Vitex negundo

Five-leaved chaste tree
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Genus:	Vitex
Species:	V. negundo
Binomial name
Vitex negundo L.[1]
Synonyms
Vitex cannabifolia Siebold & Zucc. Vitex incisa Lam. Vitex incisa var. heterophylla Franch. Vitex negundo var. heterophylla (Franch.) Rehder

In vitro flowering in Vitex

Vitex negundo, commonly known as the five-leaved chaste tree, is a large aromatic shrub with quadrangular, densely whitish, tomentose branchlets. It is widely used in folk medicine, particularly in South and Southeast Asia.

It is known under a variety of names in different languages: Tamil: நொச்சி, nochhi; Hindi: निर्गुंडी, nirgundi; Sanskrit: सिन्धुवार, sindhuvara; Filipino: lagundî; Sinhala: නික, nika; and Bengali: Nishinda (নিশিন্দা), among others.

Description

Vitex negundo is an erect shrub or small tree growing from 2 to 8 m (6.6 to 26 ft) in height. The bark is reddish-brown. It leaves are digitate, with five lanceolate leaflets, sometimes three. Each leaflet is around 4 to 10 cm (1.6 to 3.9 in) in length, with the central leaflet being the largest and possessing a stalk. The leaf edges are toothed or serrated and the bottom surface is covered in hair.^[2]

The numerous flowers are borne in panicles 10 to 20 cm (3.9 to 7.9 in) in length. Each is around 6 to 7 cm (2.4 to 2.8 in) long and are white to blue in color. The petals are of different lengths, with the middle lower lobe being the longest. Both the corolla and calyx are covered in dense hairs.^[2]

The fruit is a succulent drupe, 4 mm (0.16 in) in diameter, rounded to egg-shaped. It is black or purple when ripe.^[2]

Distribution and habitat

Vitex negundo is native to tropical Eastern and Southern Africa and Asia. It is widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere.^[1]

Countries it is indigenous to include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, and Vietnam.^[1]

Vitex negundo are commonly found near bodies of water, recently disturbed land, grasslands, and mixed open forests.^[3]

Taxonomy

Vitex negundo belongs to the genus Vitex of the subfamily Viticoideae. It is classified under the family Lamiaceae, but is sometimes placed under Verbenaceae.^[1]

Three varieties are currently recognized:

• Vitex negundo L. var. cannabifolia (Siebold & Zucc.) Hand.-Mazz. - found in China (including Hong Kong), India, Nepal, and Thailand.^[4]
• Vitex negundo L. var. incisa (Lam.) C. B. Clarke - found in China, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.^[5]
• Vitex negundo L. var. negundo - Found in China, Japan, and Taiwan.^[6]

Nomenclature

Common names of Vitex negunda in different languages include:^[7]

• Bengali : Nirgundi; Nishinda; Samalu
• Bontok : Liñgei
• Chinese : Huang jing
• English : Five-leaved chaste tree; Horseshoe vitex; Chinese chaste tree
• Filipino : Lagundî^[3]
• Gujarati : Nagoda; Shamalic
• Hindi : Mewri; Nirgundi; Nisinda; Sambhalu; Sawbhalu (निर्गुंडी)
• Ifugao : Dabtan
• Ilokano : Dangla^[3]
• Kannada : Bile-nekki
• Malayalam : Indrani
• Marathi : Nirgunda
• Punjabi : Banna; Marwan; Maura; Mawa; Swanjan Torbanna
• Sanskrit : Nirgundi; Sephalika; Sindhuvara; Svetasurasa; Vrikshaha (सिन्धुवार)
• Sinhala: Nika
• Tamil : Chinduvaram; Nirnochchi; Nochchi; Notchi; Vellai-nochchi
• Telugu : Sindhuvara; Vavili; Nalla-vavili; Tella-vavili (వావిలి / సింధువార)

Uses

Folk medicine

The leaves of V. negundo possess discutient properties and are applied to rheumatic swellings of the joints and in sprains. They may be applied locally to swellings from rheumatic arthritis and sprains.^{[citation needed]}

The juice of the leaves is used for the treatment of fetid discharges. The principal constituents the leaf juice are casticin, isoorientin, chrysophenol D, luteolin, p–hydroxybenzoic acid and D-fructose.^{[citation needed]} The plant has anti-inflammatory,^[8] antibacterial,^[9] antifungal^[10][11] and analgesic^[8][12][13] activities. These properties are useful in the treatment of superficial bruises, injuries, sores and skin infections.

