Toddalia asiatica

Toddalia asiatica is a climbing vine commonly known in English-speaking countries as orange climber or cockspur orange. It is known in Africa as ranklemoentjie, by the Maasai tribe as ole-permunyo and by Venda people as gwambadzi. Toddalia is a genus of only one type (monotypic), a member of the citrus family. It is a liana, a woody vine that uses vertical support such as trees, to access sunlight. It has a spiny stem with curved thorns on the lower portion, with small branches (and sometimes underside of leaves) covered in prickles. Its leaves are dark green, trifoliate and when crushed, have a strong citrus or lemon-scent. It has small, greenish-yellow to white flowers that produce a small, round fruit (5-10 mm in diameter) which turns orange when ripe with a taste similar to orange peel. T. asiatica is commonly found in Africa particularly in East and South Africa as well as Asia, especially in India, southern China, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines. It usually lives in forested areas near water sources such as rivers. It grows well in clay soils with good annual rainfall. The plant contains different kinds of alkaloids and coumarins noted for its potential medicinal value. In a study done by Iwasaki et al in 2010, dihydronitidine has been shown to have selective inhibitory activity on cancer cells, making it a possible anti-cancer agent for lung adenocarcinoma. On the other hand, a study by Oketch-Rabah et al in 2000 isolated a coumarin in the roots of Toddalia asiatica which has an anti-plasmodium effect. In China, a study by Hao et al (2004) on rats showed that crude alkaloids of T. asiatica have anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. Another study showed its effectiveness against influenza H1N1 virus (Lu, Qiao, Xiao & Tan, 2005). The plant is also known for its antibacterial and antifungal effects. A study in Thailand made by Kamkaen, Wilkinson and Ruangrungsi (2008) revealed that the essential oil of T. asiatica is effective against Escherichia coli and Pseudomnas aeruginosa. In India, the essential oil from the leaves showed additional activity against Klebsiella pneumonia and Staphylococcus aureus (Duraipandiyan, Ayvanar & Ignacimuthu, 2009). Fungicidal activity is also found against Aspergillus flavus, Candida krusei, Candida albicans, Trichophyton rubrum and others (Karunai et al, 2012; Duraipandiyan & Ignacimuthu, 2009). Another study (Borah, Kalita, Kar & Talukdar, 2010) found that T. asiatica extracts have promising mosquito larvicidal effects against Aedes egypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. In Africa, the plant is widely used as herbal medicine. Traditional healers in East Africa commonly use oral decoction or concoction of Toddalia asiatica for stomach problems and malaria. The Massai use the fruit to relieve cough and the roots for indigestion and influenza. In India, the small branches are used for toothache and gum infection. On the other hand, the fruit is used for irregular menstruation and fever. In Thailand, it is also used traditionally as anti-malarial. In the Philippines, the root decoction is used for diarrhea, the bark as tonic for the stomach. The fresh leaves, when chewed are also used for stomach problems. Both root and bark are used for fever as well as in Madagascar.

References: http://www.plantzafrica.com/planttuv/todalasia.htm http://www.bpi.da.gov.ph/medicinalplant_d.php http://tanzaniabiodiversity.com/archivio/plant_list/Toddalia_asiatica_(L)_Lam-Botanical_description01.pdf http://www.globinmed.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83132:toddaliaasiatica&catid=861:t&Itemid=203 Borah, R., Kalita, M. C., Kar. A. & Talukdar, A. K. (2010). Larvicidal efficacy of Toddalia asiatica (Linn.) Lam against two mosquito vectors Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. African Journal of Biotechnology, 9(16), 2527-2530. http://www.academicjournals.org/ajb/pdf/pdf2010/26Apr/Borah%20et%20al.pdf Duraipandiyan, V., Ayyanar, M. & Ignacimuthu, S. (2006). Antimicrobial activity of some ethnomedicinal plants used by Paliyar tribe from Tamil Nadu, India. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 6(35). http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/6/35 Duraipandiyan, V. & Ignacimuthu, S. (2009). Antibacterial and antifungal activity of Flindersine isolated from the traditional medicinal plant, Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam [Abstract]. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 123(3):494-498. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19481384 Hao, X. Y., Peng, L., Ye, L., Huang, N. H. & Shen, Y. M. (2004). A study on anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of alkaloids of Toddalia asiatica [Abstract]. Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao, 2(6), 450-452. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15539027 Ishii, H., Kobayashi, J., Ishikawa, M., Haginiwa, J. & Ishikawa, T. (1991). [Studies on the chemical constituents of Rutaceae++ plants. LXVI. The chemical constituents of Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam. (T. aculeata Pers.). (1). Chemical constituents of the root bark] [Abstract]. Yakugaku Zasshi, 111(7), 365-375. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1783985 Iwasaki, H., Okabe, T., Takara, K., Toda, T., Shamatani, M. & Oku, H. (2010). Tumor-selective cytotoxicity of benzo[c]phenthridine derivatives from Todalia asiatica Lam. [Abstract]. Cancer Therapy and Pharmacology, 65(4), 719-226. http://www.springerlink.com/content/1234076854t07q24/ Kamkaen, N., Wilkinson, J.M. & Ruangrungsi, N. (2008). Chemical compositions and antibacterial activities of essentials oil from the family Rutaceae [Abstract]. International Journal of Essential Oil Therapeutics, 2(4), 158-162(5). http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/eorc/ijeot/2008/00000002/00000004/art00005?craw ler=true Karunai Raj, M., Balachandran, C., Duraipandiyan, V., Agastian, P. & Ignacimuthu, S. (2012). Antimicrobial activity of Ulopterol isolated from Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam.: a traditional

medicinal plant [Abstract]. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 140(1):161-165. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22265751 Lu, S. Y., Qiao, Y. J., Xiao, P. G. & Tan, X. H. (2005). Identification of antiviral activity of Toddalia asiatica against influenza type A virus [Abstract]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi, 30(13), 998-1001. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=identification%20of%20antiviral%20activity%20of %20Toddalia%20asiatica%20against%20influenza%20type%20A%20virus Oketch-Rabah, H. A., Mwangi, J. W., Lisgarten, J. & Mberu, E. K. (2000). A new antiplasmodial coumarin from Toddalia asiatica roots [Abstract]. Fitoterapia, 71(6), 636-640. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0367326X00002227 Orwa, J. A., Jondiko, I. J. O., Minja, R. J. A. & Bekunda M. (2008). The use of Toddalia asiatica (L) Lam. (Rutaceae) in traditional medicine practice in East Africa [Abstract]. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 115(2), 257-262. http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=20017890