MONKEY HAND TREE - ONCE UNIQUE - STILL A RARITY: MEDICINAL USES OF MONKEY HAND TREE

THE MONKEY HAND TREE, CHIRANTHODENDRON PENTADACTYLON

The Monkey Hand Tree is also called the Mexican Hand Tree and Devil’s Hand Tree, because the five stamens of the flower protrude from the petals, which form a cup shape, or a cuff shape, and look like a hand with five fingers. Its botanical name Chiranthodendron means “hand flower tree” in Greek and pentadactylon, also Greek, means five-fingered. Its botanical synonym is Cheirostemon platnoides.

  It has an interesting history as it was believed by the Mexican Aztecs that the single tree growing in the Toluca Valley was the only one, and that this unique tree had been a present from the gods. To prevent it reproducing they would pick every flower from the tree, and these would have been dried for use by the shamans, and for medicine. It was highly revered as a spiritual and medicinal tree. It was not found by “outsiders” until the 18^th century, and in the 19^th a forest of such trees was discovered along the Mexico-Guatemala border. It is now known that these trees grow in mixed oak and pine forests.

  Despite the fact that the Indians picked all the blossoms from the tree, some were cultivated in gardens, and some given as regal gifts. This tree is the only one in the Chiroanthodendron genus, although it is closely related to Fremontodendron, a hybrid with yellow flowers with a smaller claw. It is a member of the Sterculiaceae family (cacao family) of plants.

  The Mexican Hand Tree was documented botanically by José Dionisia Larreátegui in his “Description Botanique du Chiroanthodendron” published in 1805 in French and Spanish. In Spanish the tree is called árbol de las manitas, or tree of the little hands. It was first seen by Professor Cervantes in 1795 and it was he who first described it to fellow botanists, and a student of his who found the forest of Monkey Hand Trees on the Mexican –Guatemalan border in 1801.

  The natives used this tree to sure a variety of ailments, including epilepsy, for eye problems, and as a cardiac tonic. The flowers are said to cure heart disease and are sold in Mexican markets and some in south west USA. The Aztecs usually used the flowers for medicines, and these bloom from late spring to early summer. They used the bark and leaves for swelling and pain in the genitals, and believed the tree and its parts were beneficial not only to the heart but also to the nervous system.

  The parts of the tree were believed to have sedative, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Modern medical research has shown that the use of this tree in gastrointestinal disorders is sound as the flavonoid epicatechin found in it is most effective against such amoebae that cause dysentery and diarrhoea. The catechin and isoquercetin it contains are also effective for the same problems, but to a lesser degree. Victor R Preedy in “Botanical medicine in clinical procedures” states that the Monkey Hand Tree is the “most effective herb against amoebic infections” that he tested.

  These trees can grow to heights of 40 feet and are quite fast-growing, with large leaves which are covered with brown wooly hairs on their undersides. When the flowers die back they are followed by woody pods containing several seeds, and these pods can stay on the trees for several months. Like the Cannonball tree and the citron fruit, this tree is something of a curiosity.

NIPPLE FRUIT - ONE OF NATURE'S JOKES? MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF NIPPLE FRUIT

NIPPLE FRUIT OR TITTY FRUIT, SOLANUM MAMMOSUM

The Nipple fruit is so-called because the waxy yellow fruit this member of the nightshade produces looks like a human breast. It is also called “Titty fruit” for the same reason, and Cow’s Udder, also understandable and The Apple of Sodom. It is a member of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family so it’s a close relative of the aubergine, as well as the tomato and potato. Like other members of the Solanaceae family it is poisonous, although the unripe fruit is cooked and eaten as a vegetable. It has a waxy yellow skin and large velvety leaves with purple veins, and fuzzy hairs. Its flowers are white through to pink-purple, and the seeds inside the fruit are red-brown. The fruit is actually a berry. It’s a native of South America, but has become naturalized in the Caribbean and Central America. The juice of the fruit has detergent properties and is used instead of washing powder to wash clothes, so it is a little like reetha, the soap nut in this respect. You have to beware of the thorns on this plant, which run along the branches and stems.

  The green leaves which are poisonous apparently contain vitamin C, and the fruit has the minerals calcium phosphorous and iron, as well as some of the B-complex vitamins, bioflavonoids and amino acids.

However, it is the glycoalkaloid solamargine and a furoshanol glycoside, indioside D as well as solasonine which have all been shown to have inhibitory effects on human cancer cell lines, especially as regards lung, breast and liver cancer cells. It contains two glycoalkaloids which can kill molluscs, and the snails which serve as an intermediate host for schistosome, which are responsible for schistosomiosis (bilharzia) which affects more than 200 million people throughout the Far East, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. According to a WHO 2004 report, as many as 200,000 die annually from the disease, so a compound which can kill the hosts, can help reduce the spread of the disease.

  The leaves are reputed to have pain-killing properties and slightly narcotic ones. The fruit is a purgative and phlegmatic, and a decoction of the roots is given for asthma and as a general tonic. The leaves are made into poultices for piles. The juice from the leaves is used in some traditional medicine systems for skin problems and a decoction of the leaves is given for gastrointestinal problems. It is said that the roots, boiled with sour milk and grain porridge is used for syphilis.

  Solanum mammosum has much the same properties as other plants in the Solanaceae family, and more research is being carried out to see how they can benefit us.

