''Sida cordifolia'' ('ilima, flannel weed, bala, country mallow or heart-leaf sida) is a perennial subshrub of the mallow family

Malvaceae Malvaceae (), or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include Theobroma cacao, cacao, Cola (plant), cola, cotton, okra, Hibiscus sabdariffa, ...

native to India. It has naturalized throughout the world, and is considered an invasive weed in Africa, Australia, the southern United States, Hawaiian Islands, New Guinea, and French Polynesia. The specific name, ''cordifolia'', refers to the heart-shaped leaf.

Description

''Sida cordifolia'' is an erect perennial that reaches tall, with the entire plant covered with soft white felt-like hair that is responsible for one of its common names, "flannel weed". The stems are yellow-green, hairy, long, and slender. The yellow-green leaves are oblong-ovate, covered with hairs, and long by wide. The flowers are dark yellow, sometimes with a darker orange center, with a hairy 5-lobed calyx and 5-lobed corolla. As a weed, it invades cultivated and overgrazed fields, competing with more desired species and contaminating hay.

Medicinal use

''Sida cordifolia'' is used in

Ayurvedic medicine Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...

(Sanskrit:-BALA). Known as "malva branca", it is a plant used in Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of inflammation of the

oral mucosa The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane lining the inside of the mouth. It comprises stratified squamous epithelium, termed "oral epithelium", and an underlying connective tissue termed '' lamina propria''. The oral cavity has sometimes been des ...

blennorrhea Blennorrhea is mucous discharge, especially from the urethra or vagina (that is, mucus vaginal discharge).Blennorrhagia is an excess of such discharge,bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

and

nasal congestion Nasal congestion is the partial or complete blockage of nasal passages, leading to impaired nasal breathing, usually due to membranes lining the nose becoming swollen from inflammation of blood vessels. Background In about 85% of cases, nasal ...

stomatitis Stomatitis is inflammation of the mouth and lips. It refers to any inflammatory process affecting the mucous membranes of the mouth and lips, with or without oral ulceration. In its widest meaning, stomatitis can have a multitude of different c ...

, of

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

and nasal congestion and in many parts of Africa for various ailments, particularly for respiratory problems. It has been investigated as an anti-inflammatory, for preventing cell proliferation, and for encouraging liver re-growth. Because of its

ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and sympathomimetic agent that is often used to prevent hypotension, low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred ...

content, it possesses

psychostimulant Stimulants (also known as central nervous system stimulants, or psychostimulants, or colloquially as uppers) are a class of drugs that increase alertness. They are used for various purposes, such as enhancing attention, motivation, cognition ...

properties, affecting the

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain, spinal cord and retina. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity o ...

and also the

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

Phytochemistry

The following

alkaloids Alkaloids are a broad class of naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large variety of organisms i ...

were reported from ''S. cordifolia'' growing in India:

β-phenethylamine Phenethylamine (PEA) is an organic compound, natural monoamine alkaloid, and trace amine, which acts as a central nervous system stimulant in humans. In the brain, phenethylamine regulates monoamine neurotransmission by binding to trace ami ...

pseudoephedrine Pseudoephedrine, sold under the brand name Sudafed among others, is a sympathomimetic medication which is used as a decongestant to treat nasal congestion. It has also been used off-label for certain other indications, like treatment of lo ...

, ''S''-(+)-''N''_b-methyltryptophan methyl ester, hypaphorine,

vasicinone Vasicinone is a quinazoline alkaloid. It shows bronchodilator action ''in vitro'' but bronchoconstrictor action ''in vivo''. Vasicinone was shown to have an antianaphylactic action. It has been found within ''Peganum harmala ''Peganum har ...

, vasicinol,

choline Choline is a cation with the chemical formula . Choline forms various Salt (chemistry), salts, such as choline chloride and choline bitartrate. An essential nutrient for animals, it is a structural component of phospholipids and cell membrane ...

, and

betaine A betaine () in chemistry is any neutral chemical compound with a positively charged cationic functional group that bears no hydrogen atom, such as a Quaternary ammonium cation, quaternary ammonium or phosphonium cation (generally: Onium compou ...

. No

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and Precipitation (chemistry), precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' is widel ...

glycosides In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...

have been identified from the plant. The roots and stems contain the

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

, normally observed in the different varieties of the

gymnosperm The gymnosperms ( ; ) are a group of woody, perennial Seed plant, seed-producing plants, typically lacking the protective outer covering which surrounds the seeds in flowering plants, that include Pinophyta, conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetoph ...

genus '' Ephedra''. Recent analyses have revealed that

and

constitute the major alkaloids from the aerial parts of the plant, which also show traces of sitosterol and palmitic, stearic and hexacosanoic acids. Two

flavanone The flavanones, a type of flavonoids, are various aromatic, colorless ketones derived from flavone that often occur in plants as glycosides. List of flavanones * Blumeatin * Butin * Dichamanetin * Eriodictyol * Hesperetin * Hesperidin * Hom ...

s—5,7-dihydroxy-3-isoprenyl flavone and 5-hydroxy-3-isoprenyl flavone—and two

phytosterol Phytosterols are phytosteroids, similar to cholesterol, that serve as structural components of biological membranes of plants. They encompass plant sterols and stanol ester, stanols. More than 250 sterols and related compounds have been identified ...

s— β-sitosterol and

stigmasterol Stigmasterol – a plant sterol (''phytosterol'') – is among the most abundant of plant sterols, having a major function to maintain the structure and physiology of cell membranes. In the European Union, it is a food additive listed with E nu ...

—have been isolated from the plant. The analgesic alkaloid (5′-Hydroxymethyl-1′-(1,2,3,9-tetrahydro-pyrrolo ,1-bquinazolin-1-yl)-heptan-1-one) has also been found.

Sterculic acid Sterculic acid is a cyclopropene fatty acid. It is found in various plants of the genus ''Sterculia'', including being the main component of ''Sterculia foetida'' seed oil. Biosynthesis The biosynthesis of sterculic acid begins with the cyclopro ...

, malvalic acid, and

coronaric acid Coronaric acid (leukotoxin or leukotoxin A) is a mono-unsaturated, epoxide derivative of the di-unsaturated fatty acid, linoleic acid (i.e. 9(''Z''),12(''Z'') octadecadienoic acid). It is a mixture of the two optically active isomers of 12(''Z'') ...

have been isolated from the seed oil, along with other

fatty acids In chemistry, in particular in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, ...

References

External links

* Contains a detailed monograph on ''Sida cordifolia'' (Bala) as well as a discussion of health benefits and usage in clinical practice. Available online at https://web.archive.org/web/20101017142652/http://www.toddcaldecott.com/index.php/herbs/learning-herbs/394-bala {{Taxonbar, from=Q1300611 Flora naturalised in Australia cordifolia Herbal and fungal stimulants Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus