Cynomorium coccineum
Encyclopedia
Cynomorium coccineum is a parasitic
perennial
flowering plant
in the Cynomoriaceae, a family consisting of only one (or perhaps two) species
in the genus
Cynomorium. Its wider relationships are uncertain. Common names include the misleading Maltese fungus or Maltese mushroom; also desert thumb, red thumb, tarthuth (Bedouin) and suo yang (Chinese). A rare or local species, it grows in dry, rocky or sandy soils, often in salt marsh
es or other saline habitats close to the coast. It has had a wide variety of uses in European, Arabic and Chinese herbal medicine.
and is unable to photosynthesise
. It is a geophyte
, spending most of its life underground, in the form of a rhizome
, which is attached to the roots of its host plant; it is a holoparasite, i.e. totally dependent on its host. The low-growing inflorescence
emerges (in spring, following winter rain), on a fleshy, unbranched stem (most of which is underground) with scale-like, membranous leaves. Dark-red or purplish, the inflorescence consists of a dense, erect, club-shaped mass, some 15–30 cm long (6–12 in), of minute scarlet flowers, which may be male, female or hermaphrodite
. It is pollinated by flies, attracted to the plant by its sweet, slightly cabbage-like odour. Once pollinated the spike turns black. The fruit is a small, indehiscent nut.
In the Mediterranean region, Cynomorium is a parasite of salt-tolerant plants in the Cistaceae
(cistus family) or Amaranthaceae
(amaranth
family); elsewhere it parasitizes Amaranthaceae
, Tamaricaceae
(tamarisks) and, in China, Nitrariaceae
, especially Nitraria sibirica. Other authorities suggest the host plants are saltbushes (Atriplex
species, Chenopodiaceae
).
DNA
studies suggest that Cynomorium is not a member of the Balanophoraceae
, as previously thought, but more probably belongs to the Saxifragales
, possibly near Crassulaceae
(stonecrop family).
in the Canary Islands
and Mauritania
through Tunisia
and Bahrain
in the south; Spain
, Portugal
, southern Italy
, Sardinia
, Sicily
, Gozo
, Malta
and the Eastern Mediterranean. Its range extends as far east as Afghanistan
, Saudi Arabia
and Iran
.
Cynomorium coccineum var. songaricum is found in Central Asia
and Mongolia
, where it grows at high altitudes. Several authorities consider this to be a separate species, C. songaricum; it is called "suo yang" in China, where it is extensively collected as a herbal remedy
for illnesses including sexual worries and nocturnal emission
s.
has suggested that, following the reasoning of the "Doctrine of signatures
", the phallic
shape of the inflorescence suggested to early herbalist
s that Cynomorium should be used as a cure for erectile dysfunction
and other sexual problems. Its colour suggested that it would cure anaemia
and other diseases of the blood. It has been used for similar purposes in the east and west of its range: crusaders
carried dried spikes to help them recover from their wounds.
Other uses have included treatments for apoplexy
, dysentery
, sexually transmitted disease
s, hypertension
, vomiting and irregular menstruation
.
A city in China, near Anxi
in what is now Gansu
Province, was named Suoyang (the Chinese name for Cynomorium) after 7th-century General Xue Rengui
and his army survived a siege there by eating the plant. Much later, it was "introduced" (or imported?) to China from Mongolia during the Yuan Dynasty
as a medicinal plant, and is first mentioned by Zhu Danxi in Bencao Yanyi Buyi (Supplement and Expansion of Materia Medica) in 1347. It was an ingredient in his recipe for Huquian Wan (Hidden Tiger Pills) used for impotence and/or weak legs.
During the 16th century, the Knights of Malta
prized the plant greatly, and sent samples to European royalty. They incorrectly believed it to be a fungus
and it became known as "fungus melitensis", "Maltese Mushroom". The Knights jealously guarded "Fungus Rock
" (a large rock formation, on whose flat top it grew in abundance) just off the coast of Gozo
. They even tried smoothing the outcrop's sides to prevent theft of the plants, which was said to be punishable by death. The only access was by a precarious cable car
, which was maintained into the early 19th century. The rock is now a nature reserve, so access is still strictly limited.
In the Middle Ages, Arabic physicians called it "tarthuth" and "the treasure of drugs". An aqrabadhin or medical formulary complied by Al-Kindi
in the 9th century lists tarthuth as an ingredient in a salve to relieve skin irritation; later, Rhazes (Al-Razi) recommended it to cure piles
, nosebleeds and dysfunctional uterine bleeding
.
