Bryophyllum pinnatum

Scientific name: Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken

Synonym: Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers

Botanical family: CRASSULACEAE

Vernacular names

(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)

Dominican Republic:

bruja

Haiti:

fey choche
lou gawou

Guatemala:

hoja del aire

Honduras:

hoja del aire

Colombia:

leaf of life
tree of life

Costa Rica:

leaf of life

Martinique:

zèb maltèt

Geographical distribution

Native to Madagascar, cultivated and naturalised in the American tropics.

Botanical description

Herbaceous succulent, perennial, glabrous, up to 1.5 m. Leaves often pinnate compound, 10 to 30 cm; leaflets oblong, oval or elliptic, obtuse, crenate; margins with buds. Panicles from 10 to
40 cm; calyx urceolate, oblong-bell shaped, from 3 to 3.5 cm; reddish corolla up to 7 cm.

Voucher(s)

Girón,166,CFEH
Ochoa,274,HPMHV
Rouzier,42,SOE
Jiménez,11,JBSD
Pinzón,21893,CUVC
Picking,35466,UWI

cough

leaf, decoction, orally⁶

cold

leaf, juice, orally⁵

vomiting

leaf, worn as an amulet around the neck⁷

headhache

crushed leaf, applied on forehead^1-4

For headaches:
wash 2-3 fresh leaves adequately, crush them and apply on the forehead or head. Cover with a bandage or a handkerchief.
Repeat 4 times a day.

For colds or coughs:
prepare a decoction with 15 grams of fresh leaves in 2 cups (1⁄2 litre) of water, boil for 5 minutes in a covered vessel. Leave to cool, strain (filter) and drink 1 cup 3 times a day for 3 to 7 days.
and/or
adequately wash 5 to 7 fresh leaves, crush them in a mortar until the juice is squeezed out. Pour the juice into a spoon and take 1 tablespoon (15 cc) 3 times a day for 3 to 7 days.

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

The use in an amulet against vomiting constitutes an integral part of the cultural heritage of our communities and is not classified in the categories defined by TRAMIL.

According to the information available:

The use for headaches, colds and coughs is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in TRAMIL surveys and toxicity studies.

If deterioration is observed in the patient or the headache persists for more than 2 days, or the cold or cough for more than 7 days, seek medical attention. Not for use during pregnancy, breastfeeding or in children.

TRAMIL Works^29-30
The pure fresh juice (obtained by crushing the leaves) and the aqueous extract (decoction at a concentration of 312.5 mg/ml)freeze-dried from the leaves (0.5 ml/day/5 days), was administered orally in Hsd:ICR mice (5 males and 5 females), OECD 423 protocol. The control was carried out with distilled and deionised water (0.4 ml/animal/day) with another 10 mice of the same strain and characteristics. They had a 12-day observation period. In both cases, no mortality occurred, and no signs of toxicity were observed during the test or in the subsequent observation.

TRAMIL Work³¹
The pure fresh juice (obtained by crushing the leaves, 1 ml/day/5days) was applied topically to 3 New Zealand rabbits, on a 10 x 5 cm area of skin on the back, wounded with scalpel cuts, protocol USP 27 NF22, OECD 404. The control was carried out with distilled and deionised water to the same rabbit on the
contralateral side. They had a 12-day observation period. No abnormal symptoms, erythema or oedema were present during the test or subsequent observation.

The whole plant (790 mg/kg), orally in rats, showed no toxic effects³².

The hydroalcoholic extract (50%) of the whole plant, intraperitoneally in mice, showed a maximum tolerated toxic dose of LD₅₀ = 1 mg/kg³³.

The methanolic extract from dried leaves (2400 mg/kg), intraperitoneally in male mice, did not produce any general toxic effects³⁴.

The aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts (95%) from fresh stems and leaves, intraperitoneally in mice, showed a minimum toxic dose of 1 ml/animal²¹.

Death was reported in two adult bovines within 48 hours after the ingestion of a large quantity of the plant. The clinical signs of intoxication were hypersalivation, ataxia, severe cardiac arrhythmia and difficulty breathing. Necropsies showed rumenitis (inflammation of the main stomach), reduced bronchial lumen and emphysema³⁵.

