TY - JOUR
T1 - Ethnobotany, leaf anatomy, essential oil composition and antibacterial activity of Pteronia onobromoides (Asteraceae)
AU - Hulley, I. M.
AU - Viljoen, A. M.
AU - Tilney, P. M.
AU - Vuuren, S. F.Van
AU - Kamatou, G. P.P.
AU - Van Wyk, B. E.
PY - 2010/1
Y1 - 2010/1
N2 - Available ethnobotanical information on Pteronia onobromoides (first recorded in 1685) indicates that the plant was once of considerable cultural and commercial importance and that it was powdered, mixed with fat, and applied to the skin for cosmetic and/or medicinal purposes. Sâb, as well as Son or San, are considered to be the original Nama names for this aromatic bush and also the origin of various names for San people, such as Sonqua and Bushman. A study of the leaf anatomy showed that essential oil is produced in globose oil glands situated below some of the vascular bundles in the spongy parenchyma, adjacent to the palisade parenchyma. The oil is relatively complex but contains a combination of myrcene, limonene, 1,8-cineole and p-cymene as main compounds, with smaller amounts of sabinene, trans-linalooloxide, linalool, terpinen-4-ol, α-terpineol, eugenol, thymol and α-phellandrene. Dichloromethane extracts exhibited antibacterial activity (especially against Staphylococcus epidermidis) with MIC values as low as 0.83 mg/ml. Other solvent extracts and the essential oil itself were less active. The results show that the traditional method of mixing powdered leaves with fat and applying it to the skin may have had deodorant, disinfectant and medicinal benefits.
AB - Available ethnobotanical information on Pteronia onobromoides (first recorded in 1685) indicates that the plant was once of considerable cultural and commercial importance and that it was powdered, mixed with fat, and applied to the skin for cosmetic and/or medicinal purposes. Sâb, as well as Son or San, are considered to be the original Nama names for this aromatic bush and also the origin of various names for San people, such as Sonqua and Bushman. A study of the leaf anatomy showed that essential oil is produced in globose oil glands situated below some of the vascular bundles in the spongy parenchyma, adjacent to the palisade parenchyma. The oil is relatively complex but contains a combination of myrcene, limonene, 1,8-cineole and p-cymene as main compounds, with smaller amounts of sabinene, trans-linalooloxide, linalool, terpinen-4-ol, α-terpineol, eugenol, thymol and α-phellandrene. Dichloromethane extracts exhibited antibacterial activity (especially against Staphylococcus epidermidis) with MIC values as low as 0.83 mg/ml. Other solvent extracts and the essential oil itself were less active. The results show that the traditional method of mixing powdered leaves with fat and applying it to the skin may have had deodorant, disinfectant and medicinal benefits.
KW - Asteraceae
KW - Buchu
KW - Essential oil
KW - Ethnobotany
KW - Leaf anatomy
KW - MIC values
KW - Pteronia onobromoides
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=71349083339&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.sajb.2009.06.012
DO - 10.1016/j.sajb.2009.06.012
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:71349083339
SN - 0254-6299
VL - 76
SP - 43
EP - 48
JO - South African Journal of Botany
JF - South African Journal of Botany
IS - 1
ER -