Andrographis paniculata

Scientific name: Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Wall. ex Nees

Synonym: Justicia paniculata Burm. f.

Botanical family: ACANTHACEAE

Vernacular names

(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)

Jamaica:

rice bitters

Geographical distribution

Native to India and Sri Lanka, cultivated or naturalised in Asia and the Caribbean

Botanical description

Very ramified herb, up to 50 cm in height. Ovate-lanceolate to elliptic leaves, 1.5 to 7 cm long and 1 to 2.5 cm wide, glabrous, pale green on the underside, 3 to 5 secondary veins on each side of the central nerve, entire margin, acute to short acuminate apex. Terminal inflorescences in panicles with secondary leaves; glabrous to sparsely pubescent rachis, triangular to subulate bracts. White flowers from 1.5 to 2 cm, with purple dots. Fruits in the form of an ellipsoid capsule, glabrous or pubescent with trichomes at the tip. Rugose seeds, from 2 to 1.5 mm.

Voucher(s)

Picking,35472,UWI

blood cleanse (depurative*)

aerial parts or entire plant, fresh or dry, decoction, orally¹

*depurative: taken as a prophylactic measure to maintain health
by improving detoxification and helping to reduce the
accumulation of metabolic waste products in the body Some
respondents say that “cleaning” the blood resolves any skin
problems¹.

For “blood cleanse” (depurative):
prepare a decoction with 3 grams of the aerial parts or the whole plant in 1 cup of water (250 millilitres), boil for 10 minutes in a covered container. Leave to cool, strain (filter) and drink 2 cup a day.

Preparations must never be stored for more than 24 hours, even if refrigerated.

According to the information available:

The use of the aerial parts of the entire plant in decoction taken orally as a depurative is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys, the toxicity studies and the scientific information published.

Not for use during pregnancy, breastfeeding^2-3 or in children under 12 years of age.

Oral administration of leaf powder suspension (2 g/kg), alcoholic extract suspension (2.4 g/kg) or andrographolide (3 mg/kg) in mice, females and males, did not demonstrate acute toxicity effects²⁶.

The ethanolic extract of aerial parts (up to 600 mg/kg) orally in rats did not cause any toxic effect²⁷.

The alcoholic extract (50%) (15 g/kg) orally in mice revealed no evidence of toxicity. The LD₅₀ of the extract administered orally or subcutaneously was > 15 g/kg²⁸.

Subchronic toxicity of leaf powder was evaluated for 6 months with 96 Wistar rats divided into control groups, (0.12, 1.2 and 2.4 g/kg/day) equivalent to 1, 10 and 20 times the therapeutic dose in humans (6 g/day/person 50 kg). Potential toxic effects were assessed by observing and measuring growth rate (body weight), food consumption, clinical signs, haematological and biochemical values in serum and histopathological changes. No evidence of abnormalities was found in the doses analysed²⁸.

The ethanolic extract (70%) from aerial parts (20, 200 and 1000 mg/kg/60 days) administered orally in male Sprague-Dawley rats (160 ± 12 g) did not cause testicular toxicity, evaluated by the weight of reproductive organs, testicular histology, ultra-structural analysis of Leydig cells and testosterone levels¹⁹.

The alcoholic extract of airborne parts, (1020 mg/person/day/5 days) orally in two double-blind trials with 50 and 90 human adults, relieved cold and sinus symptoms^23-24.

A phase I clinical study of a phytomedicine based on aerial parts concluded that at 87.7 and 175.4 mg/ml it is safe in relation to the effects on male sterility orally route at doses corresponding to up to 3 times the daily dose for humans for 10 days (the daily therapeutic dose is 60 mg of andrographolides)³⁰.

There is no information available documenting the safety of use in children, during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

The leaf contains one diterpene lactone: andrographolide (2.39%), which has been reported as the most active secondary metabolite in the plant⁴, there are also diterpenoids, deoxyandrographolide, 19-β-D-glucoside⁵, neo-andrographolide (C₂₀H₃₀O₅)⁶, 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide (andrographolide D), 14-deoxy-14, 15-didehydroandrographolide, isoandrographolide, homoandrographolide, diterpene lactones: andrographan, andrographon, andrographosterin, flavonoids: 7-O- methylwogonin, anisiline, apigenin and stigmasterol^7-9.

Four lactones have been isolated from the aerial parts of the herb: chuanxinlian A (deoxyandrographolide), B (andrographolide), C (neoandrographolide) and D (14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide)¹⁰; ent-labdane type diterpenoids identified as: 14-deoxy-12-hydroxyandrographolide, 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide, 14-deoxyandrographolide, andrographolide, and neoandrographolide; two diterpene glucosides and four diterpenic dimers (bis-andrographolides A, B, C, and D)^10-11. 5,7,2’,3’-tetramethoxyflavone and 5-hydroxy- 7,2’,3’-trimethoxyflavone have been isolated from the whole plant¹².