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

TRAMIL Worl¹⁰

Preliminary phytochemical selection (leaf)

alkaloids:	-	saponosides:	-
flavonoids:	+	phenolic complements:	+
quinones:	+	tannins:	-
steroids, terpenoids:	-

The aerial part contains flavonoids: astragalin, quercetin derivatives¹¹, kaempferol¹²; benzenoids: syringic, 4-hydroxybenzoic, caffeic, ρ-coumaric and ferulic acids¹²; bufadienolides: bersaldegenin-3-acetate, bryophyllin C, bryotoxin B¹³, 1,3,5,14-tetrahydroxy-19-oxobufa-20,22- dienolide¹⁴; steroids: β-sitosterol, campesterol, among others¹⁵; triterpenes: α-amyrin¹⁶, β-amyrin, bryophollenone, bryophollone, bryophynol¹⁷; organic acids: acetic, citric, malic, oxalic and succinic acids¹⁸; alkanes¹⁶.

The methanolic extract from dried leaves (100 mg/kg) intraperitoneally in male mice, model of acetic acid induced contractions, produced an analgesic effect (but not in tail-pressure models), central nervous system depression and increased sleep time; with doses of 300 mg/kg, it increased the level of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) and caused relaxation of the skeletal muscle¹⁹.

The aqueous extract from dried leaves (1.6 g/kg) orally in rats, carrageenan-induced leg oedema model, showed anti- inflammatory activity²⁰.

The aqueous and ethanolic extracts from fresh leaves (0.33 ml/l) on the isolated guinea pig ileum showed spasmogenic properties²¹.

One aqueous leaf extract, orally in guinea pigs, showed no antitussive activity²².

In a series of 50 patients with trophic leg ulcers, 46 were cured by local application of leaf juice²³.

The plant is attributed with healing and antiseptic properties and its tolerance to topical application is very good, its effects being superior to those of Aloe spp²⁴.

Bryophyllin is attributed with antiseptic properties25-26; coumaric acid, bactericide; ferulic acid with analgesic and antispasmodic properties^27-28.

Pharmacopoeia

Ed.3

References

1 WENIGER B, 1987-88
Encuesta TRAMIL. enda-caribe, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.

2 GIRON L, 1988
Encuesta TRAMIL (Costa atlántica). Centro Mesoamericano de Tecnología CEMAT, Guatemala, Guatemala.

3 LONGUEFOSSE JL, NOSSIN E, 1990-95
Enquête TRAMIL. Association pour la valorisation des plantes médicinales de la Caraïbe AVPMC, Fort de France, Martinique.

4 LAGOS-WITTE S, 1988-89, 1996
Encuesta TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Histología Vegetal y Etnobotánica, Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras UNAH, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

5 BOULOGNE I, 2009
Enquête TRAMIL, (Terre-de-Bas et Terre-de-Haut) Les Saintes, UAG, Guadeloupe.

6 OCAMPO R, 1988
Encuesta TRAMIL (Costa atlántica), Instituto de Desarrollo Agrario, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.

7 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.

8 PINZON M, 1994
Encuesta TRAMIL (Isla de San Andrés). Laboratorio de Fitofarmacología, Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.

9 WENIGER B, ROUZIER M, 1986
Enquête TRAMIL. Service Oecuménique d’Entraide SOE, Port au Prince, Haïti.

10 WENIGER B, SAVARY H, DAGUIHL R, 1984
Tri phytochimique de plantes de la liste TRAMIL. Laboratoire de chimie des substances
naturelles, Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie, Université d’Etat d’Haïti, Port au Prince, Haïti.

11 GAIND KN, GUPTA RL, 1971
Flavonoid glycosides from Kalanchoe pinnata. Planta Med 20(4):368-373.

12 GAIND KN, GUPTA RL, 1973
Phenolic components from the leaves of Kalanchoe pinnata. Planta Med 23(12):149- 153.

13 YAMAGISHI T, YAN X, WU R, MC PHAIL D, MC PHAIL A, LEE K, 1988
Structure and stereochemistry of bryophyllin-A, a novel potent cytotoxic bufadienolide orthoacetate from Bryophyllum pinnatum. Chem Pharm Bull 36(4):1615-1617.

