Elephantopus

Elephantopus
Elephantopus scaber in India
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Vernonieae[1]
Genus: Elephantopus
Species

Twelve or more[2]

Elephantopus is a genus of at least twelve species of perennials in the daisy family. Several species are native to the southeastern United States,[3] and at least one is native to India and the Himalayas.[4]

Uses

E. scaber is a traditional medicine[5] and other species, including E. mollis[6] and E. carolinianus,[7] have also been investigated for medicinal properties. E. scaber contains elephantopin which is a germacranolide sesquiterpene lactone containing two lactone rings and an epoxide functional group, and it has shown to have an antitumour activity.[8]

References

  1. ^ "187d. Asteraceae Martinov tribe Vernonieae Cassini". Flora of North America. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=20545. 
  2. ^ "29. Elephantopus Linnaeus". Flora of North America. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=111427. 
  3. ^ "Elephantopus L.". USDA PLANTS. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ELEPH. 
  4. ^ Press, J.R., Shrestha, K.K. & Sutton, D.A.. "Elephantopus L.". Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=110&taxon_id=111427. Retrieved 2009-06-15. 
  5. ^ Poli, A; Nicolau, M; Simoes, Cm; Nicolau, Rm; Zanin, M (Aug 1992). "Preliminary pharmacologic evaluation of crude whole plant extracts of Elephantopus scaber. Part I: in vivo studies". Journal of ethnopharmacology 37 (1): 71–6. doi:10.1016/0378-8741(92)90005-C. ISSN 0378-8741. PMID 1453704. 
  6. ^ Tabopda, Tk; Liu, J; Ngadjui, Bt; Luu, B (Apr 2007). "Cytotoxic triterpene and sesquiterpene lactones from Elephantopus mollis and induction of apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells". Planta medica 73 (4): 376–80. doi:10.1055/s-2007-967132. ISSN 0032-0943. PMID 17366372. 
  7. ^ Lee, Kh; Cowherd, Cm; Wolo, Mt (Sep 1975). "Antitumor agents. XV: Deoxyelephantopin, an antitumor principle from Elephantopus carolinianus Willd". Journal of pharmaceutical sciences 64 (9): 1572–3. doi:10.1002/jps.2600640938. ISSN 0022-3549. PMID 1185584. 
  8. ^ "Antitumor activity of elephantopus scaber linn against dalton's ascitis lymphoma". Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 64 (1): 71–3. 2002 Jan-Feb. http://medind.nic.in/imvw/imvw282.html