The essential oil of V. negundo has been used to reduce inflammation and swelling of joints due to rheumatism and injuries.^{[citation needed]} The main constituents of the oil are sabinene, linalool, terpinen-4-ol, β-caryophyllene, α-guaiene and globulol constituting 61.8% of the oil.^{[citation needed]}

Other

Vitex negunda is used for treating stored garlic against pests in the Philippines.^[14]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Vitex negundo L.". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) online database. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?41831. Retrieved September 7, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Vitex negundo Linn. Fact Sheet. Bureau of Plant Industry, Department of Agriculture, Republic of the Philippines. http://www.bpi.da.gov.ph/Publications/mp/pdf/l/lagundi.pdf. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Vitex negundo L. - Lagundi". Prosea Herbal Techno-Catalog. http://hrdc.pcarrd.dost.gov.ph/prosea/proseaherbal/lagundi_doc.htm. Retrieved September 7, 2011. 
4. ^ "Vitex negundo L. var. cannabifolia (Siebold & Zucc.) Hand.-Mazz.". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) online database. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?407833. Retrieved September 7, 2011. 
5. ^ "Vitex negundo L. var. incisa (Lam.) C. B. Clarke". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) online database. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?41832. Retrieved September 7, 2011. 
6. ^ "Vitex negundo L. var. negundo". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) online database. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?457404. Retrieved September 7, 2011. 
7. ^ Vitex negunda in Dr. K. M. Madkarni's Indian Materia Medica; Edited by A. K. Nadkarni, Popular Prakashan, Bombay, 1976, pp: 1278-80.
8. ^ ^{a b} Dharmasiri MG, Jayakody JR, Galhena G, Liyanage SS, Ratnasooriya WD (August 2003). "Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of mature fresh leaves of Vitex negundo". J Ethnopharmacol 87 (2-3): 199–206. doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(03)00159-4. PMID 12860308. http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0378874103001594. 
9. ^ Perumal Samy R, Ignacimuthu S, Sen A (September 1998). "Screening of 34 Indian medicinal plants for antibacterial properties". J Ethnopharmacol 62 (2): 173–82. doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(98)00057-9. PMID 9741889. http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0378-8741(98)00057-9. 
10. ^ Sathiamoorthy B, Gupta P, Kumar M, Chaturvedi AK, Shukla PK, Maurya R (January 2007). "New antifungal flavonoid glycoside from Vitex negundo". Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 17 (1): 239–42. doi:10.1016/j.bmcl.2006.09.051. PMID 17027268. 
11. ^ Damayanti M, Susheela K, Sharma GJ (1996). "Effect of plant extracts and systemic fungicide on the pineapple fruit-rotting fungus, Ceratocystis paradoxa". Cytobios 86 (346): 155–65. PMID 9022263. 
12. ^ Gupta RK, Tandon VR (April 2005). "Antinociceptive activity of Vitex-negundo Linn leaf extract". Indian J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 49 (2): 163–70. PMID 16170984. 
13. ^ Gupta M, Mazumder UK, Bhawal SR (February 1999). "CNS activity of Vitex negundo Linn. in mice". Indian J. Exp. Biol. 37 (2): 143–6. PMID 10641133. 
14. ^ "Lagundi leaves as effective control against storage pests of garlic". Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), Department of Science and Technology, Republic of the Philippines. http://pcarrd.dost.gov.ph/phil-organic/Technologies/lagundi%20against%20garlic%20pests.htm. Retrieved September 7, 2011. 

External links

• Caldecott, Todd (2006). Ayurveda: The Divine Science of Life. Elsevier/Mosby. ISBN 0723434107.  Contains a detailed monograph on Vitex negundo (Nirgundi) as well as a discussion of health benefits and usage in clinical practice. Available online at http://www.toddcaldecott.com/index.php/herbs/learning-herbs/315-nirgundi