CHAPTER
ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The
use of the leaves, stem and bark of the plants for medicinal purposes is an age
long practice. Also in the modern times, and among civilized people, the
medicinal use of herbs and shrubs in the treatment of so many diseases both
physiological and otherwise is an important breakthrough in pharmocognacy. Mistle
toe is a flowering plant which lives on and obtains its nutrition from other
plants by parasitizing on its host.
Mistle toegrows as a partial parasite on a variety of trees, such as apples,
oranges, breadfruits across Northern Europe, Asia and Africa. Mistle toe falls
under the category of Medicinal plants. Mostly found in tropical and
subtropical areas which has proved to contain phytochemicals and other constituents.[1]
The Mistle toe white berries are
potentially poisonous and toxic ad should be avoided. It has been discovered
that it is capable of treating cancer, lowering of blood pressure, internal
bleeding, convulsion s and so on. Despite the wide use of Mistle toe plant of
medicine, the use of mistle toe cannot be routinely recommended. In that case,
it should be used under the supervision of a licensed health care professional
because it has its indications and side effects.
The
efficiency of this plant in the treatment of various diseases necessitated the
present work in order to identify the natural product present in the leaf of
the plant.
AIM AND OBJECTIVES
The
aim of this project is
1. To
determine the class of phytochemical compounds existing in Mistle Toe leaf.
2. To
determine the physiochemical characteristics of Mistle leaf.
3. To
extract and partition the active principle of Mistle toe and ascertain their antimicrobial activity.
1.1 LITERATURE
REVIEW OF COMMON NAME MISTLE TOE
The literature review of the past work
on plant mistle toe showed its distribution an morphology life form and
seasonal changes, seasonal changes, growth rate, vegetative reproduction and
the controlling environmental factors (biotic and abiotic) affecting the
distribution growth and abundance.
This
review has shown Viscum L (Synomyns
Viscum Mistle toe) is common bushy plant of the family lanrenthecea which grows
as an epiphyte on the branches of the deciduous trees. This relationship was
observed across the European continent by ancient people who were so impressed
with these plants that Mistle toe becomes interwoven into their legend Myths
and religious belief.
Extracts
produced from Mistle toe as well as certain isolated components are able to
stimulate different functions of the immune system. The natural killer cells
have been suggested as a candidate for direct tumor cell destruction when one
of the Mistle Toe comes into contact with the back of a tree generally through
the agency of birds after a few days, it sends forth a thread like root,
flattened at the extremity like the proboscus of fly. It finally pierces the
back and roots itself firmly in the growing wood from which it has the power of
selecting and appropriating to its own use, such juice are filled for its
substance. The stems of mistle toe is yellowish and smooth, the leaves are
tongue shaped, broader towards the end and is one to three (1 to 3) inches
long, very thick and leathery, the leave colour is yellow green and arranged in
pairs, with very short footstalks.
Many popular writers on herbs recommend
mistletoe as a treatment for conditions from anxiety to cancer, because of the
relatively high price of coffee, some people have even advocated it as a
pleasant tasting substitute.
Over centuries, herbalists through
Europe, have relied on a tea and tincture of the berries to treat some of the
system associated with rising blood
pressure, headaches, dizziness, loss of energy irritability, etc. European
herbalists have a couple of different ways of using mistle toe as a heart
sedative and antihypertensive. One take equal parts about two table spoons each
of mistle toe and hawthorns berries and lemon balm leaves and steep the two
points of boiling water for 25 minutes. One half of the warm tea is taken
morning and evening the other way is four teaspoonful of chopped mistle toe in
1-1 four pints of cold water overnight and taking one cup of the cool beverage
first thing next morning.
Other authors also reported some flavournones
and chalcones as constituents of mistle toe [2] cuticular waxes of mistle toe
show a high content of linolenic acid, with aliphatic constrincts such as
alkenes, esters, aldehydes, primary alcohols and free fatty acids present in
much lesser amount [3].
In local application, it eases
reheumatic aches and is very effective for acute attacks of Lumbage. It is
employed in menstrual disorder excessive menstruation and uterine haemarhage
dueto[4]. The detoxication of the leaves is one of the most effective extra
used in treatment of high blood pressure in man, epilepsy and other nervous
condition[4].
1.2 PLANT
TAXONOMY
Botanical
– Viscum album (LINN)
Family – N.O
Loranthaceae
Genus
– viscum,
meaning stick
Mistle toe is a type of plant that
grows in tropical and subtropical areas including partly Africa, Asia, America
and European countries. It also serves as medicine.
The well known mistle toe is an ever
green parasitic plant growing on the branches of trees where it forms pedent
bushes, it is two to five feet in diameter. It has been found that most of the
deciduous trees, especially those with soft bark such as old apple, orange ,
kolanut and bread fruits trees.
These
are approximately 3000 parasite angiosperms in 15 plant families and almost all
are dicotyledonous. Although many parasite plants contain functional
chlorophyll, they depend on their plant hosts for most or at least some of
their grab on requirement and for all their nutrients and water needs. By
parasitizing other higher plants, they have a competitive advantage over other
forms of life because they do not have to compete in soil for their water and
nutrient needs.
The family branthaceae is large and
contains at least nine gene, most of which are abundant in the tropic, most
species are large showing flowers and attached variety of tree hosts. The
family vicarage contains several general but only pharedndron and viscum are
important in the legends and myths relating to the mistle toes. On the European
continent, viscum album was the major species which primitive man interacted
and which formed the basis for many myths legends and religious beliefs.
In Britain where the Mistle toe grows
so abundantly, the plant is called herb de la crop because churching to an old
legend, the crose was made from its wood on an account of which it was degraded
to be a parasite.
