Medicinal Plants in Thailand.Pterocarpus macrocarpus Kurz
FABACEAE
Thai name : Pra Duu Paa
Tree, 15-25 m high. Leaves imparipinnate, alternate; leaflets ovate or ovate-oblong, 3-5 cm wide, 3-9 cm long. Inflorescence in axillary, racemose panicle; flowers pea-shaped, light yellow, fragrant. Fruit samara.
Wood: blood tonic; for patients with anemia, along with pale, muscular pain and weight loss.
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Medicinal Plants in Artemisia annua Linn.
ASTERACEAE
Qinghao
Thai name: Ching Hao
Branched annual herb, 0.2-1.5 m high. Leaf in outline oblong, bipinnatifid, with pectinately dentate segments or teeth, 10-15 cm wide, 30-50 cm long. Inflorescence in large, terminal panicle with subglobose heads; flowers yellow. Fruit glabrous obovoid achene, nearly 1 mm long.
Well-known Chinese herb. Aerial part: contains artemisinin and its derivatives; new trend for antimalarial; clinical trials show good results against both Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum. Commercial forms available in
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Medicinal Plants in
MYRISTICACEAE
Wild Nutmeg
Thai name : Han
Tree, up to 30 m high. Leaf simple, alternate, pale beneath with a brown indument, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 3-4 cm wide, 10-16 cm long. Inflorescence in dense short fascicle, unisexual, dioecious; flowers brownish yellow outside, reddish purple inside. Fruit fleshy with red aril.
Fixed oil expressed from seed: treatment of scabies and other skin diseases.
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Medicinal Plants in Michelia champaca Linn.
MAGNOLIACEAE
Thai name : Champaa
Tree, 15-25 m high; stipules firstly enclosing the terminal bud, afterwards splitting into two parts, early caducous, leaving circular scar on twig and petiole. Leaf simple, alternate, ovate, lanceolate or oblong-elliptic, 5-10 cm wide, 12-20 cm long, thinly appressed or patently pubescent beneath. Flower solitary, axillary, orange-yellow, fragrant. Fruit follicetum, dehiscent along the dorsal suture; seeds protuding from fruit hanging at elastic funicles.
Dried flower: ingredient in Ya-Hom; cardiac tonic, nerve tonic, blood tonic, antinauseant, antipyretic, diuretic. Leaf: treatment of neural disorders. Stem bark: antipyretic.
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Medicinal Plants in Bixa orellana Linn.
BIXACEAE
Anatto Tree
Thai name : Kham Thai
Shrub or tree, up to 8 m high. Leaf simple, alternate, ovate, 8-12 cm wide, 11-18 cm long, subcordate or truncate at base. Inflorescence in terminal corymb or panicle; flowers light pink. Fruit compressed capsule, with long, stiffish, but not sharp, red bristles, loculicidally 2-valved; seed numerous, exalate, with fleshy, red testa.
Flower: decoction; blood tonic and antidysenteric. Seed: coloring agent for food, silk and cotton. Preparation: macerate seed with water, filter, wait a moment, fine orange-red colored compound "bixin" precipitate.
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Medicinal Plants in Amorphophallus campanulatus (Roxb.) Bl. ex Decne
ARACEAE
Thai name : Buk Khaangkhok
Perennial herb with subterranean, naked tuber, 90-100 cm high. Leaf simple, rosette, about 6.5 cm wide, up to 1 m long, leaf-blade tripartite, each segment multifid with decurrent side-lobes, exstipulate. Inflorescence a spadix on subterranean tuber, many-flowered; spathe purple or partly yellow-green, with numerous, red papillae inside. Fruit berry, 1-3-seeded, red or orange. Many varieties in
Tuber: contains glucomannan; reduces blood cholesterol level and blood sugar level in animal studies; suitable for diabetic diet.
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Medicinal Plants in Citrus aurantifolia (Christm. et Panz.) Swing.
