CASSABANANA OR MUSK MELON: HISTORY OF USES AND POTENTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF CASSABANANA

CASSABANANA, SICANA ODORIFERA NAUD.

The cassabanana is a rather strange-looking fruit which, when black or dark purple looks like a huge aubergine, although they are not related. Nor, as the name might suggest is this fruit in any way related to the banana. In fact it is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, so is a relative of the kiwano or horned melon, honey melons, watermelons, butternut squash, bottle gourds, the ash gourd or petha, cucumbers, courgettes, and marrows to name just a few of its relations. It is the only plant in the Sicana genus, although sometimes it is known by its botanical synonym, Cucurbita odorifera Vell.

  It grows on a vine like other melons, although it needs strong support as the fruit is hefty. (It reminds me of that of the sausage tree, Kigelia africana) The fruit is also called the musk melon, because of its aroma. It is grown as an ornamental as well as for its fruit.

  It is believed to have originated in Brazil and spread throughout South America and tropical North America from there. There is archaeological evidence to show that it was being cultivated in Ecuador before the arrivals of the Spanish conquistadores. It was first documented by Europeans in 1658, as being cultivated and a popular fruit in Peru.

  Interestingly, it is used in Northern Peru to protect against jealousy. The remedy is to take the plant material (perhaps the whole plant) and sleep with it for seven days and nights, being sure to wash it every morning. After the stipulated period of time it needs to be disposed of in a “far away” place where it can’t be found by others. (“Healing the body and soul: Traditional remedies for “magical” ailments, nervous system and psychosomatic disorders in Northern Peru” Rainer W. Bussman et al. September 2010, African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Vol. 4 (9), pp 580-623.)                                                                       

  The fruit is eaten raw and is cooling and refreshing during the hot months of the year. It is also used to make jams and preserves. The immature fruit is used as a vegetable and added to soups and stews.

  The fruit is nutritious, containing the minerals calcium, phosphorous and iron, along with carotene (which explains the colour of its flesh), and the B-complex vitamins, B1 thiamin, B2 riboflavin and B3 niacin, as well as vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid.

  It is believed to be a moth repellent and kept with linen and clothes rather as we used to hang lavender in wardrobes, for its long-lasting aroma. During Holy Week (Easter) the fruit can be found decorating church altars too.

  In some countries it is used for sore throats, seeds are strung into necklaces and at the same time, the fruit is sliced and steeped in sugared water overnight, so that it begins to ferment, and then the water is sipped frequently to get rid of the sore throat, and the fruit that has been steeped in the sugared water may also be eaten.

  In Brazil an infusion of the seeds is used for fevers, as a laxative to get rid of intestinal worms, and as a purgative. The leaves are used for STDs for uterine haemorrhages and other complaints.                                                     

  In Yucatan, a decoction of the leaves and flowers is used as a laxative, for worms and as an emmenagogue, although the dose is small as these parts of the plant contain hydrocyanic acid.

  There are anthocyanins and flavonols in the rind of the cassabanana which means it has antioxidant actions (Jaramilla K. et al., Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2011 Vol. 59 (3) pp975-83 “Identification of antioxidative flavonols and anthocyanins in Sicana odorifera fruit peel”)

  Anthocyanin-rich fruit are currently being investigated for their potential cancer-inhibiting properties, so perhaps this fruit has a lot more to offer us than simply being a cooling fruit to eat in summer.

LAMB'S EARS OR WOOLLY BETONY: HEALTH BENEFITS AND POSSIBILITIES FOR FUTURE TREATMENTS

LAMB’S EARS, WOOLLY BETONY, STACHYS BYZANTINA 

As a member of the Stachys genus (there are between two and three hundred species in this genus) Lambs’ ears or woolly betony is related to wood betony (Stachys officinalis).A synonym for this genus is Stachys lantana.

It gets both names because of the silky grey or white hairs that cover the aerial parts of the plant. It is a member of the Lamiaceae or Labiatae family or mint family, making it a relative of to purple, yellow and white dead nettles, marsh woundwort, the teak tree, marjoram, basil, Holy basil, oregano, savory, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, Scarlet bee balm as well as bugle, motherwort, self-heal, catnip, the chaste tree, the small-flowered chaste tree, sage, ground ivy, Jupiter’s sage, wall germander, horsemint, Fragrant premna and hyssop along with many other plants.                              

