Elsevier

Journal of Ethnopharmacology

Volume 159, 15 January 2015, Pages 137-157
Journal of Ethnopharmacology

Review
Medicinal plants from the genus Acalypha (Euphorbiaceae)–A review of their ethnopharmacology and phytochemistry

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2014.10.040Get rights and content

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Acalypha is the fourth largest genus of the Euphorbiaceae family with approximately 450–570 species. Several Acalypha species are used as medicinal plants in Africa and in the Mascarene Islands. Almost every part of the plant including the leaves, stem and roots are used as traditional remedies to treat and manage a panoply of ailments. However, there is no updated compilation of traditionally important medicinal plants from the Acalypha genus. The present review therefore, endeavors to provide for the first time an updated compilation of documented ethnopharmacological information in relation to the ethnomedicinal, ethnoveterinary, zoopharmacognosy, phytochemistry and biological activities of medicinal plants from the Acalypha genus which can subsequently open new perspectives for further pharmacological research.

Materials and methods

A literature search was performed on Acalypha species using ethnobotanical text books and scientific databases such as Pubmed, Scopus, EBSCO, Google Scholar and other web sources such as records from PROTA, PROSEA, and Botanical Dermatology Database. The Plant List, International Plant Name index and Kew Botanical Garden Plant name databases were used to validate scientific names.

Results and discussion

Plants from Acalypha genus are traditionally used in the treatment and/or management of diverse ailments such as diabetes, jaundice, hypertension, fever, liver inflammation, schistosomiasis, dysentery, respiratory problems including bronchitis, asthma and pheumonia as well as skin conditions such as scabies, eczema and mycoses. Approximately 124 species were listed in ethnobotanical studies with some botanical description and others mentioned from different web sources. However, only 40 species have been included in the present review due to the unavailability of ethnopharmacological data on the remaining species. Among the 40 cited species, 30 were traditionally used for the treatment and/or management of approximately 70 human diseases or health conditions. Two species, Acalypha alnifolia and Acalypha fruticosa are used as insecticides and sand fly repellent respectively. Only 2 species (Acalypha fruticosa and Acalypha indica) are used in ethnoveterinary practice and have similar human and veterinary applications. In zoopharmacognosy, only Acalypha ornata has been mentioned. Natives from Africa, Central America, North America, Southern China, India, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea and Mascarenes islands utilize Acalypha species as ethnomedicine. Traditionally used Acalypha species have been reported to possess at least one of the following biological activities: antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, larvidal, pupicidal, hepatoprotective, anticancer, leishmanicidal, antihyperglycemic, antihypertensive, anti-venom, analgesic, anthelmintic, antiemetic, laxative, expectorant, diuretic, post-coital antifertility effects and wound healing. A total of 167 compounds have been identified from 19 species, with 16 from eight species were reported to be bioactive.

Conclusion

The present review represents 32.3% of species from the Acalypha genus and can be considered as the first compilation of ethnopharmacologically useful plants from this genus. There is a great potential to discover new biologically active phytochemicals from the Acalypha genus because only few species have been studied comprehensively. Therefore, the clinical evaluation of species from this genus is warranted in future studies to confirm the ethnomedicinal claims and for the safety approval of therapeutic applications.

Introduction

Acalypha is the fourth largest genus of the Euphorbiaceae family. In some citations, this genus has been reported to encompass about 450 species (Schmelzer, 2007a, Schmelzer, 2007b, Canales et al., 2011) while some reports mentioned that it consists of about 570 species (Iniaghe et al., 2009, Ikewuchi et al., 2011, Onocha et al., 2011a). Approximately 65 Acalypha species occur in tropical Africa and Madagascar while about 35 species occur in other Indian Ocean islands (Schmelzer, 2007a, Schmelzer, 2007b). It encompasses of evergreen shrubs, trees and annuals from tropical to subtropical regions mainly in the tropics of Africa, America and Asia (Ahmed et al., 2012). The tribe is made up of several economical, ecological and ornamental groups of plants (Soladoye et al., 2008). The leaves of Acalypha species are succulent with sappy stalks which tend to lose sappiness with age. They are alternate, stipulate and are characterized with serrated edges, obvious mid-ribs and veins (Soladoye et al., 2008). The staminate flowers have 4 to 8 stamens and vermiform anthers. The pistillate flowers are often prominently bracteates with 3 sepals, 3 carpels, and 1 ovule per carpel and divided styles. Several Acalypha species share the characteristic of allomorphic pistillate flowers and fruits (Soladoye et al., 2008).

Most of the Acalypha species are used as medicinal plants in West and East Africa, especially in Nigeria (Emeka et al., 2012). Every part of the plant including the leaf, stem and roots are used in making mixtures and decoctions to treat various ailments. Some species namely Acalypha alnifolia Klein ex Willd., Acalypha bipartita Müll.Arg., Acalypha capitata Willd., Acalypha ciliata Forssk., Acalypha fruticosa Forssk. and Acalypha segetalis Müll.Arg. are used in food for consumption. Acalypha species such as Acalypha wilkesiana Müll.Arg., Acalypha communis Müll.Arg., Acalypha indica L. and Acalypha ornata Hochst. ex A.Rich. are utilized in folk medicine as diuretic, anthelmintic and for respiratory problems such as bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia (Emeka et al., 2012). Acalypha wilkesiana, Acalypha indica and Acalypha hispida Burm.f. are common species found in Mauritius while Acalypha integrifolia Willd. subsp. integrifolia var. integrifolia is indigenous to the Mascarene Islands (Gurib-Fakim and Gueho, 1996). The local people of Mauritius use leaves and whole plant of Acalypha indica against skin infections such as scabies and dermatitis. Acalypha wilkesiana is used to manage diabetes, dysentery and asthma. Acalypha integrifolia is used as an astringent, purgative and to remove intestinal worms as well as cure various skin infections (Gurib-Fakim and Gueho, 1996, Gurib-Fakim and Brendler, 2004).

Section snippets

Review methodology

Relevant literature was collected by probing scientific databases (Pubmed, Scopus, EBSCO, and Google Scholar) and other web sources such as records from PROTA, PROSEA, and the Botanical dermatology database. The review paper from Toyang and Verpoorte (2013) was used as guideline for the design of this study. Various keywords were used; Acalypha species, traditional uses, ethnomedicinal, ethnoveterinary and zoopharmacognostical uses, biological activities, isolated molecules and phytochemistry.

Results and discussion

Results from plant name databases showed that The Plant List provided 1304 records, Kew Botanical Garden Plant name database gave 516 records while IPNI indicated 1584 records related to Acalypha genus. The records from these databases were quite confusing since each had different statistic. The Plant List database provided statistical data on the family as well as genus. It included 1187 scientific plant names of species from the genus Acalypha with the following status: 454 were accepted

Conclusion and future perspectives

This review represents approximately 32.3% of the species from Acalypha genus and summarizes their ethnomedicinal uses as well as biological activities. Acalypha species are widely distributed in China, Africa, India, Mascarenes Islands, north and southern America where many species are utilized for their medicinal purposes as well as vegetables for consumption. Some species are also used in ethnoveterinary and zoopharmacognosy. Species from this genus contain key bioactive phytochemicals such

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