author(s) : Abdel-Fattah M. Rizk, Nahla S. Abdel-Azim, Husseiny A. H. Elgendy,
and Ibrahim A. El-Garf
description
The family Asclepiadaceae comprises about 315 genera and 2900 species (Boulos, 2000).
Plants of the family Asclepiadaceae have been reported to contain cardiac glycosides, pregnane glycosides, C 21 steroid glycosides, alkaloids, flavonoids saponins and terpenoids (Zhang et al., 1999, 2000b; Pandey et al., 2004; Kumar et al., 2007).
Ten medicinal plants belonging to the family Asclepiadaceae have been investigated by Kumar et al. (2007).
These species were Calotropis procera, Ceropegia juncea, Cosmostigma racemosum, Cryptolepis buchanani, Gymnema sylvestre, Hemidesmus indicus, Pentatropis capensis, Pergularia demia, Sarcostemma secamone and Wattakaka volubilis.
All the plants were found to have alkaloids, tannins and flavonoids but no tannins in Comostigma racemosum and Pentatropis capensis and no flavonoids in Sarcostemma secamone (Kumar et al., 2007).
Genera Count
represented in egypt with 12 Genera
Species
represented in egypt with 18 Species
- Oligosaccharides
- Pregnanes (C21steroids)Cardenolides and Other Steroids
Terpenoids and Terpenoid Glycosides - Essential Oils
- Alkaloids and Other Bases
- Flavonoids
- Phenolic Acids
- Chromones and Coumarins
- Rotenoids
- Acetophenones
- Lignans
- Other Constituents
The latex of Araujia sericifera Brot. is used as a local application of warts.
The plant hasbeen suspected of poisoning stock including poultry and is reported to be emetic (Watt andBreyer-Brandwijk, 1962).
Baseonema acuminatum is used in Madagascar locally to treatcough (Rasamison et al., 2001).
location
egypt