The herb contains diterpenoids, flavonoids and polyphenols as the most important bioactive components, and there are also lactones^13-14.

The aqueous leaf extract showed in vitro activity against Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomona aeruginosa with MIC of 2 µg/disc¹⁵.

An ethanolic leaf extract inhibited the in vitro growth of Staphylococcus aureus¹⁶.

The methanolic extract (50%) of the leaf inhibited the in vitro growth of Proteus vulgaris¹⁷. However, no in vitro antibacterial activity was observed when dry powder from aerial parts was tested against Staphylococcus aureus or Shigella species¹⁸.

The aqueous extract (decoction) of aerial parts in patients with infectious hepatitis produced relief of symptoms¹⁹.

The ethanolic extract of airborne parts (25 mg/kg) orally in mice stimulated a nonspecific immune response²⁰.

The administration of raw extracts (aqueous and alcoholic) of A. paniculata to ICR male mice did not significantly modify the total hepatic content of cytochrome P450²¹.

The aqueous and ethanolic extracts of dried stem and leaf powder (with 1.62% andrographolide, main dieterpenoid, on weight basis), in vivo, to male ICR mouse (20-25 g), 3-5 animals per group, 4 groups treated once a day. Groups 1 and 2 received 3-MC (100 mg/kg/day i.p.) in olive oil (100 mg/kg/day/3 days) in normal saline; groups 3 and 4 received oral aqueous or alcoholic extract dissolved in distilled water (equivalent to 5 mg/kg/day andrographolide) for 7, 14, 21 and 30 days, the control group received no treatment. The results indicate that the extracts could activate the P450 liver cytochrome enzymes²¹.

The aqueous extract from the leaves (500 mg/kg, single or repeated doses for 15 consecutive days) orally or its bitter principle, andrographolide (5 mg/kg), in adult male albino rats (125-150 g) showed more protective action on carbon tetrachloride induced liver toxicity than its bitter principle, andrographolide²².

The alcoholic extract of airborne parts, (1020 mg/person/day/5 days) orally in two double-blind trials with 50 and 90 human adults, relieved cold and sinus symptoms^23-24.

Andrographolides are attributed with hepatoprotective properties, due to their activity on the enzymes of the hepatic metabolism, as is the case of the cytochrome P450 complex²⁵.

Pharmacopoeia

Ed.3

References

1 PICKING D, MITCHELL S, DELGODA R, YOUNGER N, 2011
TRAMIL survey. Natural Products Institute, The Biotechnology Centre & Tropical Metabolic Research Institute, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.

2 BONE K, 1999
Clinical applications of Ayurvedic and Chinese Herbs. Queensland, Australia: Phytotherapy Press.

3 WHO, 2004
Herba Andrographidis. WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants, Vol 2. Geneva, Switzerland. p:20.

4 SHARMA A, KRISHAN L, HANDA SS, 1992
Standardization of the Indian crude drug kalmegh by high pressure liquid chromatographic determination of andrographolide. Phytochem Anal 3:129-131.

5 WEIMING C, XIAOTIAN L, 1982
Deoxyandrographolide 19β-D-glucoside from the leaves of Andrographis paniculata. Planta Med 45:245-246.

6 CHEM W, LIANG X, 1982
Deoxyandrographolide 19β-D-glucoside from the leaves of A. paniculata. Planta Medica 15:245-246.

7 SIRIPONG P, KONGKATHIP B, PREECHANUKOOL K, PICHA P, TUNSUWAN K, TAYLOR WC, 1992
Cytotoxic diterpenoid constituents from Andrographis paniculata, Nees leaves, J Sci Soc Th 18:187-194.

8 KEEFE JH, GHEEWALA NM, O’KEEFE JO, 2008
Dietary strategies for improving post-prandial glucose, lipids, inflammation and cardiovascular health. J Am Coll Cardiol 51:249-255.

9 HONG YH, CHAO WW, CHEN ML, LIN BF, 2009
Ethyl acetate extracts of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) sprouts inhibit lipopolysaccharide induced inflammation in vitro and in vivo. J Biomed Sci 16:64-75.

10 CHANG HM, BUT PPH, 1986
Pharmacology and applications of Chinese materia medica. Vol. 1. Singapore, World Scientific 1:918–928.

11 MATSUDA T, KUROYANAGI M, SUGIYAMA S, 1994
Cell differentiation-inducing diterpenes from Andrographis paniculata Nees. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 42:1216-1225.

12 KOTESWARA RAO Y, VIMALAMMA G, RAO CV, TZENG YM, 2004
Flavonoids and andrographolides from Andrographis paniculata. Phytochemistry 65:2317-2321.

