943

12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2

Basilicum polystachyon (L.) Moench

Suppl. Meth.: 143 (1802).

LABIATAE

2n = 28

Ocimum polystachyon L. (1771), Moschosma polystachyon (L.) Benth. (1830).

Musk basil (En). Basilic musqué (Fr). Indonesia: sangketan (Javanese), surawung gunung (Sundanese). Malaysia: tapua jatten. Philippines: pansi-pansi (Tagalog), bauing (Magindanao), lodokong (Pangasinan). Vietnam: [es] gi[ar], [es] s[aj], m[ooj]c ma.

Musk basil is distributed as a weed from tropical Africa through India, the Mascarenes and Sri Lanka to South-East Asia and tropical Australia.

Musk basil is used internally as a tea, and externally in decoction as a lotion. Some people lack tolerance for internal use, and develop sores in the mouth. The crushed leaves are used in Indonesia as a sedative, and to relieve painful sprains and limbs. Decoctions are used for epilepsy, palpitations of the heart, neuralgia, nervous headaches, nervousness after childbirth, rheumatism and convulsions. In East Africa, fresh roots are chewed against cough, or cooked with food to reduce flatulence. In Kenya, an infusion of the fruit is taken for parturition in the case of delayed birth. Nomads in Kenya burn the plant inside milking pots to give a pleasant smell to the milk. In East Africa, the plant is burnt indoors as a mosquito and snake repellent. In Nigeria, the leaves are used to flavour food and as a sedative. In Ghana, the leaf-sap is squeezed into the nostrils of children to cause sneezing, in order to cure headache.

Musk basil is not traded commercially, and is rarely found on local markets.

Upon steam distillation, the leaves and flowers yield a pale yellow viscous essential oil, of which the main components are: methyl-eugenol (39%), methyl-isoeugenol (8%), limonene (7%), 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol, 5%), 'BETA'-elemene (5%), 'BETA'-caryophyllene (5%), 'BETA'-selinene (4%), citronellal (3.5%), geranyl acetate (2.9%), 'ALFA'-humulene (2.4%), isobornyl acetate (2%) and 'DELTA'-cadinene (2%). Eugenol is toxic in large amounts and can cause contact dermatitis.

Several components found in Basilicum polystachyon are also found in Mentha (Labiatae) and in Blumea (Compositae).

An erect, annual to short-lived perennial, aromatic herb, 40—100 cm tall, stem much branched, prominently 4-angled, nearly glabrous. Leaves decussate, ovate to oblong-ovate, 2—6 cm x 1—3.5 cm, base acute or attenuate, apex acuminate or caudate, margins irregularly serrate, thin-membranaceous, glabrous on both surfaces, or minutely gland-dotted underneath; petiole slender, 1—4 cm long; stipules absent. Inflorescence consisting of cymes, together resembling a terminal or axillary, slender raceme or panicle, 3—6 cm long, in fruit over 10 cm long; bracts minute, lanceolate, aristate, 1—2 mm long. Flowers small, bisexual; pedicel 1—1.5 mm long; calyx campanulate, 1.5—2 mm long, in fruit 3—3.5 mm long, slightly inflated at the base, 5-toothed, teeth short, the distal one broad, obtuse, abruptly acuminate, the other 4 much smaller, triangular, acute, pubescent; corolla funnel-shaped, 2—2.5 mm long, tube 1.8 mm long, 2-lipped, upper lip broad, entire, reflexed, lower lip 3-lobed, 2 lateral teeth cuspidate, a few short hairs outside, pale lilac, purple or flesh-coloured, sometimes white; stamens 4, didynamous, included, filaments inserted on the corolla tube, glabrous, anthers 1-celled; disk symmetrical; ovary superior, glabrous, style with short, 2-lobed stigma. Fruit consisting of 4 dry, 1-seeded schizocarpous nutlets, broadly ellipsoid, compressed, 0.5 mm long, smooth, dull brown. Seedling with epigeal germination; cotyledons petiolate, blade broadly ovate, base obtuse, apex emarginate, margin with sparse minute bristles; hypocotyl elongate, bristly in rows, epicotyl up to 1 mm long, 4-angular, bristly; first leaves opposite, ovate, base obtuse to cordate, apex rounded, margin dentate to crenate, with dense bristles; petiolate.

Once established, seedlings of Basilicum polystachion grow rapidly. When plants have reached a height of about 40 cm, branching starts. Basilicum polystachyon is shallow rooted.

Basilicum belongs to the subfamily Ocimoideae, and is botanically close to Ocimum L., mainly differing in the length of the stamens and the presence of hairs on the filaments. Basilicum comprises one or a few species, but no recent taxonomical revision of this genus and related genera is available.

Musk basil grows as a weed in open waste places, usually in humid soils, such as fallow rice fields, along streams and swampy grasslands. It has a preference for seasonal climatic conditions, therefore in Java it is largely confined to the drier regions, from 0—600 m altitude, and it is scarce in most of Sumatra, Borneo and the Malaysian Peninsula. Musk basil is flowering throughout the year.

Musk basil is propagated by seeds, which are dispersed by animals.

Sometimes flowers of musk basil bear large red galls, caused by a gall midge. No other important diseases or pests are known to occur.

Musk basil is collected from the wild whenever the need arises.

Musk basil has a large area of distribution in anthropogenic habitats and does not seem to be at risk of genetic erosion. Small germplasm collections are maintained in Italy and the United Kingdom. No breeding programmes are known to exist.

Very little is known about the phytochemistry or pharmacology of Basilicum polystachyon. It will probably remain of minor importance in local medicine.

Burkill, H.M., 1995. The useful plants of West tropical Africa. Second edition. Vol. 3. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, United Kingdom. p. 3.
Keng, H., 1978. Labiatae. In: van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (Editor): Flora Malesiana. Series 1, Vol. 8. Sijthoff & Noordhoff International Publishers, Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. pp. 366—367.
Kokwaro, J.O., 1975. Medicinal plants of East Africa. East African Literature Bureau, Nairobi, Kenya. p. 108.
Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. p. 824.
Soerjani, M., Kostermans, A.J.G.H. & Tjitrosoepomo, G. (Editors), 1987. Weeds of rice in Indonesia. Balai Pustaka, Jakarta, Indonesia. p. 608.
Thoppil, J.E., 1997. Essential oil composition of Moschosma polystachyon (L.) Benth. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 59(4): 191—192.

[74] Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1964—1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1964) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
[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.
[407] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
[786] Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. 620 pp.

Marfu'ah Wardani

Wardani, M., 2001. Basilicum polystachyon (L.) Moench. 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