Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. (Convolvulaceae)

Abstract

A yellowish, parasitic, rootless, apparently leafless, thread-like vine, often found on many trees in India and China, and is bitter in taste. Cuscuta reflexa has been described as Kasoos in the translation of volume IV of Ibn al-Baitar’s Al-Jame-al-Mufradat al-Advia wal Aghzia; the plant description in it corresponds to the plant found in India, whereas Aftimun is mentioned as Cuscuta epithymum and as flowers of a hard plant citing Dioscorides, as detailed under Cuscuta chinensis. This author had a sample sold in India as Aftimun, identified by a taxonomist as Cuscuta chinenesis. In Unani medicine, it is regarded very useful in all black bile-caused diseases, including cancers, and is beneficial as blood purifier and in splenic inflammation. For intestinal worms, the decoction is used, and the crushed plant is applied to boils and inflammation. In Ayurveda, the plant is used externally for itch and skin diseases, and internally in protracted fevers, constipation, flatulence, liver complaints, bilious affections and piles. Ethanol crude extract of the whole plant showed the presence of terpenoids, phenols and alkaloids. Cuscutin, amarbelin, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, kaempferol, dulcitol, myricetin, quercetin, coumarin and oleanolic acid have been isolated from the plant. Methanol extract markedly protected against convulsion in mice, with significant increase in GABA in mice brain after six-weeks treatment, and exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Methanol extract caused a remarkable delay in sexual maturation, reduction in weights of ovary, uterus and pituitary of mice, with activities of delta5-3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and G6PD significantly decreased after 17-days of treatment, indicative of the inhibition of steroidogenesis. Methanol and chloroform extracts also demonstrated significant hypoglycemic activity in glucose-loaded rats.