In Saudi Arabia, where Cynomorium is called "tarthuth", in addition to the uses detailed above, an infusion made from the ground, dried mature spike has been used to treat colic
and stomach ulcers
. It was eaten on long journeys by the Bedouin
people, who would clean and peel the fresh spikes and eat the crisp white interior, which is said to be succulent and sweet, with a flavour of apples and a pleasantly astringent effect. It is also relished by camels.
It has often been used as a "famine food
" (last reported during the 19th century in the Canary Islands). Among many other uses it has been used as a contraceptive
, a toothpaste
and a non-fading crimson fabric dye!
glycoside
s, triterpenoid saponins
, and lignan
s.
Research being carried out into the plants' actual medicinal properties seems to provisionally confirm several of the traditional uses. Extracts of the herb appear to inhibit HIV
, improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. It may also have a hormonal effect that would confirm its efficacy in treating impotence.
Parasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the Cynomoriaceae, a family consisting of only one (or perhaps two) species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Cynomorium. Its wider relationships are uncertain. Common names include the misleading Maltese fungus or Maltese mushroom; also desert thumb, red thumb, tarthuth (Bedouin) and suo yang (Chinese). A rare or local species, it grows in dry, rocky or sandy soils, often in salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
es or other saline habitats close to the coast. It has had a wide variety of uses in European, Arabic and Chinese herbal medicine.
Description
The plant has no chlorophyllChlorophyll
Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in almost all plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρος, chloros and φύλλον, phyllon . Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light...
and is unable to photosynthesise
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, but not in archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are called photoautotrophs, since they can...
. It is a geophyte
Storage organ
A storage organ is a part of a plant specifically modified for storage of energy or water. Storage organs often grow underground, where they are better protected from attack by herbivores. Plants that have an underground storage organ are called geophytes in the Raunkiær plant life-form...
, spending most of its life underground, in the form of a rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
, which is attached to the roots of its host plant; it is a holoparasite, i.e. totally dependent on its host. The low-growing inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
emerges (in spring, following winter rain), on a fleshy, unbranched stem (most of which is underground) with scale-like, membranous leaves. Dark-red or purplish, the inflorescence consists of a dense, erect, club-shaped mass, some 15–30 cm long (6–12 in), of minute scarlet flowers, which may be male, female or hermaphrodite
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
. It is pollinated by flies, attracted to the plant by its sweet, slightly cabbage-like odour. Once pollinated the spike turns black. The fruit is a small, indehiscent nut.
In the Mediterranean region, Cynomorium is a parasite of salt-tolerant plants in the Cistaceae
Cistaceae
The Cistaceae is a small family of plants known for its beautiful shrubs, which are profusely covered by flowers at the time of blossom...
(cistus family) or Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae
The flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, the Amaranth family, contains about 176 genera and 2,400 species.- Description :Most of these species are herbs or subshrubs; very few are trees or climbers. Some species are succulent....
(amaranth
Amaranth
Amaranthus, collectively known as amaranth, is a cosmopolitan genus of herbs. Approximately 60 species are recognized, with inflorescences and foliage ranging from purple and red to gold...
family); elsewhere it parasitizes Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae
The flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, the Amaranth family, contains about 176 genera and 2,400 species.- Description :Most of these species are herbs or subshrubs; very few are trees or climbers. Some species are succulent....
, Tamaricaceae
Tamaricaceae
Tamaricaceae is a flowering plant family containing four genera. In the 1980s, the family was classified in the Violales under the Cronquist system; more modern classifications place them in the Caryophyllales.The family is native to drier areas of Europe, Asia and Africa...
(tamarisks) and, in China, Nitrariaceae
Nitrariaceae
Nitrariaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales. It comprises three genera, Nitraria, Peganum and Tetradiclis, totalling 16 species....
, especially Nitraria sibirica. Other authorities suggest the host plants are saltbushes (Atriplex
Atriplex
Atriplex is a plant genus of 100-200 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache . The genus is quite variable and widely distributed. It includes many desert and seashore plants and halophytes, as well as plants of moist environments...
species, Chenopodiaceae
Chenopodiaceae
Chenopodiaceae were a family of flowering plants, also called the Goosefoot Family. They are now included within family Amaranthaceae. The vast majority of Chenopods are weeds, and many are salt and drought tolerant. A few food crops also belong to the family: spinach, beets, chard, quinoa, and...
).
DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
studies suggest that Cynomorium is not a member of the Balanophoraceae
Balanophoraceae
Balanophoraceae is a subtropical to tropical family of obligate parasitic flowering plants, notable for their unusual development and obscure affinities. The family consist of 17 genera and approximately 50 species...
