Zanthoxylum Avicennae
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''Zanthoxylum avicennae'' is a woody plant in the family
Rutaceae The Rutaceae () is a family (biology), family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in Bo ...
.


Description

''Z. avicennae'' 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 Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
tree that reaches 15 meters high. The trunk has chicken-foot-like thorns, the thorn base is oblate and thickened, shaped like a bulge, and displays ring patterns. The leaflets of the seedlings are very small, but as many as 31, on the branches of young trees. The leaves are densely thorny, and each part is
glabrous Glabrousness () is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes, or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of a plant or animal, or be due to loss because of a physical condition, ...
. The leaves have 11-21 leaflets that are usually opposite or occasionally irregularly opposite, obliquely ovoid, obliquely rectangular or sickle-shaped, and are sometimes obovate. Seedling leaflets are mostly broad-ovate, 2.5-7 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, short pointed or blunt at the top, asymmetrical on both sides. It has sparsely cracked teeth on the whole or above the middle. The oil spots on fresh leaves are visible, while some are not obvious on the ventral surface of the leaf shaft. The leaf edges are narrow and green, and often narrow wing-shaped. The inflorescence is terminal, with many flowers; the
rachis In biology, a rachis (from the [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft". In zoology and microbiology In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the ''rachi ...
and flowers are hard and sometimes purple-red. The male pedicel is 1-3 mm long. The
sepals A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...
and
petals Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''coroll ...
are 5 mm. The sepals are broadly ovoid and green. The petals are yellow and white. The petals of the female flowers are slightly longer than those of the male flowers. About 2.5 mm long; male flowers have 5
stamens The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filamen ...
; 2
staminodes In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co ...
are lobed; female flowers have
carpels Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ...
2 and rarely 3; staminodes are extremely small. The fruit stalk is 3-6 mm long, and the total stalk is 1-3 times longer than the fruit stalk; the stalks are light-purple red, and the diameter of a single stalk is 4-5 mm. The top has no awn tip. The oil spots are large and many, slightly convex. The diameter of a seed is 3.5-4.5 mm. This tree flowers from June to August, fruits from October to December, and flowering in October. The outer bark is off-white, while the inner bark is a light sulphur yellow. The root bark and wood are light yellow. This tree has a height of about 8 meters and the bark is 3-4 mm thick. the cork layer is quite thick. the wood is quite soft. Sometimes a five-petal parasitic '' Helixanthera parasitica'' Lour. parasitizes on its branches. The fresh leaves, root bark and pericarp all have the smell of pepper, chewing sticky, bitter and numb. The pericarp and root bark have a strong flavor.


Habitat

It is native to southern China's
Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
,
Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
,
Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
,
Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
,
Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
, and
Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...
as well as
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, Northern
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, and
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. It is found in the area south of about 25° north latitude. It grows in low-altitude flat land, slope or valley and is more common in secondary forests.


Applications


Traditional Chinese medicine

As a herbal medicine, it has the effects of expelling wind and dampness, promoting qi and resolving
phlegm Phlegm (; , ''phlégma'', "inflammation", "humour caused by heat") is mucus produced by the respiratory system, excluding that produced by the throat nasal passages. It often refers to respiratory mucus expelled by coughing, otherwise known as ...
, and relieving pain. It can cure many types of pain and is also used as an
ascaris ''Ascaris'' is a nematode genus of parasitic worms known as the "small intestinal roundworms". One species, ''Ascaris lumbricoides'', affects humans and causes the disease ascariasis. Another species, ''Ascaris suum'', typically infects pigs. O ...
repellent. The root water extract and alcohol extract have inhibitory effects on hemolytic ''streptococci'' and ''
Staphylococcus aureus ''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a Gram-positive spherically shaped bacterium, a member of the Bacillota, and is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It is often posi ...
''. The peel contains about 0.5% of essential oil; the leaf contains 0.3%. Main oils:
terpinene The terpinenes are a group of isomeric hydrocarbons that are classified as monoterpenes. They each have the same molecular formula and carbon framework, but they differ in the position of carbon-carbon double bonds. α-Terpinene has been isolate ...
, ylangene, α-pinene, etc. Root bark, stem bark and leaves contain
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 ...
, including
avicine Avicine, tested and developed by AVI BioPharma, and also known as CTP-37 was trialled as a possible cancer vaccine to treat a number of different cancers. These included colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer. The treatment was t ...
, dihydroavicine, oxyavicine,
nitidine Nitidine is a benzophenanthridine alkaloid found in species of the genus '' Zanthoxylum '', notably in '' Zanthoxylum nitidum''. This compound has an anti-malarial activity.Bouquet, J., et al. (2012)Biological activities of nitidine, a potential a ...
,
chelerythrine Chelerythrine is a benzophenanthridine alkaloid present in the plant '' Chelidonium majus'' (greater celandine). It is a potent, selective, and cell-permeable protein kinase C inhibitor ''in vitro''. And an efficacious antagonist of G-protein-co ...
, magnoliflorine, δ-tembetarine, and candicine, as well as
coumarins Coumarin derivatives are derivatives of coumarin and are considered phenylpropanoids. Among the most important derivatives are the 4-hydroxycoumarins, which exhibit anticoagulant properties, a characteristic not present for coumarin itself. ...
: avicennin, avicennol,
diosmin Diosmin (diosmetin 7-O-rutinoside), a flavone glycoside of diosmetin, is manufactured from citrus fruit peels as a phlebotonic non-prescription dietary supplement used to aid treatment of hemorrhoids or chronic venous diseases, mainly of the ...
and
hesperidin Hesperidin is a flavanone glycoside found in citrus fruits. Its aglycone is hesperetin. Its name is derived from the word "hesperidium", for fruit produced by citrus trees. Hesperidin was first isolated in 1828 by French chemist M. Lebreton f ...
. The leaves, root and fruit can be used for medicine. The taste is slightly bitter. It is slightly toxic. It can improve blood circulation and increase urination frequency.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3338859 avicennae Flora of China