Scientific Name: Chenopodium murale L

Scientific Name:
Chenopodium murale L.
Local Name(s):
Wereaij, Abu`efein, Khobatha,Uwayjumaan, Al
zorbaih
Arabic Name(s):
Ofainah, Uwayjimann, Woraieg,Khobaithi,Aldhorbai
Common Name(s):
Nettle –leaved goose- foot ,Sowhane
Family:
Chenopodiaceae
Whole plant
Leaves
Herbarium Sample
Description:
Erect leafy, grayish, annual herb, up to 80 cm high, covered with mealy white hairs,
stem ribbed, with few side branches. Leaves alternating, broadly ovate to diamondshaped, dentate, scarcely mealy. Inflorescence short axillary and terminal paniculate
spikes, flowers inconspicuous, petals absent, perianth 5-lobed, greenish, mealy
,fleshy; stamens 5, pistil single with 2 stigmas. Fruit a single-seeded utricle; seeds
black nutlets, keeled and pitted.
Habitat & Distribution:
Widespread all over the world in wet habitats. In U.A.E the plant is a fairly common
weed of damp urban habitats, plantations, gardens, roadsides, fallow fields and oases
throughout the country; less in mountains.
Part(s) used:
Whole plant, oil of flowering tips and fruits
Traditional & Medicinal Uses:
Plant is nutritive, diuretic, mild purgative, emollient, anthelmintic, tranquilizer, tonic
for liver, leaves are edible.
In U.A.E leaves used as salad green.
In India: Plant is sweet and acrid, digestive, carminative, aphrodisiac, anthelmintic,
tonic, laxative and is used in vitiated conditions of pita, peptic ulcer, dyspepsia
,flatulence, seminal weakness, hemorrhoids, cardiac disorder, ophthalmopathy,
spleenopathy, pharyngopathy and general debility.
Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry
Parts studied : Leaves
Microscopic Description:
Leaf : The epidermal cells are covered with thin unstriated cuticle. They are irregular
in shape with markedly wavy cell walls which are more observed in the lower
epidermis. The oval anomocytic stomata are abundant on both epidermises. Uniseriate
conical covering trichomes normally composed of three to four cells together with
short glandular trichomes are few in numbers and are observed notably at the lower
epidermis. The leaf is unilateral having two layers of palisade tissues beneath the
upper epidermis. Some of the palisade cells have characteristic structures with the
upper portion of the cell, oval in shape and larger than the lower portion with the
wavy cell walls. The spongy mesophyll cells are ellipsoid to circular in outline and
they are significantly loosely held together. The spongy walls also contain large
cluster crystals of calcium oxalate and some crystals merge to form larger ones. Both
palisade and spongy cells have thick cell walls. The vascular strands of the spongy
mesophyll are intricate and they may form loop-like structures and part of the strands
take the outlines of the adjacent cell walls. The vessels are annularly and spirally
thickened. The petiole and midrib have compactly arranged vascular strands that
contain fibers and also annularly and spirally thickened vessels.( ZCHRTM
unpublished results).
a
b
c
(a). TS of the leaf near the margin showing the upper and lower epidermises, palisade
tissues and spongy tissues embedding vascular tissues. (b). Large cluster crystals of
calcium oxalate in the spongy mesophyll cells of which those adjacent to the vascular
tissues have particular arrangements. (c). Pollen grains of the flowering tops of the
plant usually detected in the powder of the leaf. ( Magnifications: All x 400).
Organoleptic characteristics:
Appearance:
Solid powder
Colour:
Grayish green
Odour:
Straw-like
Taste:
Mucilaginous
Physicochemical constants:
Loss in weight on drying at 1050C (%):
4.80
Solubilities ( % )
Alcohol solubility:
Water solubility:
10% ethanolic extractive:
7.20
41.00
Not done
Ash values (%)
Total ash:
Water soluble ash:
Acid-insoluble ash:
24.60
11.00
13.40
Successive extractive (%)
Petroleum ether (60-800C):
Chloroform:
Absolute alcohol:
Distilled water:
1.60
1.90-2.10
12.00
31.50
pH values
pH of 1% solution:
5.89
pH of 10% solution:
5.41
The above results are under process of publication( DPS ZCHRTM Unpub. Results).
Chemical constituents:
Volatile oils ,geraniol , methyl salicylate, saponins and triterpenoids. ( Encyclopedia
Dorlingkin 1998; DPS, ZCHRTM Unpub. results)
Pharmacological and Toxicological studies:
The pharmacological and toxicological studies carried out in our laboratory and
the results in brief, on Chenopodium murale ( 10% ethanolic extract) have been
given below. The results presented without references showed unpublished data
(UPD, ZCHRTM, DBMS):
ACTIVITY
RESULTS
Anti-inflammatory activity-Rat paw
oedema
Not found effective.
Antinociceptive activity-Hot plate
Not found effective.
Antinociceptive activity-Writhing
Not found effective.
Effect on GIT smooth MuscleIsolated rabbit jejunum
Reduction in amplitude.
Effect on GIT smooth MuscleIsolated rat fundus
Very significant contraction noticed.
Gross behavioral studiesTremor/Twitches
No tremors observed.
Gross behavioral studies-Writhing
No Writings observed.
Gross behavioral studies- Diarrhea,
Urination
No diarrhea recorded.
Mortality
No death reported.
Motor co-ordination (String &
Platform test)
Motor coordination not affected.
Acute toxicity studies
No toxic symptoms observed.
LD50 evaluation
>10 g/kg.
Sub-acute toxicity studies
On 15 days treatment, biochemical profile
found changed.
Biochemical studies
AST reduced; produced other chemical
changes.
Effect on body weight
No change recorded.
Effect on vital organ weight
No change recorded.
Summary of the results:
Chenopodium (Aqueous extract) showed strong GIT smooth muscle (Isolated rat
fundus) contraction. This plant might be useful as laxative agent .
Reference:

Andrews, F.W. The Flowering Plants
(1950&1952) vol 1+II; Arbroath, Scotland.
of
Anglo-Egyptian
Sudan;






Chevallier,A. Encyclopedia of Medicinal plants, Dorlingkindersley
(London)1996 : 186.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Zyed Complex for Herbal Research and
Traditional Medicine, Unpublished results.
Department of Pharmacognostic Sciences, Zyed Complex for Herbal
Research and Traditional Medicine ( ZCHRTM ), unpublished results .
Jongbloed, M.V. The Comprehensive Guide to the Wild Flowers of the united
Arab Emirates, Erwda, (2003) Emirates Printing Press, Dubai, U.A.E.
Julich, Ali NA, WD, Kusnick C, Lindequist U. (2000) Screening of
Yemeni medicinal plants for antibacterial and cytotoxic activities. J
Ethnopharmacol. 74(2): 173-9.
Western, A. R. The Flora of United Arab Emirates, an introduction. (1986)
Publication of the UAE University.
. ‫( ﻣﻄﺒﻌﺔ ﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ اﻹﻣﺎرات‬1995)،‫اﻷﻋﺸﺎب ﻓﻲ دوﻟﺔ اﻹﻣﺎرات اﻟﻌﺮﺑﯿﺔ اﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪة‬. ‫ ﻓﻮزي‬،‫ﻛﺮﯾﻢ‬