, as previously thought, but more probably belongs to the Saxifragales
Saxifragales
Saxifragales is an order of flowering plants. Their closest relatives are a large eudicot group known as the rosids by the definition of rosids given in the APG II classification system. Some authors define the rosids more widely, including Saxifragales as their most basal group. Saxifragales is...
, possibly near Crassulaceae
Crassulaceae
Crassulaceae, or the orpine family, are a family of dicotyledons. They store water in their succulent leaves. They are found worldwide, but mostly occur in the Northern Hemisphere and southern Africa, typically in dry and/or cold areas where water may be scarce...
(stonecrop family).
Distribution
Cynomorium coccineum var. coccineum is found in Mediterranean regions, from LanzaroteLanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
through Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
and Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
in the south; Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and the Eastern Mediterranean. Its range extends as far east as Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
Cynomorium coccineum var. songaricum is found in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, where it grows at high altitudes. Several authorities consider this to be a separate species, C. songaricum; it is called "suo yang" in China, where it is extensively collected as a herbal remedy
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
for illnesses including sexual worries and nocturnal emission
Nocturnal emission
A nocturnal emission involves either ejaculation during sleep for a male, or lubrication of the vagina for a female. It is also called a wet dream, and is sometimes considered a type of spontaneous orgasm....
s.
History and historical uses
Sir David AttenboroughDavid Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...
has suggested that, following the reasoning of the "Doctrine of signatures
Doctrine of signatures
The doctrine of signatures is a philosophy shared by herbalists from the time of Dioscurides and Galen. This doctrine states that herbs that resemble various parts of the body can be used to treat ailments of that part of the body. Examples include the plants liverwort; snakeroot, an antidote for...
", the phallic
Phallus
A phallus is an erect penis, a penis-shaped object such as a dildo, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. Any object that symbolically resembles a penis may also be referred to as a phallus; however, such objects are more often referred to as being phallic...
shape of the inflorescence suggested to early herbalist
Herbalist
An herbalist is:#A person whose life is dedicated to the economic or medicinal uses of plants.#One skilled in the harvesting and collection of medicinal plants ....
s that Cynomorium should be used as a cure for erectile dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction is sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis during sexual performance....
and other sexual problems. Its colour suggested that it would cure anaemia
Anemia
Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...
and other diseases of the blood. It has been used for similar purposes in the east and west of its range: crusaders
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
carried dried spikes to help them recover from their wounds.
Other uses have included treatments for apoplexy
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
, dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
, sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
s, hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
, vomiting and irregular menstruation
Irregular menstruation
Irregular menstruation is an abnormal variation in length of menstrual cycles in a woman. Normally, it is actually unusual for a woman to experience cycle length variations of less than four days between the shortest and longest cycle lengths. However, length variation between eight and 20 days is...
.
A city in China, near Anxi
Guazhou County
Guazhou County , formerly Anxi County , is an administrative district in Gansu, the People's Republic of China. It is one of 58 counties of Gansu...
in what is now Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Province, was named Suoyang (the Chinese name for Cynomorium) after 7th-century General Xue Rengui
Xue rengui
Xue Ren'gui , formal name Xue Li but went by the courtesy name of Rengui, was one of the most famous Chinese generals during the early Tang Dynasty, due to references to him in popular literature...
and his army survived a siege there by eating the plant. Much later, it was "introduced" (or imported?) to China from Mongolia during the Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
as a medicinal plant, and is first mentioned by Zhu Danxi in Bencao Yanyi Buyi (Supplement and Expansion of Materia Medica) in 1347. It was an ingredient in his recipe for Huquian Wan (Hidden Tiger Pills) used for impotence and/or weak legs.
During the 16th century, the Knights of Malta
Knights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
prized the plant greatly, and sent samples to European royalty. They incorrectly believed it to be a fungus
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
and it became known as "fungus melitensis", "Maltese Mushroom". The Knights jealously guarded "Fungus Rock
Fungus Rock
Fungus Rock, which is colloquially known in Maltese as 'Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral' , is a small islet in the form of a 60 metres high massive lump of limestone at the entrance to an almost circular black lagoon in Dwejra, on the coast of Gozo, itself an island in the Maltese archipelago. Fungus Rock is...
" (a large rock formation, on whose flat top it grew in abundance) just off the coast of Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
. They even tried smoothing the outcrop's sides to prevent theft of the plants, which was said to be punishable by death. The only access was by a precarious cable car
Cable car
A cable car is any of a variety of transportation systems relying on cables to pull vehicles along or lower them at a steady rate, or a vehicle on these systems.-Aerial lift:Aerial lifts where the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable:...
