Quercus infectoria

Aleppo oak
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Fagaceae
Genus: Quercus
Section: Cerris
Species: Quercus infectoria
Binomial name
Quercus infectoria
Oliv.
Synonyms[1][2]
  • Quercus carpinea Kotschy ex A.DC.
  • Quercus grosseserrata Kotschy ex Wenz.
  • Quercus puberula O.Schwarz
  • Quercus thirkeana K.Koch

Quercus infectoria (Aleppo oak) is a species of oak, bearing galls that have been traditionally used for centuries in Asia medicinally.

Description

Quercus infectoria or locally known as Manjakani in Malaysia is a small tree native of Greece and Asia Minor, with four to six feet in height. The stems are crooked, shrubby looking with smooth and bright-green leaves borne on short petioles of 1 to 1.5 inches long. The leaves are bluntly mucronate, rounded, smooth, unequal at the base and shiny on the upper side. Meanwhile,Quercus infectoria galls are corrugated and can be used as a thickener in stews or mixed with cereals for making bread.[3]

Uses

The galls arise on young branches of this tree as a result of attacks by gall wasps.

Also known as Majuphal in Indian traditional medicine, manjakani has been used as dental powder and in the treatment of toothache and gingivitis.[4][5]

The so-called "Aleppo tannin" is Tannic acid gained from Aleppo oak galls, which displays unique chemical properties essential in the preparation of gold sols (colloids) used as markers in Immunocytochemistry.[6] [7]

Nowadays, gallnut extracts are also widely used in pharmaceuticals, food and feed additives, dyes, inks, and metallurgy.

Pharmacology

The galls of Quercus infectoria have also been pharmacologically documented to possess astringent, antidiabetic,[8] antitremorine, local anaesthetic,[9] antiviral,[10] antibacterial,[11] antifungal,[12] larvicidal [13] and anti-inflammatory [14] activities. The main constituents found in the galls of Quercus infectoria are tannin (50-70%) and small amount of free gallic acid and ellagic acid.[15][16][17]

The wide range of pharmacological activities of this plant might support the efficacy of extract preparation of Quercus infectoria that are widely used in Malaysia for treating many kinds of health problems since many decades ago. The nutgalls have been pharmacologically documented on their antiamoebic,[18] anticariogenic [19] and anti-inflammatory [20] activities, to treat skin infections and gastrointestinal disorders.[21][22][23][24]

Constituents

The galls from Quercus infectoria contain the highest naturally occurring level of tannin, approx. 50–70%, syringic acid, β-sitosterol, amentoflavone, hexamethyl ether, isocryptomerin, methyl betulate, methyl oleanate and hexagalloyl glucose.[25][26] They also contain 2-4% each of gallic and ellagic acid that are polymerized to make tannins. Tannins have been used for hundreds of years for medical purposes and are currently indispensable in dermatology [27] and have been used for tanning of leather.

Tannins comprise a large group of natural products widely distributed in the plant kingdom. They have a great structural diversity, but are usually divided into two basic groups: the hydrolyzable type and the condensed type. Hydrolyzable tannins include the commonly occurring gallic and ellagic acid contained in the nutgalls.

Hydrolyzable tannins are present in many different plant species but are found in particularly high concentrations in nutgalls growing on Rhus semialata (Chinese and Korean gallotannins) and Quercus infectoria (Turkish and Chinese gallotannins), the seedpods of Caesalpinia spinosa (Tara tannins), and the fruits of Terminalia chebula. The gallic and ellagic acid hydrolyzable tannins react with proteins to produce typical tanning effects; medicinally, this is important to treat inflamed or ulcerated tissues. They also contribute to most of the astringent property of manjakani and are therefore great for vaginal tightening.

