is prescribed internally against dysentery. The heartwood of Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen is a Chinese drug applied for stagnation of disordered blood. It is used to stop bleeding, to treat wounds, bruises, swellings, abscesses, sores and haemoptysis, and as a sedative. In India, the roots of Dalbergia stipulacea Roxb. are effective as a fish poison, and the bark as an insecticide.
The tree-like species, particularly Dalbergia latifolia Roxb. and Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. ex DC., are popular for their decorative wood, which is in high demand for carving, turnery and furniture.

Almost nothing is known about the phytochemistry or properties of the Dalbergia species of Malesia. The wood of Dalbergia ferruginea yields the sterols sitosterol and friedelin, and the wood of Dalbergia cumingiana an essential oil (c. 0.5%).
The chalcone butein (2',3,4,4'-tetrahydroxy chalcone) has been isolated from the Chinese Dalbergia odorifera. It showed antioxidant properties: it inhibited iron-induced lipid peroxidation in rat brain homogenate, and inhibited copper-catalyzed oxidation of human low-density lipoprotein. Butein also produced endothelium-dependent relaxation of rat aorta preparations. Many other flavonoids have been isolated from Dalbergia odorifera, several of which showed significant anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory activities. Several phenolic compounds isolated from this species significantly inhibited prostaglandin biosynthesis as well as platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid. Phenolic constituents with potent inhibitory activity towards 5a-dihydrotestosterone, which binds with an androgen receptor to form a complex that causes androgen-dependent disease, have been isolated from Dalbergia cochinchinensis Pierre from Indo-China and Thailand. An extract of Indian plant material of Dalbergia volubilis Roxb. showed anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic activities. A leaf extract of Dalbergia sissoo possessed significant anti-inflammatory activity when tested in rats. Acetone and alcohol extracts of the bark and roots of Dalbergia stipulacea showed insecticidal properties against Clostera cupreata, a defoliator of poplar (Populus) in India. The triterpenoid glycoside dalsaxin has been isolated from the root of the African Dalbergia saxatilis Hook.f.; this compound stimulated uterine muscle contraction in tests with rats. Extracts of Dalbergia melanoxylon Guill. & Perr. bark showed antimicrobial activity. An aqueous extract of Dalbergia monetaria L. from Brazil showed anti-ulcerogenic activity in tests with rats, mice and guinea-pigs.
Dalbergiones, dalbergichinols and related neoflavanoids have been isolated from many Dalbergia species. Dalbergiones in the wood have toxic activity on termites and may cause dermatitis.

Lianas, shrubs or small to large trees. Leaves alternate, imparipinnate; stipules usually small, caducous; leaflets alternate, reticulately veined, without stipels. Inflorescence a terminal or axillary cyme or panicle; bracts and bracteoles usually small and subpersistent. Flowers bisexual, small, papilionoid; calyx 5-merous, the teeth prominent with the lower one usually longest; corolla with distinctly clawed standard, narrow wings and sickle-shaped keel, white to red or violet; stamens 9 or 10, filaments usually all connate, anthers small; ovary superior, 1-celled, stipitate, style short, incurved, stigma small. Fruit an indehiscent pod, stipitate, thin-walled, usually 1-seeded. Seed reniform, compressed, lacking albumen. Seedling with hypogeal germination.

The Dalbergia species treated here are all lianas or straggling shrubs, and they are found in open locations and borders of lowland forest, or in thickets in grassland.

There are no germplasm collections of the species treated here, but these do exist for some important timber-producing Dalbergia species. The Malesian species used for medicinal purposes seem not to be immediately endangered because they are usually fairly widespread and often occur in secondary habitats. Moreover, they are not extensively used. However, stands of Dalbergia trees all over the world have been depleted considerably for the decorative wood.

Little attention has been given to the medicinal applications of Dalbergia in South-East Asia. The fact that Dalbergia is extensively used in traditional medicine elsewhere, often for similar purposes (e.g. as a styptic and anti-inflammatory), warrants more research.

[5]Achmad, M., Dayal, R. & Borai, P., 1996. Evaluation of insecticidal properties of Dalbergia stipulacea against poplar defoliator, Clostera cupreata (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae). Annals of Forestry 4(1): 47—51.
[136]Chan, S.C., Chang, Y.S., Wang, J.P, Chen, S.C. & Kuo, S.C., 1998. Three new flavonoids and antiallergic, anti-inflammatory constituents from the heartwood of Dalbergia odorifera. Planta Medica 64(2): 153—158.
[158]Cheng, Z.J., Kuo, S.C., Chan, S.C., Ko, F.N. & Teng, C.M., 1998. Antioxidant properties of butein isolated from Dalbergia odorifera. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1392(2—3): 291—299.
[179]Cota, R.H., Grassi-Kassisse, D.M., Spadari-Bratfisch, R.C. & Souza-Brito, A.R., 1999. Anti-ulcerogenic mechanisms of a lyophilized aqueous extract of Dalbergia monetaria L. in rats, mice and guinea-pigs. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 51(6): 735—740.
[331]Hegnauer, R., 1962—1997. Chemotaxonomie der Pflanzen [Chemotaxonomy of plants]. 11 volumes. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, Switzerland.
[721]Pathak, V. et al., 1997. Antiandrogenic phenolic constituents from Dalbergia cochinchinensis. Phytochemistry 46(7): 1219—1223.
[878]Soerianegara, I. & Lemmens, R.H.M.J. (Editors), 1993. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 5(1). Timber trees: Major commercial timbers. Pudoc Scientific Publishers, Wageningen, the Netherlands. 610 pp.
[940]Uchendu, C.N. & Leek, B.F., 1999. Adrenergic influence of uterine muscle contractions stimulated by a glycoside from the root of Dalbergia saxatilis. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 37(4): 350—354.

Ning Wikan Utami

Dalbergia cumingiana
Dalbergia ferruginea
Dalbergia pinnata
Dalbergia stercoracea

Utami, N.W., 2003. Dalbergia L.f.. In: Lemmens, R.H.M.J. and Bunyapraphatsara, N. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea

The following species in this genus are important in this commodity group and are treated separatedly in this database:
Dalbergia cumingiana
Dalbergia ferruginea
Dalbergia pinnata
Dalbergia stercoracea