RUTACEAE
Lime
Thai name : Manaao
Erect shrub, 2-4 m high; branchlet conspicuously thorny. Leaf 1 -foliolate, alternate; leaflet ovate, elliptic or ovate-oblong, 3-5 cm wide, 4-8 cm long, coriaceous, glabrous, glandular dotted; petioles winged. Flower(s) solitary or up to 7 in short raceme, axillary and terminal, white, fragrant, deciduous. Fruit hesperidium, globose, yellow; pulp consisting of crowded vesicles filled with very sour sap.
Fresh fruit juice: expectorant, cough remedy, antiscurvy due to high vitamin C content; used as solvent for other cough formulae; dried preserved fruit can also be used.
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Medicinal Plants in Thailand.
Medicinal Plants in Coccinia grandis (Linn.) Voigt.
CUCURBITACEAE
Thai name : Tamlueng
Woody climbing perennial herb. Leaf simple, alternate, ovate with deeply cordate base, 3-5 angular to deeply 5-partite, 5-8 cm wide and long; tendrils simple. Flower(s) solitary or fascicled, axillary, dioecious, white, campanulate. Fruit berry, oblong, bright red.
Leaf: antipyretic; grind fresh leaf to relieve itching and inflammation from poisonous plants. Root: antipyretic. Fruit: antidiabetic. Alcohol extract of creeping stem, water extract of unripe fruit and powder of dried leaf can decrease blood sugar level in animals. Needs more research.
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Medicinal Plants in Hymenodictyon excelsum (Roxb.) Wall.
RUBIACEAE
Thai name :Ulok
Deciduous tree, 9-12 m high. Leaves simple, opposite, ovate or orbicular, entire, 8-12 cm wide, 12-25 cm long; stipules interpetiolar. Inflorescence in terminal or axillary dense cymose panicle; flowers small, yellowish green, fragrant. Fruit capsule, loculicidally 2-valved.
Root, wood and stem bark: antipyretic, relieve thirst.
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Medicinal Plants in
LYTHRACEAE
Henna Tree
Thai name : Thian King
Small tree, 3-5 m high, much-branched, spinous or not. Leaves simple, opposite, elliptic, oblong or subobovate, 1-2 cm wide, 3-4 cm long. Inflorescence in terminal or axillary panicle; flowers small, light yellow or red. Fruit loculicidal capsule.
Fresh leaf: mix with turmeric and small amount of salt to relieve inflammation of infected nails; chemical constituents in leaf inhibit growth of ringworm fungi and bacteria which causes pus; dried powdered leaf used as hair dye (red-brown or red-orange color), hair protection after exposure to sunlight; active ingredient lawsone shows no mutagenicity or carcinogenicity.
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Medicinal Plants in Bridelia ovata Decne.
EUPHORBIACEAE
Thai name : Makaa
Small tree, 5-10 m high. Leaf simple, alternate distichous, elliptic or obovate, 3-8 cm wide, 8-12 cm long, shining above. Flowers in axillary clusters, unisexual in same cluster, greenish yellow. Fruit globose-ellipsoid drupe, 1-seeded.
Fresh or dried leaves: common ingredient in most traditional formulae as mild laxative; must be roasted first to reduce side effects such as nausea, stomach irritation and discomfort. Clinical trials with patients suffering from constipation, using 1.5-2 g, infusion, drink at bedtime, show good results.
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Medicinal Plants in
MYRSINACEAE
Thai name : Raamyai
Shrub, 1.5-3 m high. Leaf simple, alternate, elliptic or elliptic-oblong, 3-5 cm wide, 7-15 cm long, coriaceous, glabrous. Inflorescence in terminal, pendulous, short panicle; flowers pinkish white. Fruit drupe, subglobose, 1-seeded, at first red, afterwards black.
Leaf: treatment of liver diseases. Fruit: antipyretic, antidiarrheal. Stem: antileprotic. Root: treatment of gonorrheal diseases. Extract of fresh ripe fruit inhibits the growth of Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. which cause diarrhea; extract of stem bark also inhibits growth of Staphylococcus spp., pus causing bacteria, in vitro. Orange pigment from stem bark, called rapanone, inhibits growth of leprotic bacteria in infected rats, testing period 6 months to 1 year.
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