CHEESE TREE ( BUTTONWOOD ) - INFORMATION - POSSIBLE ANTI-CANCER TREATMENT

CHEESE TREE, BUTTONWOOD, GLOCHIDION FERDINANDI VAR. FERDINANDI

 The Cheese tree gets its name from its seed capsules which look like small cheeses-of the miniature kind, with a manufactured red rind. Actually they look more like little pumpkins or squashes. The Cheese tree is native to Australia and New South Wales in particular. It is an evergreen rainforest tree with a spreading crown. It usually grows to around 10 metres tall, although it can reach 30 metres, and live for more than 60 years. It can resprout after bush fires, and flowers at any time of year, with the seed pods ripening between November and February.

  The name Glochidion comes from the Greek glochis meaning protruding point or the barb of an arrow. It got the name Ferdinandi as it was named in honour of Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich von Mueller (1825-96) who was the first government botanist of Victoria. There are around 200 species of Glochidion and these were classed as Euphorbiceae, although they have now been moved to the Phyllanthaceae family, the plants of which typically have seed capsules which explode, ejecting the two flattened seeds in each of the capsules segments. This species is spread through the tropical regions of the world and occur in tropical Asia, the Pacific Islands and Malaysia with a few in tropical Africa and America. They typically have triterpenoid saponins, sesquiterpenoids, glycosides and alkaloids which vary from one plant to another.

  The Cheese Tree had a surprise for scientists though as they found two new xanthones in it and in the outer bark there is a “new” fungal metabolite Trichodermamide C which seems to have cytotoxicity actions on colorectal carcinomas and human lung carcinoma. The bark is flaky and grey-brown, and the tree is fast-growing, with the cheeses starting off green then turning white-pink, changing to deep red when fully ripe. These are a favourite of birds, including the Australian King Parrot, which cracks open the seeds capsule to get at the seeds inside. Some other birds eat the whole pod. The tree attracts butterflies and other insects including ladybirds which feed on the aphids it hosts.

CALLA LILY ( ARUM LILY ) - SYMBOL OF MAGNIFICENT BEAUTY: USES AND BENEFITS OF CALLA LILY

CALLA LILY, ARUM LILY, EASTER LILY, ZANTEDESCHIA AETHIOPICA

The name lily still stays with this beautiful flower, despite the fact that it is not, in fact a true lily. It was first classified botanically by Linnaeus the Swedish botanist in 1753, as Calla aethiopica in the lily family, but the error was corrected in 1826 by Sprengel who renamed it Zantedeschia and placed it in a genus of its own. It is believed that he named it in honour of the Italian botanist of that name, Giovanni Zantedeschia, who lived during the early 19^th century. It was named aethiopica because it was native to southern Africa. It is in the Araceae family of plants. They come in a wide range of colours and include the yellow Calla or Arum lily, a purple-black variety and even the one named the Green Goddess. It is a relative of the Flame Lily, gloriosa superba.

Green Goddess

  As a child I was fascinated by this plant which grew in a neighbour’s garden, but I thought then that it was simply a garden variety of the wild cuckoo pint.

   Its parts are toxic and will cause burning to the mouth, tongue and lips if ingested as it contains calcium oxalic crystals. It can also cause vomiting and can make it difficult to swallow.Young children should be kept away from it, although they are fascinated, as I was, by the flowers. Cats also like to play with it and it is toxic to them too. The only edible part is the rhizome.
  Despite this, the old Physicians of Myddfai found a use for it; to treat burns and scalds; here is their remedy: -
"Put the leaves of the lily, in boiling milk, and apply to the part till it is well."  

  In southern Africa, where it is indigenous and grows wild, the leaves and rhizomes are used in traditional medicine in dressing for sores and wounds, and in oral preparations for a variety of ailments.

   In Afrikaans this plant is called Varkoor which means pig’s ear. It thrives in the humidity of Madagascar, and can bloom all year if it has enough nutrients and water. It likes to live in shallow water or in moist soil, but failing that, needs rich soil and shade. The British Royal Horticultural Society has given it their Award of Garden Merit, which means that they recommend it to gardeners. It has become naturalized in all parts of the world and is considered invasive in Western Australia.

  The Romans believed that this plant was a symbol of lust and sexuality, no doubt due to its phallic stalks and the yellow spadix in the centre of the flower. They used it in the winter solstice and forced its growth indoors so that it would bloom at this time. In contrast, for early Christians the flower was a symbol of purity and chastity, and although it used to be associated with funerals (so in Wales it was considered bad luck to grow it in gardens, which was why I had only seen the one plant) it is now associated with weddings and can frequently be seen in bridal bouquets and in churches etc. It is also associated with the sixth wedding anniversary for some reason (the one before the seven-year-itch) perhaps because the husband may still think of his spouse as a magnificent beauty, which is what it symbolizes in the language of flowers.

  It is also a symbol of rebirth and resurrection, perhaps because in the Northern hemisphere at least it usually blooms around Easter time, and this is also why it is known as the Easter Lily. It was also planted on the graves of young people and children who had died an untimely death.

  This elegant flower is usually put into a single tall stem vase as its simplicity is its beauty. It needs no foliage to set it off. It has been painted by artists throughout history because it really is a magnificent beauty.