 Gen info
- Blumea is a genus of flowering plants of the family Asteraceae. Plants in the genus are mostly relatively small weeds. Some are ruderal (a plant species first to colonize disturbed lands) species. A few of the species were formerly in the genus Conyza. (3)
- Etymology: The genus name Blumea honors Carl Ludwig Blume (1796-1862), a German-Dutch botanist who made extensive studies of the flora of southern Asia. The specific epithet axillaris derives from Latin axilla, meaning the armpit, botanically referring to the junction of a leaf and stem.
(4)
Botany
• Annual herb to 60 cm, softly pilose with spreading hairs and usually glandular ones in addition. Stems without wings. Lower leaves sessile or petiolate, usually sessile and progressively smaller upwards; lamina up to 7 × 3 cm, narrowly obovate to elliptic, from silky-villous to glabrescent on both sides; base cuneate; apex acute or apiculate; margin serrate. Capitula c.7 × 8 mm, in dense terminal narrow panicles. Phyllaries numerous, outer c.4.5 mm, inner c.11 mm, purplish. Florets purplish. Achenes (of bisexual florets) c. 0.7 mm, pubescent. (Flora of Zimbabwe)
• Pink Blumea is an annual herb, 20 - 100 cm high, and somewhat viscid, the whole plant sticky and aromatic (lemony); stems are erect, simple or branched from the base, sometimes woody at the base, and glandular-hairy; it has a taproot. Leaves, occasionally purplish, are ovate-oblong, 1 - 9.5 cm in length and 0.6 - 5 cm in width, sharply toothed; they are densely silky-hairy on both surfaces; the upper leaves are smaller, acute to apiculate, sessile, and the base acute; the lower leaves are rounded or obtuse, with a tapering base, and they are petiolate. Panicles are dense, spike-like, their heads hemispherical to campanulate, 3 - 4 mm in diameter; peduncles are silky; involucral bracts are 2 - 3-seriate, linear, acute to acuminate, purplish-tinged, and densely hairy. Florets are purple to lilac, although they tend to become whiter nearer to sea level. Achenes are oblong, about 0.5 mm long, sparsely to densely hairy; the pappus white, and 2 - 4 mm long. (4)
 Distribution
- Native to the Philippines.
- In Balabac, Albay, Batangas, Benguet, Bulacan, Ilocos Sur, Laguna, Mountain Province, NCR, Nueva Vizcaya, Rizal, Zambales, Mindoro.
(2)
- Found in dry places in open grasslands, roadsides, etc. up to 1500 m.
- Also native to Afghanistan, Andaman Is., Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, China South-Central, China Southeast, Comoros, East Himalaya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hainan, India, Iran, Ivory Coast, Jawa, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, New South Wales, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Oman, Pakistan, Queensland, Senegal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, Western Australia, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. (1)
Constituents
- Molecular docking study for aroma volatiles of two wild Blumea species, B. axillaris and B. lanciniata, identified the most active compound as [1H-Indole-2,3-dione, 1-(tert-butyldimethyl)] along with Methoxy-phenyl-Oxime, Phthalic acid butyl hexyl ester and Thymol phthalein of the extracted essential oil. (see study below) (10)
- Phytochemical studies isolated carvotanacetone, 2,3-dimethoxy-1-methyl-4-(propan-2-yl)benzene,
chrysanthenone, eugenol, p-cymene, linalyl acetate, hentriacontane, triacontane, d-borneol, and alpha-terpinene. (12)
- Preliminary phytochemical screening of ethanolic leaf extract of B. mollis yielded alkaloids (A), carbohydrates (C), and saponins (S), with absence of glycosides (G). Hexane, chloroform, water fractions showed presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, and saponins, while butanol fraction showed only carbohydrates and saponins. All fractions were negative for glycosides. (13)
- Physiochemical studies of plant leaves revealed foreign content 0.313%, moisture 11.333%, total ash 11.416%, acid soluble ash 56.833%, water soluble ash 15.054%. (13)
Properties
- Studies have suggested antibacterial, anntifungal, mosquitocidal properties.
Parts used
Stems, roots.
Uses
Edibility
- No reports found on edibility.
Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
 Studies
• Selenium Nanoparticles / Antibacterial / Stem and Root: Study reports on the green synthesis of selenium nanoparticles from sodium selenite salt using Blumea axillaris and evaluated its antibacterial activity against aquatic pathogens. Both stem and root extracts synthesized SeNPs showed inhibitory activity on aquatic pathogens that exhibited multidrug resistance against commonly used drugs. Results suggests a cheap, safe, and economic potential for enhancing aquaculture industry. (5)
• Mosquitocidal: Study evaluated the mosquitocidal efficiency of compound isolated from Blumea mollis against Culex quinquefasciatus. The compound was identified as (4R, 5S)-4-hydroxy-7-tigloyloxy carvotanacetone (1), from which new derivative was synthesized and confirmed as (4R, 5S)-4-acetoxy-7-tigloyloxy carvotanacetone (2). Both compounds exhibited larvicidal and ovicidal activities. At 2 ppm concentration, compounds 1 and 2 showed 64% and 78% larval mortality in 24 h, respectively. LC50s and LC90s on Cx. quinquefasciatus larvae were 1.73 and1.27 and 4.59 and 3.33 ppm, respectively. The compounds showed 68% and 77% ovicidal activity against eggs of CxQ at 120 h post-treatment. Histo-
pathological studies of treated larvae showed serious damage on larval midgut cells. Toxicity testing of the compounds showed them to be harmelss to non-target organism Poecilia reticulata. Computational analysis showed strong binding interaction with AChE1 of CxQ. Results suggest the compounds have potential as mosquitocidal agents. (6)
• Endophytic Fungi: Explants cultured on potato dextrose agar isolated 6 endophytic fungi from the medicinal plant Blumea axillaris, and identified as Xylaria arbuscula, Paraphoma radicina, Phomopsis phaseoli, Sordaria fimicola, Aspergillus amstelodami, Diaporthe eucalyptorum. Xylaria arbuscular was selected for production of secondary metabolites by optimization. X. arbuscula manifested the highest antagonistic activity among the isolated endophytic fungal isolates against most of the tested pathogens. The bioactive metabolites showed highest antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. X. arbuscula showed highest antibacterial activity against K. pneumoniae. Results suggest potential for large scale production of the biologically active components for use in the pharmaceutical industry. (7)
• Fungicide Against Phytopathogenic Fungi: Study aimed to isolate active constituents from B. axillaris against phytopathogenic fungii. Bioactive guided fractionation of successive n-hexane, chloroform, and methanol extract isolated a monoterpene ester (4 R,5S)-4-hydroxy-7-tigloyloxycarvotan-acetone (1). The compound was converted into acetyl derivative (2). Both compounds were tested against phytopathogenic fungi using mycelial inhibition. Acetyl derivative (2) showed highest antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani and Aspergillus niger. Both compounds had no phytotoxicity and in silico docking study showed both compounds were binding similarly as commercial fungicide carbendazim. (8)
• Antimicrobial: Invitro screening of chloroform and methanol extracts showed antimicrobial effects: Staphylococcus aureus ++ and ++++, Pseudomonas aeruginosa + and ++. Escherichia coli ++ and +++, Shigella dysenteriae ++ and ++, Bacillus pumilus +++ and ++++, Candida albicans ++ and ++, Aspergillus niger +++ and ++++, respectively. Zone of inhibitions of chloroform, methanol and water extract solvent showed 10.84, 16.41, and 11.67 mm for Staphylococcus aureus, 11.83, 13.09, and 11.20 mm for Candida albicans. MICs (mg/ml) on chloroform and methanol extracts were 12.5 and 3.13 for for both S. aureus and C. albicans. (9)
• Aroma Volatile Compounds / Antimicrobial: Study characterized the aroma volatiles of two wild Asteraceae, Blumea axillaris and B. laciniata. The essential oil was extracted by steam distillation and fractionation by organic solvents. GC-MS characterized the volatile oils and molecular docking determined the antimicrobial activity. Only the ethyl acetate fractions showed MIC at X/4th dilution against Aspergillus parasiticus, Baciillus cereus, and Escherichia coli. The two species showed distinct EO profiles with four comparatively small ligans. Molecular docking study identified the most active compound as [1H-Indole-2,3-dione, 1-(tert-butyldimethyl)] along with Methoxy-phenyl- Oxime, Phthalic acid butyl hexyl ester and Thymol phthalein of the extracted essential oil. Results suggest the EO compounds, alone or in combination, can be applied for topical antimicrobial treatment against bacterial and mould species. (10)
• Mosquitocidal: Study evaluated the mosquitocidal efficiency of a compound—(4R, 5S) 4-hydroxy-7-angeloyloxycarvatoneacetone—isolated from Blumea axillaris against Culex quinquefasciatus and Anopheles stephensi. Hexane extract of the compound exhibited promising larvicidal activities with LC50 and LC90 of 155.811 and 566.763 ppm against An. stephensi and 77.215 and 99.653 against Cx. quinquefasciatus at 24 hours. Histopathological exam showed serious damage to larval midgut cells. The isolated compound was evaluated for effect on expression of different functional genes viz., White (Wh) gene for eye pigmentation, Glutathione transferase (GST) gene for survival on insecticide and pesticide exposure, Cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP450) gene that enhances resistance in mosquitoes to digest pesticides, and Esterase (Est_) gene, which helps in resistance to a variety of insecticides. Results suggest compounds from B. axillaris has potential as mosquitocidal agents against both Cx. quinquefasciatus and An. stephensi. (11)
Availability
Wild-crafted. |
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