The English name is said to be derived
from the Anglonsaxon mistle toe, than signifying twigs and line, sequel to
Prof. Skeat, mistle toe means “birds and twig” a reference to the fact
that the berries line have been used for
making bird line. Dr. Prior here defines the word from tan a twig and miste,
meaning different from its being unlike the tree it grows on. In the fourteenth
century, it was termed mistidine and also lignum cruces, an illusion to the
legend just mentioned. The latin name of the genes, Viscum signifying sticky
was assigned to it from the lutinous juice of its berry.
1.3 PHYTOCHEMICALS
These are chemicals found in a plant,
its analysis is a process of identifying the types of natural products that is
in the plant. These phytochemicals includes alkaloids, phenols, steroids,
saponins, and flavonoids.
1.3.1TANINS
Tannins
are esters which can be hydrolyzed by boiling with dilute acid to yield a
phenoilic compound usually a derivative of garlic acid [5]. There are two types
of tannins, the hydrolysable and nonhydrolyzable or condensed tannins.
Hydrolysable ones are broken down by acids or enzymes into simple groups. They
are yellow brown amorphous substances which dissolves in hot water to form
colloidal dispersion. Nonhydrolyzable tannins are polymers of phenolic
compounds and are not soluble in water. They are converted to more complex
components when hydrolyzed by acid or enzymes.
1.3.2STEROIDS
Steroids are a class of natural
product with multiple aestrogenic centre, with high formular weight aliphatic
compound whose molecule includes the characteristic steroid nucleus. Several
steroids are very active, physiologically and their effects varies widely by ranging
from vitamin active to the action of sex hormone. They contain the sense
cyclopentophenantrene ring and atomic number system with cholesterol with the
exception of vitamins. They occur as glycoside, acylglycocides as esters and in
free form most plants are of such compounds having estrogenic centers is choric
acid which can be obtained from bile.
1.3.3PHENOLS
Phenols are any compound that contains
a six membered aromatic ring bonded to a hydroxyl group (OH) phenols are a
class of organic compounds, the chemical
name is hydroxyl benzene. The phenol molecules have weak tendencies to base the
heat ion from the hydroxyl group releasing in the highly water soluble
phenolate anion compared to aliphatic alcohols.
1.3.4SAPONINS
These are glycoside with a distinctive
foaming characteristic. They are found in many plants but obtained their name
soap-plant work.[6] the root which was used historically as a soap, they
consist of a polycyclic, a glycone that is either a chloric syteroid or trite.
Periods attached us. C3 or ether bond to a sugar side chain, the aglycone
is referred to as the saprogenic and steroids. Saponins are called saraparins.
The ability of a saponin to foam is caused by combination of non-polar
sapogenins and water soluble side chain. They are also known as steroidal
glycosides.
1.3.5FLAVONOIDS
Flavonoids
are naturally occurring colouring matter in vegetables. They occur in three
main groups namely; chlorophyll, arythenoids and flavnoids, which are involved
in photosynthesis, they add flavor or aroma to vegetable spices and food,
flavonoid pigments are related compounds which are widely distributed in plant
tissues and also found in cell saps. They have a basic carbon selection chain
that is together with oxygen. The occurring flavonoid have glycoside,
implicating the presence of sugar moiety. All flavounoids are structurally
related to flavonoid.[7].
They are polyphenolic compounds that
are ubiquitous in nature and are categorized according to chemical strictness
into flavonoids, Isoflavones, capelins, anthocynaides and chalcogenes, they are
antioxidants and also used as antiviral, antinallergy, anti inflammatory. Its
antioxidant properties protects cells against damaging effects of reactive
oxygen species such as singlet oxygen super oxide, neurodecenerative disease[8]
epoider mycological studies have showed that flavonoids intake is inversely
related to mortality from coronary heat disease to the incidence of heart
attack.[9].
1.3.6ALKALOIDS
These are group of hetrocyclic
nitrogen containing organic base which are producers of amino acid metabolism.
They are physiologically active basic substances which are hetrocyclic.
Alkaloids are toxic to man and may
have dramatic physiological activities which are widely used in medicine.
1.4 MEDICAL
USES OF MISTLE TOE
The
plant can be used in curing fresh wounds quickly. The laboratory studies of
this plant has proven that mistle toe kills cancer cells and stimulate the
immune system.
It can be used in treatment of
internal bleeding, convulsion, gout, hysteric, whooping cough, ashma,
dizziness, loss of menstrual circle, diarrhea, chores (rapid, jerkey monument)
and rapid heart beat, due to its calming effects, mistle toe is used as a
tranquilizer for various nervous conditions and for the treatment of mental and
physical exhaustions. It is also used as long term therapy to prevent hardening
of the arteries.
Nervine antispasmodic atomic and narcotic
has a great reputation for curing falling sickness (epilepsy) and other
conclusive nervous disorders. It has also been employed in checking internal haemorrhage.
The physiological effect of the plant
is to lessen and temporarily benumbs such nervous action as is reflected to
distant organs of body from some control organ which is the spasm of epilepsy
and of other convulsive distempers are alloyed large doses of the plants or of
its berries would on the contrary, aggravate these convulsive disorders. Young
children have been attacked with convulsions after eating freely of the
berries. In a French work on domestic remedies 1682, mistle toe (qui de chene)
was considered of a great curative power in epilepsy[10]. Regarding it as a
specific for this disease, he procured the parasite from the line trees at
Hamiton court, and recommended the powdered leaves as much as would lie on a sixpence,
to be given in black cherry water every morning. He was followed in the
treatment by others who have testifies to its efficiency as a tonic in nervous
disorders, considering the specific herb for St. Vista Dance, it has been
employed in convulsious delirium, hysteria, neuralgia, nervous debility,
urinary disorders, heart diseases and many others complaining from a week-end
and disorder state of nervous system.