Typha capensis (Rohrb.) N.E.Br. (Typhaceae): morphology, medicinal uses, biological and chemical properties

Elizabeth Bosede Aladejana,Collen Musara

doi:10.14719/pst.2020.7.4.872

Abstract

Typha capensis (Rohrb.) N.E.Br. is a robust, monoecious, perennial marshy herb that belongs to the family Typhaceae. The current research aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the biological and chemical properties, botany and medicinal uses of T. capensis. Comparative analysis of literature showed that T. capensis is a medicinal plant that has multiple benefits such as food for humans, feeds for animals and medicines to treat various diseases. All the parts including the leaves, seeds, rhizomes and pollen can be used in making decoction to improve male potency and libido, cures genital problems, boosts circulation, enhance female fertility, strengthens uterine contraction in childbirth and facilitates placenta removal. It is also used for the treatment of dysmenorrhea, diarrhoea and dysentery venereal diseases. The plant contains several flavones and phenolic compounds which have been reported to possess anti-inflammatory activity. Scientific studies have shown that T. capensis has a broad range of biological activities such as antibacterial, antioxidants, fertility-promoting effect and apoptosis effect. T. capensis should be subjected to comprehensive phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological assessments projected at assessing its efficacy and safety as herbal medicine.

Highlights

The family Typhaceae is composed of approximately 10 to 15 species which are tall and capable of reproducing clonally through submerged rhizomes forming dense stands [1]
Typha capensis (Rohrb.) N.E.Br. is a vigorous, herbaceous perennial plant known as bulrush (English), Lesehu (Sepedi / NorthSotho), papkuil or matjiesriet or palmiet (Afrikaans.), Ibhuma (Zulu, Swazi), Ingcongolo (Xhosa) and Motsitla (Sesotho) which belongs to the family Typhaceae [2, 3]
A study on the morphology, medicinal uses, phytochemistry and biological activities of T. capensis was carried out using material from existing scientific databases such as Google Scholar, Science Web, SciFinder, Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, Scielo, Springer Link, Google Patents, BioMed Central (BMC)

Summary

Introduction

The family Typhaceae is composed of approximately 10 to 15 species which are tall and capable of reproducing clonally through submerged rhizomes forming dense stands [1]. All the parts of Typha capensis including the leaves, seeds, rhizomes and pollen are used in making the decoction and used in the treatment of various diseases. Several activities have been reported from the leaves and rhizome extracts of Typha capensis, and they include anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidants, fertility-promoting effect and apoptosis effect.

Results

Conclusion