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Advanced Herbal Medicine, 2016; 2(1): 44-53. herbmed.skums.ac.ir A review on the medical effects of Capparis spinosa L. 1 2* Ramin Rahnavard , Nastaran Razavi 1Management Dept., Aras International Campus, University of Tehran. Tehran, I.R. Iran; 2Research and Technology Dept., Shahrekord University of Medical Science, Shahrekord, I.R. Iran. Received: 24/Apr/2016 Accepted: 2/May/2016 ABSTRACT Background and aims: Plants are a valuable source of wide range of secondary metabolites. Caper (Capparis spinosa L.) belongs to the Capparaceae family. It has a lot of medical uses especially in medical fields. The aim of this study is to review the medical uses of this plant in nobel studies. Article Review Methods: In order to conduct this review study, INLM and Google scholar and Science direct databases were searched for English published articles during 2000-2015. Results: This plant has a lot of traditional and medical use. The whole plant was used for rheumatism. Roots were used as diuretic, astringent, and tonic. Bark root, which has a bitter taste, was used as appetizer, astringent, tonic, ant diarrheic and to treat hemorrhoids and spleen disease. Bark was also used for gout and rheumatism, as expectorant, and for chest diseases. Infusion of stems and root bark were used as anti-diarrheic and febrifuge. Fresh fruits were used in sciatica, and dropsy. Dried and powdered fruit combined with honey was used in colds, rheumatism, gout, sciatica and backache. Seeds were used in feminine sterility and dysmenorrheal and to relieve toothache. Crushed seeds were used for ulcers, scrofula, and ganglions. Conclusion: The paper reviewed was promising medicinal plant with wide range of pharmacological activities which could be utilized in several medical applications because of its effectiveness and safety. Keywords: Capparis spinose L., INLM, Google scholar, Science direct, Medical uses. INTRODUCTION Today, medicinal plants have an wide range of secondary metabolites, which important role in diet of people.1 With are used as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, increased resistance resulting from flavors, fragrances, colors, bio pesticides overusing of chemical synthetic antibiotics, and food additives. finding alternative medicines that have Cappari spinosa(C.spinosa) which was antibacterial properties and have the least commonly used as a medicinal plant side effects on human health appears to be contained many biologically active necessary.2 Plants are a valuable source of a chemical groups including, alkaloids, *Corresponding author: Nastaran Razavi. Foreign Languages Dept., Shahrekord University of Medical Science, Shahrekord, I.R. Iran, Tel: 00989131807055, E-mail: [email protected] 44 Rahnavard R, et al. The medical effects of Capparis spinosa L. glycosides, tannins, phenolic, flavonoids, Sanskrit: Ahimsra, Kanthari, Kantaka, triterpenoids steroids, carbohydrates, Tiksnagandha; Spanish: Alcaparra, Caparra, saponins and a wide range of minerals and Tapana; Alcaparron, Caperberries; Swedish: trace elements. It exerted many Kapris; Telugu: Kokilakshmu; Urdu: pharmacological effects including Kabar.7-9 antimicrobial, cytotoxic, anti-diabetic, Traditional use: The whole plant was anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effect and used for rheumatism. Roots were used as many others. diuretic, astringent, and tonic. Bark root, Caper (Capparis spinose L.) belongs to which has a bitter taste, was used as the Capparaceae family native to the appetizer, astringent, tonic, anti-diarrheic Mediterranean region. C.spinosa is a and to treat hemorrhoids and spleen disease. perennial crop one of the most common Bark was also used for gout and aromatic plants that grow along the roadside, rheumatism, as expectorant, and for chest on the slopes, rocky and stony area and diseases. Infusion of stems and root bark generally well adapted to dry areas basin.3-5 were used as anti-diarrheic and febrifuge. Wild species of Capparis are found in Fresh fruits were used in sciatica, and countries surrounding the Mediterranean dropsy. Dried and powdered fruit combined basin extending to the Great Sahara in North with honey was used in colds, rheumatism, Africa and the dry regions of Western and gout, sciatica and backache. Seeds were Central Asia.6 The caper bush requires a used in feminine sterility and dysmenorrheal semiarid climate. Mean annual temperatures and to relieve toothache. Crushed seeds in areas under cultivation are over 14 °C and were used for ulcers, scrofula, and rainfall varies from 200 mm/year in Spain to ganglions. The crushed leaves were applied 460 in Pantelleria and 680 in Salina. In in a poultice on the front against headache, Pantelleria, it rains only 35 mm from May on the face against toothache. The