, which was maintained into the early 19th century. The rock is now a nature reserve, so access is still strictly limited.
In the Middle Ages, Arabic physicians called it "tarthuth" and "the treasure of drugs". An aqrabadhin or medical formulary complied by Al-Kindi
Al-Kindi
' , known as "the Philosopher of the Arabs", was a Muslim Arab philosopher, mathematician, physician, and musician. Al-Kindi was the first of the Muslim peripatetic philosophers, and is unanimously hailed as the "father of Islamic or Arabic philosophy" for his synthesis, adaptation and promotion...
in the 9th century lists tarthuth as an ingredient in a salve to relieve skin irritation; later, Rhazes (Al-Razi) recommended it to cure piles
Hemorrhoid
Hemorrhoids or haemorrhoids , are vascular structures in the anal canal which help with stool control. They become pathological or piles when swollen or inflamed. In their physiological state they act as a cushion composed of arterio-venous channels and connective tissue that aid the passage of...
, nosebleeds and dysfunctional uterine bleeding
Dysfunctional uterine bleeding
Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding is abnormal genital tract bleeding based in the uterus and found in the absence of demonstrable structural or organic pathology.usually due to hormonal disturbances....
.
In Saudi Arabia, where Cynomorium is called "tarthuth", in addition to the uses detailed above, an infusion made from the ground, dried mature spike has been used to treat colic
Colic
Colic is a form of pain which starts and stops abruptly. Types include:*Baby colic, a condition, usually in infants, characterized by incessant crying*Renal colic, a pain in the flank, characteristic of kidney stones...
and stomach ulcers
Peptic ulcer
A peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. It is defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm...
. It was eaten on long journeys by the Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
people, who would clean and peel the fresh spikes and eat the crisp white interior, which is said to be succulent and sweet, with a flavour of apples and a pleasantly astringent effect. It is also relished by camels.
It has often been used as a "famine food
Famine food
A famine food or poverty food is any inexpensive or readily-available foodstuff used to nourish people in times of extreme poverty or starvation, as during a war or famine...
" (last reported during the 19th century in the Canary Islands). Among many other uses it has been used as a contraceptive
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
, a toothpaste
Toothpaste
Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush as an accessory to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it serves as an abrasive that aids in removing the dental plaque and food from the teeth, assists in suppressing...
and a non-fading crimson fabric dye!
Active ingredients
Cynomorium contains anthocyanicAnthocyanin
Anthocyanins are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that may appear red, purple, or blue according to pH...
glycoside
Glycoside
In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to a non-carbohydrate moiety, usually a small organic molecule. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. These can be activated by enzyme...
s, triterpenoid saponins
Triterpenoid saponins
Triterpenoid saponins are triterpenes which belong to the group of saponin compounds. Triterpenes belong to a large group of compounds arranged in a four or five ring configuration of 30 carbons with several oxygens attached. Triterpenes are assembled from a C5 isoprene unit through the cytosolic...
, and lignan
Lignan
The lignans are a group of chemical compounds found in plants. Lignans are one of the major classes of phytoestrogens, which are estrogen-like chemicals and also act as antioxidants. The other classes of phytoestrogens are the isoflavones and coumestans...
s.
Research being carried out into the plants' actual medicinal properties seems to provisionally confirm several of the traditional uses. Extracts of the herb appear to inhibit HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
, improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. It may also have a hormonal effect that would confirm its efficacy in treating impotence.
External links
- Parasitic Plant Connection : Cynomoriaceae (includes distribution map and links to many online photographs)
- eFloras.org, Flora of China : Cynomoriaceae
- eFloras.org, Flora of Pakistan : Cynomoriaceae
- eFloras.org, South China Botanical Garden Herbarium : Cynomoriaceae
- Harvard Flora of China 13:434 (2007)
- RGB Kew, World Checklist of Selected Plant Families : Cynomorium
- DELTA : Cynomoriaceae Lindl.
- See also Balanophoraceae L.C. & A. Rich.
- MOBOT : Cynomoriaceae (placed under Saxifragales)
- MOBOT : Cynomoriaceae (placed under Rosales)
- GRIN : Family: Cynomoriaceae Engl. ex Lindl.
- ITIS : Cynomoriaceae
- NCBI : Cynomoriaceae
- Tropicos: Cynomorium
- The Treasure of Tarthuth by Robert W. Lebling, Saudi Aramco World, March/April 2003