  In the past its leaves were used as a bandage to staunch the flow of blood from a cut and it is reportedly good to stop the pain of a bee sting. Other betony plants were used much more extensively than this one it would seem, as it has been cultivated in temperate parts of the world for centuries. It has more importance in the traditional systems of medicine in the countries to which it is native, no doubt, and those are Turkey, Armenia and Iran.

  It flowers in June through to September, and has white or pink or mauve flowers. It is an evergreen although it might die back if the winter is a particularly cold one.

  It has been discovered that the aerial parts of lamb’s ears have antioxidant, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, so this supports its use as a wound healer. Phenolic compounds have been found in it along with tannins and flavonoids. Its essential oil is rich in sesquiterpenes for example a-capaene and spathulenol, both of which are used in the perfume industry, and beta-carophyllene which is also a component of clove oil. This last substance is a dietary cannabinoid and the first to be approved by the US food and Drug Administration (USFDA) as a food additive. It seems to have a local anaesthetic action and is anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and according to some studies has anti-cancer properties.                         

  Spathulenol may have immunomodulatory effects, but more research need to be carried out on Lamb’s Ears so that scientists can ascertain what health benefits this plant has to offer us.

CANCER BUSH - ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE, BUT MORE RESEARCH NEEDED: HEALTH BENEFITS AND TRADITIONAL USES OF CANCER BUSH

CANCER BUSH, SUTHERLANDIA FRUTESCENS

The cancer bush is indigenous to South Africa and has been use for centuries in traditional systems of medicines, of the native peoples and the European colonists and their descendants. It is also grown around the world as an ornamental, and looks a little like the firecracker plant.

  It is a member of the Leguminoseae or Fabaceae family and so is related to the pongam tree, the lead tree or ipil-ipil, the Indian Coral tree, the Monkey Pod tree, the tree from which we get Gum Tragacanth or gond katira, jhand the mesquite tree, dhak or Flame of the forest tree, the Pacific teak tree, the ashoka tree (Saraca indica), European laburnum, amaltas, the Indian laburnum, the Burmese rosewood tree, lupins, indigo, field restharrow, carob, melilot or sweet clover, milk vetch, the hyacinth bean, alfalfa, the butterfly pea, peas, green beans, chickpeas, borlotti beans and lentils just to name a few of its relatives. Now it is in the Papilionidaceae family. There are five species of Sutherlandia that we currently know of, all native to South Africa.                                                                           

  The name Sutherlandia honours the Scottish botanist, James Sutherland (c.1639-1719) who was the first superintendent of the Edinburgh Botanic Garden. The Latin frutescens means ‘bushy’, describing this shrub which grows to just over a metre high and can be erect or creeping. The plant has bladder shaped pods in which the black seeds make a rattling sound when ripe. They float and children play with them like toy ducks.

  The plant has been used to treat a vast array of diseases, ranging from the common cold to cancer, T.B. and HIV/AIDS. Traditionally it has been used in decoctions to wash wounds, and as an eyewash as well as to reduce the high temperatures of fevers. The early colonists from Europe used it for chicken pox, stomach problems and internal cancers. It is considered to be good for “female complaints’ both for the menopause and for menstruation. It is said to be good to treat peptic ulcers, for liver problems, diarrhoea and dysentery, varicose veins, appetite and digestion, diabetes, stress, as a blood purifier and to boost the immune system.                                                            

  It is considered an adaptogen as are Eleuthero, American ginseng and rose root, which means that over a period of time it will bring about changes in the body and enable it to better deal with emotional, mental and physical stress. It is believed to strengthen the whole body and act as a general tonic, especially boosting the actions of the immune system, thus enabling it to better deal with infection.

  There is much anecdotal evidence to suggest that it improves a cancer, HIV/AIDS and T.B patient’s quality of life, as it appears to halt the wasting process which accompanies these diseases. However research is still underway to identify precisely how and why the plant works in the way it would seem to.

  The cancer bush contains tannins, cardiac glycosides, amino acids, saponins or anthraquinones, and gamma aminobytric acid (GABA) has been isolated from the leaves, which is probably responsible for its stress-relieving and mood enhancing abilities. It also contains L-carnavanine which has antiviral, antifungal and anti-cancer properties. It also contains pinitol which has a positive effect on diabetes, and this substance may be responsible at least in part for the halting of the wasting process mentioned above. Research is ongoing into the novel triterpenoid glycosides which have also been isolated from the plant.

