Nutritional and therapeutic potential of Ailanthus excelsa - A Review.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Over the past decade, herbal medicine has become an item of global importance, with both medicinal and economic implications. Widespread use of herbs throughout the globe has raised serious concerns over their quality, safety and efficacy. Thus, accurate scientific assessment has become a prerequisite for acceptance of herbal health claims. Ailanthus excelsa Roxb is a tree, indigenous to central and southern India, belongs to family Simaroubaceae is widely used in Ayurveda and evidence based phytotherapy. The tribal population uses the plant for antifertility, anthelmintic and rejuvenating purpose. Alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids and bitter principles like quassinoids are reported in this plant. Several quassinoids from Simaroubaceae are designated as potent antimalarial especially against the chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. The roots of this plant also serve as substitute for Oroxylum indicum, one of the constituents of an ayurvedic formulation Dasmularista . In the present review an attempt has been made to explore different aspects of Ailanthus excelsa. KEY WORDS Ailanthus excelsa , Quassinoids, Anticancer, Simaroubaceae , Canthin alkaloids, Antimalarial. INTRODUCTION During the past decade, the traditional systems have gained importance in the field of medicine. In many developing countries, a large proportion of the population relies heavily on traditional practitioners, who are dependent on medicinal plants to meet the primary health care needs. Although, modern medicines are available, herbal medicines have often retained popularity for historical and cultural reasons. Since the usage of these herbal medicines has increased, the issues regarding their safety, quality, and efficacy in industrialized and developing countries are cropped up (1). Growing interest has also prompted researcher to screen scientifically various claims regarding properties and uses of medicinal plant materials. Presently, both, common consumers and health-care professionals seek updated, authoritative information towards safety and efficacy of any recommended medicinal plant as drug prior to its use. The present attempt is to review and compile updated information on various aspects of Ailanthus excelsa a plant used in Indian system of medicine for variety of purposes. Ailanthus is a genus of tall, lofty trees, distributed in Indo-Malaya, China, Japan and Australia (2). The genus is noted for its antidiarrhoel and antidysenteric properties (3). Different species of the genus are Ailanthus glandulosa in Malay Peninsula and China, (leaflets very coarsely toothed at the base and filaments several times exceeding the anther), Ailanthus excelsa in India (leaflets coarsely toothed and filaments shorter than anthers) and Ailanthus malbarica in Indo-china (leaflets entire and filaments larger than anthers) (2). Ailanthus excelsa Roxb (Simaroubaceae) is commonly known as “Mahanimba” due to its resemblance with neem tree (Azadirachta indica ). The term Ailanthus is from ailanto which means Tree of Heaven and is the name for one of the species in the Moluccas, while in Latin excelsa means tall. The plant is known by different names like, tree of heaven in English, ardusi, aralavo in Gujarati, maruk, ghoda karanj, aakashneem, arlu in Hindi, peruvagai in Tamil and peddamanu in Telgu (2). It is a fast growing tree extensively cultivated in many parts of India towards the vicinity of villages. The tree is indigenous to central and southern India and is distributed in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, some costal districts of Andhra Pradesh, Ganjam and Puri districts of Orissa (4). The plant is known for its high commercial and economic importance (5). Botanical description It is a large deciduous tree of upto 24 m height with a straight cylindrical bole. Bark is light grey and smooth in young trees with large leaf-scars, rough, granular and grayish brown in older trees. Leaves are pinnately compound, upto 90 cm long with 8-14 pairs of leaflets. Flowers small, yellowish in panicles and fruits are single seeded samara (Fig. 1 and 2) (2). The leaves are reported to be used as an adulterant for Adhatoda zeylanica . It is cultivated as an avenue tree for its deep shade and can be used for anti-erosion purposes. It thrives best on porous loamy soil. The tree can be raised from both seeds and stumps. Its quick growth and absolute immunity to grazing gives the species first choice among the soft woods (6).