|  Botany
Kilob is a vigorously creeping ground fern with
long branching stems and slender rhizomes, growing up to several meters long,
with very large fronds that repeatedly forks, with budlike structures in the forks. Segments are linear or broader. Sori are few and brown on
the underside, with no indusium.
Distribution
- Widely distributed in the Philippines,
frequently forming dense tangles in open places in mountains.
- Found throughout the tropics and in Japan and New Zealand; abundant in the Malay Peninsula.
Constituents
- Study showed the leaves to be a good source of micronutrients.
- Study yielded flavonoids +, triterpenes +, tannins +, saponins +++, steroids +++.
- Phytochemical screening yielded phenols, flavonoids, total
sugar, protein, vitamin C, carotenoids, tannin, chlorophyll, reducing sugar, and α-tocopherol. Predominant phenolics were catechin, caffeic, ferulic, salicylic and vanillic acid. (see study below). (17)
Properties
- Considered antiasthmatic, febrifuge, anthelmintic.
- Studies have suggested antibacterial, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties.
Parts utilized
Leaves, roots.
Uses
Edibility
- Study showed the leaves to be a good source of micronutrients.
Folkloric
Young leaves are used as poultice,
decoction or infusion for fever.
Plant used as antiasthmatic.
In Indo-China, used as
antihelmintic.
Roots of pulasan (Nephelium mutabile) are boiled with G linearis
and used for bathing feverish patients.
Used for bloody diarrhea.
In east New Britain, bound externally to wounds, cuts and sores.
In India, young leaves mixed with cow milk used for seven days to remove sterility in women.
In Malaysia, crushed leaves used as poultice to control fever; juice of leaves used in baths for fever.
In Indo-China, plants used to rid of intestinal worms.
In New Guinea, used to treat boils, ulcers and wounds.
Others
- In India, petioles and racheae used thatching huts. Also used as making writing pens.
Studies
• Antioxidative / Antibacterial: In a study of leaf extracts of five medicinal ferns, G linearis showed to have antioxidative potential and antibacterial activity justifying its use in traditional medicine. (1)
• Antinociceptive / Anti-Inflammatory / Antipyretic: Study of the chloroform extract of Dicranopteris linearis showed it to possess antinociceptive and antiinflammatory activity and justifies its traditional use by the Malays, especially for fever. (4)
• Antibacterial: Petroleum, acetone, methanol and water extracts of Dicranopteris linearis exhibited antibacterial activity, maximum with the acetone extract. (5)
• Antioxidant / Cytotoxic / Leaves: Study showed leaves of D. linearis possess potential cytotoxic activity against various types of cancer cell lines depending on the types of extracts and their phenolic content. (9)
• Antioxidant: Study of aqueous extract of leaves showed antioxidant property, partly through free radical scavenging activity. (10)
• Metal Sorbent for Lead Ions Removal: Lead is a heavy metal in industrial wastewater. The use of plant biomass such as fern tree Gleichenia linearis as metal sorbent offers an a potential treatment and removal alternative. Study showed high lead ion removal at 5 mg/L concentration, pH 5 and with smaller sorbent size, <500 um. (12)
• Hepatoprotective / Leaves: Study evaluated the hepatoprotective activity of Dicranopteris linearis leaf aqueous extract in two models of liver injury in rats induced by paracetamol and carbon tetrachloride. Results showed DLAE possess hepatoprotective activity which could be attributed to its free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities, and high flavonoid contents. (14)
• Chemopreventive / Leaves / DMBA-Croton Oil-induced Mouse Carcinogenesis: Study evaluated a methanol extract of Dicranopteris linearis for chemoproventive potential in a two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis model. Results showed anti-carcinogenic effect in a dose-dependent manner. (15)
• Antimicrobial: Study evaluated the antimicrobial activities of extracts of dried leaf powder. Results showed high antibacterial activity against S. aureus and S. typhi and antifungal activity against Curvularia lunata, Macrophomina phaseolina and Aspergilus niger. (16)
• Phytochemical Screening of Bioactive Compounds: Study screened and quantified the phytochemicals present in D. linearis and Pteris vittata. Quantitatively, the phenol, flavonoid, total sugar, protein, vitamin C and carotenoid were higher in Dicranopteris linearis than P. vittata, while tannin, total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a & b, reducing sugar and α-tocopherol were higher in P. vittata. Predominant phenolics were catechin, caffeic acid, feruli, salicylic and vanillic acid. (17)
• Gastroprotective / Ethanol-Induced Mucosal Injury: Study evaluated the gastroprotective effect of ethanolic leaf extract of D. linearis against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in experimental rats. Results showed significant protection of gastric mucosa with increase gastric mucus production and decreased gastric acidity and gross reduction of ulcer area. (18)
• Cytotoxicity: Study evaluated various extracts of dried leaves of D. linearis against Hl-60 (acute promyelocytic leukemia cell lines) and WRL 68 (normal liver cell line). The methanol extract showed promising cytotoxic activity against HL-60 (IC50=7.9 µg/ml. Fractionation of the methanol extract showed F7 with the best cytotoxic activity with an IC50 value of 25.12µg/ml. It was found to be non-toxic against normal cells. (19)
Availability
Wildcrafted.
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