13th March, Vadodara.
(A news item appeared in Todays's Times of India, Ahmedabad & Baroda)
Nani luni, (chickweed- Portulaca quadrifida) is a smaller relative of Luni (Portulaca oleracea) – a well-known herb easing hypertension in Western countries. This is abundant as a weed in many of the agricultural fields and is found recently a treasure trove of phytochemicals which help in building muscles and body for athletes, reduce hypertension and insomnia and prevent and heal cancer. A LCMS study conducted by us identified at least 8 phytochemicals like vinaginsenoside, biliverdin, testosterone glucuronide , coumestrin etc which improve stamina, reduce fatigue, builds muscles and body and accelerate other anabolic activities. We found more than a dozen compounds such as nicergoline, ganglioside, crocin, aralioside, armillane etc which are neuroprotective, reduce depression and insomnia, induces sleep and rectifies Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The cardiotonic (heart-friendly) compounds located are panogenin (reduces platelets aggregation), epicatechin (thins blood), lupeol (reduces cholesterol) and 7-hydroxy ticlopidine (thins blood, strengthens cardiac muscles). The anticancer compounds (8 in number) include albanin H, erioflorin, camptothecin, 13-cis-retinol, and mangiferin. Then there were other compounds which are antibacterial and antiviral(about 6 in number) and 2 analgesic compounds.
In addition, this herb is found to contain a large number compounds (more than 800) consisting of essential chemicals like phospholipids (including sphingolipids needed for membranes, brain, heart, neurons) , many free fatty acids, fatty alcohols, free amino acids (along with di- and oligipeptides), many sugars including di and trisaccharides, plant hormones, minerals and co-enzymes etc. which form a metabolic pool of compounds useful in the regular growth of human body.
The alcoholic extract of this plant is found to contain a total of 997 compounds of which 899 are identified by LCMS available at Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. (The total compounds present in a plant is known as plant “metabolome”, which include all primary and secondary metabolites and the number varies from one to several thousands.)
Portulaca quadrifida, also known as “Jinni Looni” (in Gujarati) and Chicken Weed (in English) is a common, sometimes as a troublesome weed in many agricultural fields everywhere. In Gujarat, this is a food preferred in days of fasting and preparations like “bajiya, Dokhla, Mudddhiya and raita” are prepared. In Rajasthan, the leaves are used in preparing bread by mixing with Bajra. In many other states leaves and tender shoots cooked and eaten as greens. Locals use them as a medicine in asthma, cough, urinary discharges, inflammations, ulcers, rheumatism or as a sedative, analgesic, cardiotonic and to treat fever. Even there is an rarlier report of anticancer activity on this plant.
This weed is considered a native to Africa, it is now Pantropical weed in Tropical Asia and Africa to Malaya, and the Marianne and Caroline Islands.
Mammen Daniel
