Swertia

Swertia
Swertia perennis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Gentianaceae
Genus:	Swertia L.
Type species
Swertia perennis L.
Species
120-150, See text.
Synonyms
Kingdon-Wardia C. Marquand Ophelia D. Don Pleurogyne Eschsch. ex Griseb. Swertopsis Makino Synallodia Raf. Tesseranthium Kellogg Probable synonyms Anagallidium Griseb. Possible synonyms Frasera Walter Lomatogoniopsis T. N. Ho & S. W. Liu Sources: GRIN,[1] ING,[2] NHM[3]

Swertia is a genus in the gentian family containing plants sometimes referred to as the felworts. Some species bear very showy purple and blue flowers.

Plants of genus Frasera are sometimes considered part of this genus, sometimes as a separate genus, and sometimes as synonymous.

Selected species

• Swertia albicaulis (Griseb.) Kuntze
• Swertia albomarginata (S. Watson)
• Swertia angustifolia Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don
• Swertia bimaculata (Siebold & Zucc.) C. B. Clarke
  • Swertia bimaculata (Siebold & Zucc.) Hook. f. & Thoms.
• Swertia calcicola Kerr.
• Swertia caroliniensis (Walter) Kuntze
• Swertia chinensis (Griseb.) Franch.
  • Swertia diluta (Turcz.) Benth. & Hook. f.
• Swertia chirayita (Roxb. ex Fleming) H. Karst.
  • Swertia chirata (Wall.) C. B. Clarke
• Swertia ciliata (D. Don ex G. Don) B. L. Burtt.
• Swertia coloradensis C. M. Rogers
• Swertia dilatata C. B. Clarke
• Swertia fastigiata Pursh
• Swertia hookeri C. B. Clarke
• Swertia japonica (Roem. & Schult.) Makino
• Swertia leducii Franch.
  • Swertia mileensis T. N. Ho & W. L. Shih
• Swertia macrosperma C. B. Clarke
• Swertia multicaulis D. Don
• Swertia neglecta (H.M. Hall) Jeps.
• Swertia nervosa (G. Don) C. B. Clarke
• Swertia paniculata Torr.
• Swertia parryi (Torr.) Kuntze
• Swertia perennis L.
• Swertia puberulenta (Davidson) Jeps.
• Swertia punicea Hemsl.
• Swertia purpurascens (D. Don) A. Wall ex E. D. Clarke
• Swertia radiata (Kellogg) Kuntze, (syn Frasera speciosa)
• Swertia striata Collett & Hemsl.
• Swertia tibetica Batal.
• Swertia tongluensis Burkill
• Swertia tubulosa (Coville) Jeps.

Sources:^[1][4]

Chemical constituents

It contains main chemicals sawertiamarine, mangeferin and amarogenitine^[5]1,5, 8-trihydroxy-3-methoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxyl-2, 3, 5, 7-tetramethoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxyl-3, 5, 8-trimethoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxyl-2, 3, 4, 6-tetramethoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxyl-2, 3, 4, 7-tetramethoxyxanthone, 1,8-dihydroxy-3, 5-dimethoxyxanthone, 1, 7-dihydroxy-3, 8-dimethoxyxanthone, 1, 3, 5, 8-tetrahydroxyxanthone , balanophonin, oleanolic acid, maslinic acid, and sumaresinolic acid^[6]

Swerilactones from Swertia mileensis showed anti-hepatitis B virus activity in vitro^[7]

Medicinal Use

It is used in mainly including gall and liver disorders and these active constituents, especially mangiferin, have been found separately or collectively to have hepatoprotective hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory , antioxidative, antitubercular and antifungal activities together with various ther pharmacological properties.^[8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) (2004-09-23). "Genus: Swertia". Taxonomy for Plants. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program, National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?11742. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
2. ^ "Index Nominum Genericorum database". International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Smithsonian Institution. 1978. http://botany.si.edu/ing/INGsearch.cfm?searchword=Swertia. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
3. ^ "Linnaean Name: Swertia perennis Linnaeus". The Linnaean Plant Name Typification Project. Natural History Museum. http://internt.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-curation/projects/linnaean-typification/detail.dsml?ID=870100. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
4. ^ Porcher, Michel H.; et al. (2004). "Sorting Swertia names". Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database. The University of Melbourne. http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Swertia.html. Retrieved 2008-05-16. 
5. ^ Journal of Ethnopharmacology 98 (2005) 31–35
6. ^ Li XS, Jiang ZY, Wang FS, Ma YB, Zhang XM, Chen JJ "Chemical constituents from herbs of Swertia mileensis" Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2008 Dec;33(23):2790-3
7. ^ Geng CA, Zhang XM, Ma YB, Luo J, Chen JJSwerilactones L-O, secoiridoids with C₁₂ and C₁₃ skeletons from Swertia mileensis. J Nat Prod. 2011 Aug 26;74(8):1822-5
8. ^ Variation of active constituents of an important Tibet folk medicine Huiling Yang, Chenxu Ding, Yuanwen Duan, Jianquan Liu

External links

Media related to Swertia at Wikimedia Commons

• Jepson Manual Treatment
• Picture of Swertia perennis