Although both types of tannin have been used to treat diseases in traditional medicine, the hydrolyzable tannins have long been considered official medicinal agents in Europe and North America. They have been included in many pharmacopoeias, in the older editions in particular, and are specifically referred to as tannic acid. These were recommended for treatment of inflammation and ulceration, including topical application for skin diseases and internal use for intestinal ulceration and diarrhea. Now, the condensed tannins also have important medicinal roles, such as stable and potent antioxidants. In China, tannin-containing substances, such as galls, pomegranate rinds, and terminalia fruits, are used in several medicinal preparations.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Quercus infectoria Olivier Tropicos.org
  2. ↑ Quercus infectoria G.Olivier is an accepted name . theplantlist.org
  3. ↑ Stashia Eleaness; Rosland Abel (2013). "1". In Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The extraction of essential oil from Quercus infectoria (Manjakani) galls using supercritical carbon dioxide pressure swing technique. Faculty of Chemical Engineering.
  4. ↑ Kottakkal AVS. (1995). Indian Medicinal Plants. 4. Orient Longman Ltd.
  5. ↑ Bhattacharjee SK. (2001). Handbook of Medicinal Plants. India: Pointer Publishers.
  6. ↑ Frank Mayer (1988). Electron Microscopy in Microbiology 20. London: Academic Press. p. 216. ISBN 9780080860497. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  7. ↑ Gareth Griffiths (1993). Fine Structure Immunocytochemistry. Berlin & Heidelberg: Springer. p. 185. ISBN 978-3-642-77097-5.
  8. ↑ Hwang JK; Kong TW; Baek NI; Pyun YR (2000). α-Glycosidase Inhibitory Activity of hexagalloylglucose from the galls of Quercus infectoria. Planta Med.PubMed
  9. ↑ Dar MS; Ikram M; Fakouhi T (1976). Pharmacology of Quercus infectoria. J Pharm Sci.PubMedPubMed
  10. ↑ Hussein G; Miyashiro H; Nakamura N; Hattori M; Kakiuchi N; Shimotohno K (2000). Inhibitory effects of Sudanese medicinal plant extracts on hepatitis C virus protease. Phytother Res.Ful Text
  11. ↑ Fatima S; Farooqi AHA; Kumar R; Kumar TRS; Khanuja SPS (2001). Antibacterial activity possessed by medicinal plants used in tooth powders. J Med Aromatic Plant Sci.
  12. ↑ Digraki M; Alma MH; Ilcim A; Sen S (1999). Antibacterial and antifungal effects of various commercial plant extracts. Pharm Biol.
  13. ↑ Redwane A; Lazrek HB; Bouallam S; Markouk M; Amarouch H; Jana M (2002). Larvicidal activity of extracts from Quercus lusitania var. infectoria galls (Oliv.). J Ethnopharmacol.PubMedFull Text
  14. ↑ Kaur G; Hamid H; Ali A; Alam MS; Athar M (2004). Antiinflammatory evaluation of alcoholic extract of galls of Quercus infectoria. J Ethnopharmacol.PubMedFull Text
  15. ↑ Ikram M; Nowshad F (1997). Constituents of Quercus infectoria. Planta Med.PubMed
  16. ↑ Evans WC (1996). Pharmacopoeial and related drugs of biological origin. London: WB Saunders Co. Ltd.
  17. ↑ Wiart C; Kumar A (2001). Practical Handbook of Pharmacognosy. Malaysia: Pearson Education Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
  18. ↑ Sawangjaroen; Sawangjaroen K; Poonpanang P.; et al. (2004). Effects of Piper longum fruit, Piper sarmentosum root and Quercus infectoria nut gall on caecal amoebiasis in mice. J Ethnopharmacol.PubMed
  19. ↑ Kaur G; Hamid H; Ali A; Alam MS; Athar M (2004). Antiinflammatory evaluation of alcoholic extract of galls of Quercus infectoria. J Ethnopharmacol.PubMed
  20. ↑ Kaur G; Alam MS; Athar M (2007). Quercus infectoria galls possess antioxidant activity and abrogates oxidative stress-induced functional alterations in murine macrophages. Chem Biol Interact.PubMed
  21. ↑ Kaur G; Alam MS; Athar M (2007). Quercus infectoria galls possess antioxidant activity and abrogates oxidative stress-induced functional alterations in murine macrophages. Chem Biol Interact.PubMed
  22. ↑ Kaur G; Hamid H; Ali A; Alam MS; Athar M (2004). Antiinflammatory evaluation of alcoholic extract of galls of Quercus infectoria. J Ethnopharmacol.PubMed
  23. ↑ Dayang F.B.; Hikmah M.I.; Mastura M. (2005). An alternative phytotherapeutic agent for treatment of hospital-acquired MRSA infections. J Med Sci.
  24. ↑ Voravuthikunchai; S.P.; Limsuwan; S. and Chusri (2007). New perspectives on herbal medicines for treating bacterial infections. Houxton: Studium Press.
  25. ↑ Dar MS; Ikram M (1979). Studies on Quercus infectoria; isolation of syringic acid and determination of its central depressive activity. Planta Med.
  26. ↑ Hwang JK; Kong TW; Baek NI; Pyun YR (2000). alpha-Glycosidase inhibitory activity of hexagalloylglucose from the galls of Quercus infectoria. Planta Med.
  27. ↑ Regina Fölster-Holst M.D.; Eva Latussek Ph.D.2 (2007). Synthetic Tannins in Dermatology — A Therapeutic Option in a Variety of Pediatric Dermatoses. Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel.Wiley Online Library

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