''Rhus chinensis'', the Chinese sumac or nutgall tree, is a
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
shrub or small tree in the genus ''
Rhus
Sumac ( or ), also spelled sumach, is any of about 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' and related genera in the cashew family ( Anacardiaceae). Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, including Ea ...
''. Growing to tall, it has downy shoots and leaves comprising several leaflets. These turn red in autumn before falling.
The plant is common in East and South Asia,
and is cultivated as an ornamental in
temperate climate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...
s.
Gall
Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants, fungi, or animals. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to be ...
s produced on the species that are called ''Chinese gall'', ''Galla Chinensis'', or ''Wu Bei Zi'' (五倍子) in Chinese, are a source of
gallotannins, molecules of hydrolyzable tannins. Infestation of the tree by Chinese sumac
aphid
Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white woolly aphids. A t ...
s (''
Melaphis chinensis
''Schlechtendalia chinensis'', the Chinese sumac aphid, is an aphid species, and the only species in the genus ''Schlechtendalia''.
The species produce galls on the Chinese sumac (''Rhus chinensis''). The gall is called ''Chinese gall'', ''Gall ...
'' Bell) may lead to production of a gall that is valued as a commercial product in China.
Chinese galls are used in
traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of acti ...
for
cough
A cough is a sudden expulsion of air through the large breathing passages that can help clear them of fluids, irritants, foreign particles and microbes. As a protective reflex, coughing can be repetitive with the cough reflex following three ph ...
s,
diarrhea
Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin w ...
, night sweats,
dysentery
Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
, and intestinal and uterine bleeding. Some research has suggested that chemical compounds found in ''Rhus chinensis'' possess ''
in vitro
''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called " test-tube experiments", these studies in biology a ...
'' antiviral, antibacterial, anticancer, hepatoprotective, antidiarrheal, and antioxidant activities.
However, this evidence is not substantiated by multiple international researchers. The aqueous extracts of the gall also inhibit
alpha-glucosidase
α-Glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.20, maltase, glucoinvertase, glucosidosucrase, maltase-glucoamylase, α-glucopyranosidase, glucosidoinvertase, α-D-glucosidase, α-glucoside hydrolase, alpha-1,4-glucosidase, α-1,4-glucosidase, α-D-glucoside glucohy ...
activity ''
in vitro
''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called " test-tube experiments", these studies in biology a ...
.
References
External links
Plants for a Future
{{Taxonbar, from=Q163116
chinensis
Trees of Nepal
Trees of China
Taxa named by Philip Miller