14 YAN XZ, LEE KS, YAMAGISHI T, 1992
Isolation and identification of cytotoxic components from Bryophyllum pinnatum. Shanghai Yike Daxue Xuebao 19(3):206-208.

15 AKIHISA T, KOKKE W, TAMURA T, MATSUMOTO T, 1991
Sterols of Kalanchoe pinnata: first report of the isolation of both C-24 epimers of 24- alkyl-delta-25-sterols from a higher plant. Lipids 26(8):660-665.

16 GAIND KN, GUPTA RL, 1972
Alkanes, alkanols, triterpenes and sterols from Kalanchoe pinnata. Phytochemistry 11(4):1500-1502.

17 SIDDIQUI S, FAIZI S, SIDDIQUI B, SULTANA N, 1989
Triterpenoids and phenanthrenes from leaves of Bryophyllum pinnatum. Phytochemistry 28(9):2433-2438.

18 BULEN WA, VARNER JE, BURRELL RC, 1952
Separation of organic acids from plant tissues. Anal Chem 24:187-190.

19 PAL S, SEN T, CHAUDHURI AK, 1999
Neuropsychopharmacological profile of the methanolic fraction of Bryophyllum pinnatum leaf extract. J Pharm Pharmacol 51(3):313-318.

20 HEMA D, TIDJANI M, BASSENE E, POUSSET JL, GIONO-BARBER H, 1986
African medicinal plants. XXIV. Study of the antiinflammatory activity of Bryophyllum pinnatum. Plant Med Phytother 20(3):231-235.

21 FENG P, HAYNES L, MAGNUS K, PLIMMER J, SHERRAT H, 1962
Pharmacological screening of some West Indian medicinal plants. J Pharm Pharmacol 14:556-561.

22 ANDRONOVA L, 1972
Antitussive properties of certain medical plants. Rast Resur 8:588-591.

23 BERSHTEJN E, 1972
Utilisation du jus de Kalanchoe pinnata dans le traitement des ulcères trophiques de la jambe. Vest Khir URSS 108(3):116-118.

24 SVANIDZE N, LANOVENKLY V, SÁNCHEZ A, RODRÍGUEZ P, 1975
Kalanchoe pinnata como planta medicinal en Cuba. Rev Cub Farm 9(3):225-228.

25 BOAKYE-YIADOM K, 1977
Antimicrobial properties of some West African medicinal plants. 1. Antimicrobial action of Bryophyllum pinnatum. Quart J Crude Res 15:201-202.

26 PERRY LM, METZGER J, 1980
Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia: attributed properties and uses. Cambridge, USA: MIT Press.

27 DUKE JA, 1992
Handbook of biologically active phytochemicals and their bioactivities. Boca Raton, USA: CRC Press.

28 DUKE JA, 1992
Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS Herbs and other economic plants. Boca Raton, USA: CRC Press.

29 PAZOS L, COTO T, GONZALEZ S, 2003
Toxicidad oral, aguda en ratones, de la hoja de Kalanchoe pinnata. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Ensayos Biológicos LEBi, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.

30 PAZOS L, COTO T, GONZALEZ S, 2003
Toxicidad oral, aguda en ratones, del extracto acuoso del zumo de la hoja de Kalanchoe pinnata. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Ensayos Biológicos LEBi, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.

31 PAZOS L, COTO T, GONZALEZ S, 2003
Estudio de irritabilidad dérmica, en piel lesionada de conejo, de hoja fresca machacada de Kalanchoe pinnata. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Ensayos Biológicos LEBi, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.

32 YOKEL R, OGZEWALLA CD, 1981
Effects of plant ingestion in rats determined by the conditioned taste aversion procedure. Toxicon 19(2):223-232.

33 BHAKUNI O, DHAR ML, DHAR MM, DHAWAN BN, MEHROTRA BN, 1969
Screening of Indian plants for biological activity. Part II. Indian J Exp Biol 7:250-262.

34 PAL S, SEN T, CHAUDHURI AKN,1999
Neuropsychopharmacological profile of the methanolic fraction of Bryophyllum pinnatum leaf extract. J Pharm Pharmacol 51(3):313-318.

35 REPPAS GP, 1995
Bryophyllum pinnatum poisoning of cattle. Aust Vet J 72(11):425-427.

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.

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