A GUIDE to MEDICINAL PLANTS an Illustrated, Scientific and Medicinal Approach
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A GUIDE TO MEDICINAL PLANTS An Illustrated, Scientific and Medicinal Approach Koh Hwee Ling Chua Tung Kia n Tan Chay Hoon A GUIDE TO MEDICINAL PLANTS An Illustrated, Scientific and Medicinal Approach This page intentionally left blank MEDICINAL PLANTS An Illustrated, Scientific and Medicinal Approach Koh Hwee Ling National University of Singapore, Singapore Chua Tung Kian Ministry of Education, Singapore Tan Chay Hoon National University of Singapore, Singapore Other contributors: Johannes Murti Jaya Siah Kah Ying Chin Kar Ling Toh Ding Fung Photographers: Chua Tung Kian Ching Jianhong Koh Hwee Ling Li Lin Siah Kah Ying Ching Jianhong Johannes Murti Jaya Published by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224 USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601 UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A GUIDE TO MEDICINAL PLANTS An Illustrated, Scientific and Medicinal Approach Copyright © 2009 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the Publisher. For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy is not required from the publisher. ISBN-13 978-981-283-709-7 ISBN-10 981-283-709-4 Typeset by Stallion Press Email: [email protected] Printed in Singapore. Shelley - A Guide to Medicinal Plants.pmd 1 5/8/2009, 6:12 PM FA Disclaimer The contents of the book serve to provide both general and scientific informa- tion about medicinal plants and their uses and are not intended as a guide to self-medication by consumers or to treatment by health care professionals. The general public is advised to discuss the information contained herein with a physician, pharmacist, nurse or other authorised health care profes- sionals. Neither the authors nor the publisher can be held responsible for the accuracy of the information itself or the consequences from the use or misuse of the information in this book. The resources are not vetted and it is the reader’s responsibility to ensure the accuracy of the information cited. Readers are reminded that the information presented is subject to change as research is on-going and there may be interindividual variations. While every effort is made to minimise errors, there may be inadvertant omissions or human errors in compiling these monographs. v b716_FM.indd v 1/8/2009 4:18:25 PM FA This page intentionally left blank vi b716_FM.indd vi 1/8/2009 4:18:25 PM FA This book is dedicated to our families for their support and to our students who continue to inspire us! vii b716_FM.indd vii 1/8/2009 4:18:25 PM FA This page intentionally left blank viii b716_FM.indd viii 1/8/2009 4:18:26 PM FA Foreword At first glance, “A Guide to Medicinal Plants: An Illustrated, Scientific and Medicinal Approach” appears to be a medical compendium of plants intended as a guide and reference resource for professionals in the field. To my delight and I am sure of anyone who picks up this book, I discovered it contains nug- gets of information that would interest a great many readers, from schoolchildren to teachers, from undergraduates to researchers, from home- makers to business people and of course, the healthcare professionals. It is an authoritative and well-researched work on seventy-five, mostly familiar plants that have medicinal value. These grow well here and in the tropics. Although there have been books on medicinal plants published locally, none can match this comprehensive work which, as the authors state, is the first of its kind. It contains information in well laid-out sections that would interest the healthcare professionals and at the same time, provide the general public valuable insights into the traditional use of plants as medicines. Today such plants are being studied intensively to elucidate their bioactive composition in the hope of discovering novel therapeutics and potential cures for major diseases such as cancer and AIDS. This guidebook is user friendly. It provides the reader the ability to identify the seventy-five plants through their scientific, vernacular and common names as well as through the descriptions and high quality photographs. Readers are also free to go straight to the section that interests them most. A strength of this book is the detailed references provided for each plant and these are provided towards the end of the book for the serious reader or researcher. One word of caution that the authors themselves have provided in the text but is worth repeating. Do not mistake this scientific book for a do-it-yourself medication guide. As the authors aptly state, “the information collated is not meant to be a guide for self medication by consumers or for treatment by healthcare professionals.” I commend the authors for this labour of love and have no doubt that this book will be much sought after by both the healthcare professionals and the lay public. Professor Leo Tan Wee-Hin President Singapore National Academy of Science ix b716_FM.indd ix 1/8/2009 4:18:26 PM FA This page intentionally left blank x b716_FM.indd x 1/8/2009 4:18:26 PM FA Preface “All things are poison and nothing is without poison, only the dose permits something not to be poisonous” i.e., “the dose makes the poison”. Paracelsus This book presents up-to-date information on a total of 75 medicinal plants. It is a single, comprehensive yet easy to read book on various important information on medicinal plants for both the general public and health professionals (clinicians, pharmacists, nurses and Complementary and Alternative Medicine practitioners). This is the first publication of its kind on medicinal plants growing in Singapore. Information collated includes plant description, origin of the plants, traditional medicinal uses, phytoconstituents, pharmacological activi- ties, adverse reactions and reported drug-herb interactions. In this era of evidence-based medicine, scientists are increasingly looking towards the traditional uses of medicinal plants for clues to the discovery of potential lead compounds and novel therapeutics. With the growing interest in drug discovery, this book is useful and timely as many of the plants found growing in Singapore are still understudied. Besides native medicinal plants, some of the plants featured in this book also include those that originated from other parts of the world. It will appeal to both local and overseas readers. Colourful photographs of each plant are also included for ease of reference and aesthetic appeal. There is no minimum level of knowledge required to read this book yet it is useful for academics, scientists and professionals as it provides a comprehensive reference list at the end of the book. This book will also appeal to working professionals, clinicians, pharmacists, nurses, educators and researchers. It serves as a quick reference to the medicinal uses and properties of medicinal plants. Educators and stu- dents in complementary medicine and health, pharmacognosy, medicinal chemistry, natural products, pharmacology, toxicology, pharmacovigilance, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, botany, biology, chemistry and life sciences xi b716_FM.indd xi 1/8/2009 4:18:26 PM FA xii A Guide to Medicinal Plants will find the information useful. Greater understanding of such plants will enhance their appreciation of nature and their various fields of study. The authors hope that this book will inspire and stimulate further research and greater interest in nature, biodiversity, bioconservation, drug discovery and our natural resources, the medicinal plants. b716_FM.indd xii 1/8/2009 4:18:26 PM FA Guide to Using This Book This book is intended for both the general public as well as health profession- als. Hence, it is quite a challenge to present the vast amount of information collated from published literature over the years, in a simple way that will benefit and interest different groups of readers. In general, the information presented is fully referenced. Wherever possible, the original terms in the references are used. Difficult botanical and medical terms are explained in simple terms in the glossaries provided. Monographs of the plants are arranged in alphabetical order of the Latin binomial name. Each monograph consists of information which includes the scientific name with the family name in parenthesis, common name(s), col- oured photographs, description, origin, phytoconstituents, traditional medicinal uses, pharmacological activities, dosage (if available), adverse reactions, toxicity and reported drug-herb interactions. Authors’ notes are added in some cases as well. Cross listings of the scientific names and common names, and vice versa, are provided in the appendix for easy reference. Traditional medicinal uses refer to those uses that have been reported and may not have been studied scientifically. Pharmacological activities refer to the biological activities that have been reported in scientific publications involving mainly in vitro or in vivo tests using animals, and very rarely, in clinical trials. Activities due to extracts as well as pure components are reported. Due to space constraints, only the keywords are given. Interested readers can refer to the original publications for more details. The full list of references is provided at the end of the book according to the plant names in alphabetical order. “No information as yet” means that no such information is available, the authors have not found the relevant information, or the information found is not cited due to lack of clarity or completeness.