Group # 3Team Leader: Nicole VasquezMembers: Audrey Cruz Regalado Jose Kirsten Merritt

HW #4: 17 Medicinal Plants

I. Introduction (?)

II. List of the 17 medicinal plant species 1. Plant species: Lagundi (Vitex negundo)Lagundi, or the five-leaved chaste tree, belongs to the family Lamiaceae. Lagundi is indigenous to the Philippines, and it also occurs in tropical East Africa, Madagascar, India and Japan. Lagundi is an erect shrub whose height ranges from 2 to 5 meters. Its leaves are 5-foliate and in a palmate arrangement. The leaflets are lanceolate, entire, 4 to 10 centimeters long, and sharp at both ends. The flowers are blue to lavender in color and borne in terminal panicles. The fruit is a succulent globose drupe that turns black when ripe (StuartXChange, n.d.).Lagundi is known to have the medicinal properties: anti-inflammatory, astringent, antibacterial, antifungal, analgesic, alterant, depurative, rejuvenating, and stomachic. Recently, Lagundi has been prepared as a cough syrup and has been considered as a replacement for dextromethorphan in the public health system (StuartXChange, n.d.).

2. Plant species: Sambong (Blumea balsamifera)Sambong, or blumea camphor in English, belongs to the Asteraceae family. Sambong is indigenous to the Philippines, China, Hainan, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Sambong is a woody, densely hairy shrub that measures 1 to 4 meters high. It is also strongly aromatic. Its leaves are simple, alternate, elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, toothed at the margins, and narrowing to a short appendaged petiole. Its flowers are stalked, yellow, and borne on branches of a terminal leafy panicle. Its fruits are dry, 1-seeded achenes that are hairy at the top (StuartXChange, n.d.).Sambong is discovered to have the following medicinal properties: antihelminthic, antidiarrheal, antigastralgic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, emmenagogue, expectorant, stomachic, and vulnerary. Recently, Sambong was also discovered to dissolve renal stones. Aside from its medicinal benefits, Sambong leaves are used as a flavouring ingredient, and its roots and leaves as natural pesticides against storage pests (StuartXChange, n.d.).

3. Plant species: Ampalaya (Momordica charantia)Ampalaya, or the bitter melon, belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. Ampalaya is generally distributed throughout the tropical regions, where in the Philippines, it is mainly harvested for its fruit. Ampalaya is a tender perennial tropical vine. Its roots are relatively developed, with many lateral roots (MDidea Extracts Professional, 2013). Its stem has five edges, and is dark green, hairy, and prostrate. Its leaves are simple, and are alternately arranged. The edge of the leaf blade has teeth or lobes. Its flowers are radially symmetrical, and consist of five petals, sepals, or tepals which are fused into a cup or tube. Its fruit is fleshy (New England Wild Flower Society, n.d.). Ampalaya is considered to have the following properties: astringent, antidiabetic, abortifacient, antirheumatic, contraceptive, galactagogue, parasiticide, and antihelminthic among others. As of late, the herb is used in the Philippines to treat diabetes mellitus (StuartXChange, n.d.) (https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/momordica/charantia/)(http://www.mdidea.com/products/herbextract/bittermelon/data02.html)

4. Plant species: Garlic (Allium sativum)Garlic belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. The cultivation of garlic can be traced to have originated from central Asia, but now is universally used in cooking. Garlic is a bulbous perennial herb of the onion family. Its leaves are alternately arranged, and grow only at the base of the plant. The color of its flower petals may be green to brown, pink to red, and white, and its inflorescence type is an umbel. Its flowers are sterile and produce bulbils instead of seeds. Its specific fruit type is a capsule (New England Wild Flower Society, n.d.). Its bulbs consist of separate flesh sections called cloves, each covered with a papery tunic (Encyclopedia of Life, n.d.). Garlic generally has the following medicinal properties: diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, and stimulant. Garlic was also used as an antiseptic in the past wars, where its raw juice is diluted with water, and is applied onto Sphagnum moss, and then administered to the wound (Botanical.com, n.d.) https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/allium/sativum/ http://eol.org/pages/1084926/details

5. Plant species: Guava (Psidium guajava)Guava belongs to the Myrtaceae family. The origin of guava is believed to be an area extending from southern Mexico through Central America. It generally occurs throughout tropical areas. Guava is an evergreen fruit tree that measures 3 to 6 meters high. Its stem is thick and gives rise to several branches, which creates an outline of an open crown. Its leaves are simple, with short petioles, and oblong or elliptical. Also, the leaves have entire margins, and oil-bearing glands that release a pleasant fragrance. The inflorescences are cymes or solitary flowers that grow in the leaf axils, while the flowers are large, stalked, showy, and possess white petals. Its fruits are globose berries that are aromatic and bittersweet (Botanical-Online, n.d.). The roots, bark, leaves, and immature fruits of guava are commonly used to treat gastroenteritis, diarrhea, and dysentery. Also, crushed leaves are applied on wounds, ulcers, and rheumatic places (Purdue Agriculture, n.d.) http://www.botanical-online.com/english/guava_characteristics.htm https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/guava.html

References: Allium sativum. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/allium/sativum/Ampalaya. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://www.stuartxchange.com/AmpalayaDescriptions and articles about the Garlic (Allium sativum) - Encyclopedia of Life. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://eol.org/pages/1084926/detailsGuava plant (Psidium guajava). (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://www.botanical-online.com/english/guava_characteristics.htmLagundi / Vitex negundo / Five-leaved chaste tree: Herbal Medicinal Plants / Alternative Medicine in the Philippines. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015.Morton, J. (n.d.). Guava. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/guava.htmlSambong. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015.