Mosannona depressa is an evergreen tree within the Annonaceae family native to tropical southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.
| Mosannona depressa | |
|---|---|
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| Flower and leaves of Mosannona depressa in the Yucatán | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Magnoliales |
| Family: | Annonaceae |
| Genus: | Mosannona |
| Species: | M. depressa
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| Binomial name | |
| Mosannona depressa | |
| Synonyms | |
English common names include lancewood and wild soursop. Spanish common names include elemuy and yumel.[3]
Botany
editA mature tree is generally 6–10 m (19-32') tall.
Chemistry
editThe bark contains significant amounts of alpha-asarone, but not its carcinogenic isomer beta-asarone, and other related trans-Propenylbenzene compounds.[4]
Medicinal Use
editThe bark of this tree is used by many people where it is native as medicine for gall stones.[5] The root, cooked with corn silk, was reported used to treat gonorrhea and kidney and bladder problems.[6]
Some more modern studies suggest this herb might have cholesterol-lowering properties.[7]
Toxicology
editExtremely high doses (60 mg/kg) of pure alpha-asarone extracted from lancewood caused significant maternal harm when fed to pregnant mice. At doses of 15, 30 and 60 mg/kg, this compound was lethal to embryos and teratogenic.[8] These concentrations are far beyond what can be achieved using the plant as medicine and therefore has no bearing on whether or not it would cause problems in pregnancy.
References
edit- ^ "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". International Union for the Conservation of Nature. 2020. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
- ^ "Mosannona depressa (Baill.) Chatrou". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ Wiersema, JH; León, B (2016). World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference, Second Edition. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. ISBN 9781439821428.
- ^ Enqíques RG, Chávez MA, Jáuregui F (1980). "Propenylbenzenes from Guatteria gaumeri". Phytochemistry. 19 (9): 2024–2025. doi:10.1016/0031-9422(80)83029-9.
- ^ Chamorro G, Salazar M, Salazar S, Mendoza T (Nov–Dec 1993). "Pharmacology and toxicology of Guatteria gaumeri and alpha-asarone". Rev Invest Clin (in Spanish). 45 (6): 597–604. PMID 8159883.
- ^ "Mosannona depressa". Tropical Plants Database. 2020. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
- ^ Resendiz JS, Lerdo de Tejada A (1982). "Cholesterol-lowering effect of Guatteria gaumeri (preliminary report)". J Ethnopharmacol. 6 (2): 239–242. doi:10.1016/0378-8741(82)90006-x. PMID 7132402.
- ^ Salazar M, Salazar S, Ulloa V, Mendoza T, Pages N, Chamoro G (Aug 1992). "Teratogenic action of alpha-asarone in the mouse". J Toxicol Clin Exp (in French). 12 (3): 149–154. PMID 1453351.