plant’s through August, and 84 mm in Salina. decoction is said to clean eyes.6,10-17 A rainy spring and a hot dry summer Medicinal Advantages: In Greek popular are considered advantageous. This medicine, a herbal tea made of caper root and drought-tolerant perennial plant has favorable young shoots is considered to be beneficial influence on the environment and it is against rheumatism. Dioscoride (MM 2.204 t) utilized for landscaping and reducing erosion also provides instructions on the use of sprouts, along highways, steep rocky slopes, sand roots, leaves and seeds in the treatment of dunes or fragile semiarid ecosystems. strangury and inflammation.18,19 Arabic: Kabbar, Assef; Berber: Different flavonoids were identified in Taylulut, Tailoulout, Amserlih, Ouailoulou; caperbush and capers: rutin (quercetin English: Caper bush, Caper bush, Caper, 3-rutinoside), quercetin 7-rutinoside, quercetin Caperberry; French: Câprier, 3-glucoside-7-rhamnoside, kaempferol- Capriercommun,Câpres, Fabagelle, Tapana, 3-rutinoside, kaempferol-3-glucoside, and Finnish: Kapris; German: Kapper, kaempferol-3-rhamnorutinoside. Rutin is a Kapernstrauch; Gujarati: Kabaree; Hindi: powerful antioxidant bioflavonoid in the body; Kiari, Kobra; Hungaria: Kapricserje; and is used as a dietary supplement for capillary Icelandic: Kapers; Italian: Cappero, fragility. Rutin has no known toxicity.20-22 Capperone (fruit); Kannada: Mullukattari; Capers contain more quercetin per Maltese: Kappara; Marathi: Kabar; weight than another plant.22,23 Norwegian: Kapers; Portuguese: Alcaparra; Caper root bark and leaves may have Punjabi: Kabarra; Russian: Kapersy; some anti-carcinogenic activity. In fact, the 45 Advanced Herbal Medicine, 2016; 2(1): 44-53. hydrolysis products of indol-3-ylmethyl The chemical constituent of the fraction glucosinolates have anti-carcinogenic eluted by ethanol-water (50:50, v/v) showed effects.20,24 Although the consumption of the presence of seven compounds: capers is low in comparison to intake of P-hydroxy benzoic acid; 5- (hydroxymethyl) other major dietary sources of glucosinolates furfural; bis (5-formylfurfuryl) ether; (white cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower), it daucosterol; α-D-fructofurano sides methyl; may contribute to the daily dose of natural uracil; and stachydrine.34 anticarcinogens that reduces cancerrisk. A new antioxidant cappariside Glucosinolates are also known to possess (4-hydroxy-5-methylfuran-3-carboxylic acid), goitrogenic (anti-thyroid) activity. Also, together with many organic acids was rutin and quercetin may contribute to cancer isolated from C. spinose.22 New two prevention.25 Selenium, present in capers at (6S)-hydroxy-3-oxo-a-ionol glucosides, together high concentrations in comparison with with corchoionoside C ((6S, 9S)-roseoside) and other vegetable products, has also been a prenylglucoside were also isolated from associated with the prevention of some mature fruits of C. spinose.35 forms of cancer. C. spinosa fruits also contained Physicochemical properties and P-hydroxybenzoicacid, 5-(hydroxylmethyl) chemical constituents: Moisture: 8%, total furfural bis (5-for-mylfurfuryl) ether, ash: 9.45%, acid insoluble ash: 2.45%, water daucosterol, α-D-fructofuranosidesmethyl, soluble ash 5.5%, water soluble extractive uracil, and stachydrine.36 However, Yu et al. value: 13.18%, alcohol soluble extractive isolated eight compounds from the fruit of value: 6.35% and ether-soluble extract: C. spinosa by chromatographic methods and 17.8±1.1%, Dry matter: 93.6±1.6% and ash: their structures were established by 2.1±0.7%.26 spectroscopic methods as β-sitosterol, Preliminary screening of the alcoholic vanillicacid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, protocatechuric acid, daucosterol, uracil, glycosides, carbohydrates, tannins, butanedioic acid and uridine.37 phenolics, flavonoids and triterpenoids New (6S)-hydroxy-3-oxo-α-ionolglucosides while the aqueous extract showed the together with corchoinoside C (6S, 9S)-roseoside, presence of steroids, glycosides, and prenylglucosides, capparilo side A, carbohydrates, flavonoids and saponins.27-30 stachydrine, an adenosine nucleoside, The bioactive phytochemicals analysis of hypoxanthine, β-sitosterol, vanillic acid, C.spinosa subsp. rupestris (syn. C. orientalis) p-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuric showed that this species represented a very acid, daucosterrol, uracil, butanedioc acid, rich source of bioactive and nutraceutical and uridine were isolated from the fruits of compounds. The plant seeds oil was rich in C. spinosa.35 unsaturated and rare lipids such as cis- The nutritional values of caper berries vaccenic acid. The main glucosinolate was per 100 g included carbohydrates 5 g, fats glucocapperin. The aerial parts contain edrutin 0.9 g, dietary fibers