PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Ramas, raíces, hojas.

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA= Pharmacological action: Calmante para los nervios, contra el reumatismo gota y fiebres, dolores neurálgicos, jaquecas, dolores de muela, torceduras, golpes, contuciones, contra insectos.

POSOLOGÍA= Posology: Aceite alcanforado, aceite de oliva o de almendras dulces 800gr, Alcanfor desmenuzado 100gr, Se toma un frasco de tapa hermética, se coloca los ingredientes, y se deja la preparación un par de semanas hasta que los ingredientes se mezclen.
 
ZONA GEOGRÁFICA= Geografical zone: Argentina.

DIVERSIDAD GENÉTICA Y MEJORAMIENTO DE PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants and improvement of medicinal herbs:

Cinnamomum verum is one of the most important spice species in Sri Lanka and it contributes to 70% of the world bark prodn.  There are 9 Cinnamomum species found in Sri Lanka.  Although it is a very important spice crop in Sri Lanka, the taxonomy of the species has a controversy.  These species are identified by the floral, foliar morphol. and pollen morphol., ecophysiol. features, chem. and essential oil constituents and etc.  A mol. technique to identify these species would greatly facilitate identification of species correctly.  Genetic variation among species of Cinnamomum; C. verum, C. citriodorum, C. capparu-coronde, C. dubium, C. litseafolium, C. rivulorum, C. sinharajaense and C. camphora found in Sri Lanka was studied by analyzing nucleotide sequence of different cpDNA regions and an ITS region of the rDNA.  The cpDNA regions studied were intergenic spacers between trnL-trnF, trnT-trnL, trnH-psbA and trnL intron.  We were able to identify a no. of variable sites for cpDNA sequences of trnL intron, trnL-trnF IGS, trnT-trnL IGS, trnH-psbA IGS and intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of rDNA.  Although there is not much variations among the cpDNA regions we studied, it will contribute to the clarification of the genetic diversity of Sri Lankan Cinnamomum species which have never been studied at the DNA level.  Although there is not much cpDNA variation and it did not provide much information for the taxonomy of Cinnamomum species in Sri Lanka.  But the ITS region of the rDNA was shown to be useful to identify species.

ÚLTIMOS AVANCES EN LA QUÍMICA Y ACTIVIDADES BACTERIOLÓGICAS EN LAS PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants, last advances on chemistry and bacteria activities on the medicinal herbs
 
1) An ext. of Capparis spinosa L. roots, widely used in the traditional folk medicine of southern Italy, was prepd. and submitted to antibacterial testing.  There was bacteriostatic activity against Deinococcus radiophilus.  Heterocyclic compds. were also recovered from the chloroformic ext. of the roots.
 
2) Caper (Capparis spinosa L.) fruits have been used as food as well as folk medicine in the treatment of inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatism.  The present study was carried out to study the anti-inflammatory activities of C. spinosa L. fruit (CSF) aq. ext. and to isolate main phytochems. from its bioactive fractions.  The CSF aq. ext. were sepd. into three fractions (CSF1-CSF3) by macroporous adsorption resins.  The fractions CSF2 and CSF3 effectively inhibited the carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice.  Systematic fractionation and isolation from CSF2+3 led to the identification of 13 compds. (1-13).  Their chem. structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses including NMR and mass spectrometry (MS) and literature comparisons.  Major compds. found in the bioactive fraction CSF2+3 are flavonoids, indoles, and phenolic acids.  To our knowledge, 8 of these 13 compds. (1-4, 6-7, 10, and 13) were identified from caper fruits for the first time.  The anti-inflammatory effects of these purified compds. are currently under investigation.
 
3) An activity-directed fractionation and purifn. process was used to isolate 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH×) scavenging components from fruits of Capparis spinosa L. (Capparaeae).  Et acetate and aq. fractions showed greater DPPH× scavenging activities compared to the petroleum ether fractions.  The Et acetate fraction was subjected to purifn. using column chromatog.  A new antioxidant cappariside (4-hydroxy-5-methylfuran-3-carboxylic acid, 1), together with seven known org. acids (2-8) for the first time from plants of genus Capparis and four known org. acids (9-12) were isolated from C. spinosa.  The structures were elucidated by extensive anal. of 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic.  In addn., compds. 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, and 12 indicated strong scavenging capacity for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals with a SC50 value of 0.204 ± 0.002, 0.007 ± 0.0, 0.011 ± 0.0, 0.044 ± 0.0016, 0.032 ± 0.0, 0.090 ± 0.001, and 0.350 ± 0.017 mM, resp.

1) CONSELL, Danilo M. Enciclopedia de plantas que curan. Buenos Aires: Ediliba, 1987. 2 volúmenes.

2) Abeysinghe, Pushpa Damayanthi, et al. Molecular characterization of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum Presl) accessions and evaluation of genetic relatedness of Cinnamon species in Sri Lanka based on trnL intron region, intergenic spacers between trnT-trnL, trnL-trnF, trnH -psbA and nuclear ITS. Research Journal of Agriculture and Biological Sciences. 2009, vol.5, nº6, p.1079-1088.

3) Chen, Hao, et al. Removal of copper(II) ions by a biosorbent-Cinnamomum camphora leaves powder. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 2010, vol.177, nº1-3, p.228-236.

4) Liu, C. H., et al. Composition and antifungal activity of essential oils from Artemisia princeps and Cinnamomum camphora. International Pest Control. 2001, vol.43, nº2, p.72-74.

5) Lee Hye Ja, et al. In vitro anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects of Cinnamomum camphora extracts. Journal of ethnopharmacology. 2006, vol.103, nº2, p.208-216.