13 RAO YK, VIMALAMMA G, RAO CV, TZENG Y, 2004
Flavonoids and andrographolides from Andrographis paniculata. Phytochemistry 65:2317-2321.

14 RAO YK, VIMALAMMA G, RAO CV, TZENG Y, 2010
A new diterpene from the leaves of Andrographis paniculata Nees. Fitoterapia 81(6):610-613.

15 ZAIDAN MRS, NOOR RA, BADRUL AR, ADLIN A, NORAZAH A, ZAKIAH I, 2005
In vitro screening of five local medicinal plants for antibacterial activity using disc diffusion method. Tropical Biomedicine 22(2):165- 170.

16 GEORGE M, PANDALAI KM, 1949
Investigations on plant antibiotics. Part IV. Further search for antibiotic substances in Indian medicinal plants. Indian J of Medical Research 37:169–181.

17 NAKANISHI K, SASAKI S, KIANG AK, GOH J, KAKISAWA H, OHASHI M, GOTO M, WATANABE J, YOKOTANI H, MATSUMURA C, TOGASHI M, 1965
Phytochemical survey of Malaysian plants: preliminary chemical and pharmacological screening. Chem Pharm Bull 13:882–890.

18 LEELARASAMEE A, TRAKULSOMBOON S, SITTISOMWONG N, 1990
Undetectable antibacterial activity of Andrographis paniculata (Burm) Wall. ex Nees. J of the Medical Association of Thailand 73(6):299–304.

19 CHATURVEDI GN, 1983
Clinical studies on kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata) in infectious hepatitis. J of the International Institute of Ayurveda 2:208–211.

20 PURI A, SAXENA R, SAXENA RP, SAXENA KC, SRIVASTAVA V, TANDON JS, 1993
Immunostimulant agents from Andrographis paniculata. J Nat Prod, 56(7):995–999.

21 JARUKAMJORN K, DON-IN K, MAKEJARUSKUL C, LAHA T, DAODEE S, PEARAKSA P, SRIPANIDKULCHAI BO, 2006
Impact of Andrographis paniculata crude extract on mouse hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes. J Ethnopharmacol 105(3):464-467.

22 CHOUDHURY BR, PODDAR MK, 1984
Andrographolide and kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata) extract: in vivo and in vitro effect on hepatic lipid peroxidation. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol 6(9):481-485.

23 MELCHIOR J, PALM S, WIKMAN G, 1996
Controlled clinical study of standardized Andrographis paniculata extract in common cold. Phytomedicine 3(4):315-318.

24 GABRIELIAN ES, SHUKARIAN AK, GOUKASOVA GI, CHANDANIAN GL, PANOSSIAN AG, WIKMAN G, WAGNER H, 2002
A double blind, placebo-controlled study of Andrographis paniculata fixed combination Kan Jang in the treatment of acute upper respiratory tract infections including sinusitis. Phytomedicine 9(7): 589–597.

25 CHANDER R, SRIVASTAVA V, TANDON JS, KAPOOR NK, 199
Antihepatotoxic activity of diterpenes of Andrographis paniculata (kalmegh) against Plasmodium berghei-induced hepatic damage in Mastomys natalensis. Pharm Biol 33:135-138.

26 DHAMMAUPAKORN P, CHAICHANTIPYUTH C, 1989
Acute and subchronic toxicity studies of Andrographis paniculata in rats and mice. Abstr. the 8th Symp, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chulalongkorn University Bangkok, Thailand.

27 VEDAVATHY S, RAO KN, 1991
Antipyretic activity of six indigenous medicinal plants of Tirumala Hills, Andhra Pradesh, India. J Ethnopharmacol 33:193-196.

28 SITHISOMWONGSE N, PHENGCHATA J, CHEEWAPATANA S, 198
Acute and chronic toxicity of Andrographis paniculata Nee. Th J Pharm Sci 14(2):109-117.

29 BURGOS RA, CABALLERO EE, SANCHEZ NS, SCHROEDER RA, WIKMAN GK, HANCKE JL, 1997
Testicular toxicity assesment of Andrographis paniculata dried extract in rats. J Ethnopharmacol 58:219-224.

30 MKRTCHYANA A, PANOSYANA V, PANOSSIANB A, WIKMANB G, WAGNERC H, 2005
A phase I clinical study of Andrographis paniculata fixed combination Kan JangTM versus ginseng and valerian on the semen quality of healthy male subjects. Phytomedicine 12:403–409.

Disclaimer

The information provided is for educational purposes only for the benefit of the general public and health professionals. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. Since some parts of plants could be toxic, might induce side effects, or might have interactions with certain drugs, anyone intending to use them or their products must first consult with a physician or another qualified health care professional. TRAMIL has no responsibility whatsoever towards the user for any decision, action or omission made in relation to the information contained in this Pharmacopoeia.

Main navigation

TRAMILibrary