  It has anti-inflammatory properties and is immunomodulatory and the phenolic compounds it contains are probably responsible for its antioxidant properties. (Fernandes A, Cromarty D, Albrecht C, Jansen van Rensburg C. “The antioxidant potential of Sutherlandia frutescens” Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2004; Vol. 95: pp1-5.)

  The San people call this plant “insisa” which means ‘one that dispels darkness’ which probably refers to its anti-depressant and mood enhancing properties. The Tswana people have been using this plant to treat gonorrhea and syphilis for centuries but there is no evidence that this works.

  Clearly this is another plant which warrants further research if we are to utilize its apparent health benefits.

ROUND-LEAVED WINTERGREEN: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF FALSE WINTERGREEN

ROUND-LEAVED WINTERGREEN, PYROLA ROTUNDIFOLIA    

This wintergreen is native to Europe, including Britain, North and West Asia and north-eastern North America. In Britain it was known as False or British wintergreen, as opposed to Gaultheria procumbens, the North American wintergreen. They were both at one time in the Ericaceae family of plants although both have now been moved to their own respective families, with the round-leaved wintergreen being in the Pyrolaceae family. Formerly both plants were thought to be closely related to cranberries, blueberries, bilberries, the strawberry tree and the Greek strawberry tree.

  The botanical name for the plant means little pear, Pyrola and rotundifolia, round leaves. It was believed that the plant has leaves resembling those of the pear tree. Synonyms for the botanical name of this plant include Pyrola americana Sweet, Pyrola obovata and Pyrola rotundifolia L. var. americana (Sweet) Fernald.                                                                                                      

  This plant likes to grow in wet places and will thrive in beech forests, and bogs, as well as other moist woodlands. It grows to heights of about a foot with a similar spread. It flowers between June and September, depending on the climate of the country in which it grows, and the leaves first appear in mid-January. They are harvested in mid-summer as they are the parts used medicinally. They can be dried and stored for later use or used fresh.

  The leaves have astringent, antiseptic, anti-rheumatic, anti-spasmodic, cardiotonic, diuretic, sedative, contraceptive and tonic properties. Native Americans used a whole plant decoction for an eyewash and to staunch external bleeding, for skin problems and sores. An infusion of the leaves was used as a gargle for sore throats and oral problems. An infusion, or tisane, from the root was used for back problems, muscle pains and rheumatism. The tisane was also drunk before hunting as it was thought to bring good luck.

  Internally the decoction of the leaves was used to treat epilepsy and nervous disorders and the astringent qualities of the leaves made it good for treating diarrhoea; and infusion of 5 grams of the leaves was made with a cup of boiling water for this purpose, which could be drunk 5 times a day to cure the problem.     

  The plant contains arbutin which has diuretic and antibacterial actions, so scientific fact supports some of the traditional uses of the plant. In one study on animals a combination of milk vetch (Astragalus membranaceae) and the round-leaves wintergreen prevented damage to the kidneys and “the cochlear nerves and hair cells of the inner ear caused by the antibiotic gentamicin, commonly prescribed for pneumonia and sepsis” (from the Scholars Research Library, Archives of Applied Science Research, 2009, Vol. 1 (2) “Herbal drug toxicity and safety evaluation of traditional medicines” by Debjit Bhowmik et al.) Other research done on this plant has been reported in Mandarin.

  Nicholas Culpeper, the English herbalsit, writing in the 17^th century had this to say about the medicinal properties of this wintergreen: -

“Government and virtues. Winter-green is under the dominion of Saturn, and is a singularly good wound herb, and an especial remedy for healing green wounds speedily, the green leaves being bruised and applied, or the juice of them. A salve made of the green herb stamped, or the juice boiled with hog's lard, or with salad oil and wax, and some turpentine added to it, is a sovereign salve, and highly extolled by the Germans, who use it to heal all manner of wounds and sores. The herb boiled in wine and water, and given to drink to them that have any inward ulcers in their kidneys, or neck of the bladder, doth wonderfully help them. It stays all fluxes, as the lask, bloody fluxes, women's courses, and bleeding of wounds, and takes away any inflammations rising upon pains of the heart; it is no less helpful for foul ulcers hard to be cured; as also for cankers or fistulas. The distilled water of the herb effectually performs the same things.”

  Perhaps there is more research needed so that we can have a better understanding of how it might benefit us in the future.