Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston
Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston (Ma-Kwaen): What is it?
Zanthoxy Lumlimonella Alston is an herbaceous plant that is known for its Thai name as “ma-kwaen”. This plant has been distributed across the world due to its immense benefits. Zanthoxy Lumlimonella Alston can be found in evergreen and dry deciduous forests, and is described to be a deciduous, aromatic, medium to large-sized tree, belonging to the citrus or Rutaceae family. It is also regarded as a ‘King of Spices’ in northern part of Thailand as it offers a pleasant odor, mild numbing and spicy sensation similarly to those flavors found in chili or pepper. This spice, therefore, has been usually applied for food, perfumery and cosmetics, such as, aromatherapy massage oil products, or even mosquito repellent. Another outstanding characteristic of Zanthoxy Lumlimonella Alston that has been long recognized for is its major bioactive compound, Limonene which exhibits high level of anti-oxidant activity. Nowadays, the plant has been widely utilized as a medicinal material in many parts of the world for different medical purposes, especially for traditional medicine to improve health and well-being.
Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston: What it does?
- Treatment for Cancer
Throughout the years, the use of Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston has been proven to be a very valuable plant for traditional medical, used to treat various diseases, one of them is cancer. The major compound found in the plant are Limonene, Sabinene and Terpinen. Limonene and Sabinene are one of the major compounds that contains high concentration of anti-oxidant agent. Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston has therefore been suggested as an excellent dietary source for cancer prevention, boosting the immune system to counteract the effects of free radicals that damage DNA, leading to cancer. As an antioxidant, Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston can potentially prevent cell damage and reduce the risk of cancer.
- Anti-microbial (Anti-inflammatory, Anti-microbial and Anti-fungal)
Sabinene is also another key ingredient found in Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston and it is the reason behind the hotness and spicy element of the plant. Apart from providing high anti-oxidant agent, Sabinene and another main compound, Terpinen also exhibit potent anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and antifungal properties, increasing the ability to fight bacterial infections. Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston, therefore, has been used as an antiseptic, for the treatment of dermatophytosis and other inflammatory conditions as well as for food preservatives.
- Other Benefits of Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston.
The traditional use of Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston also reported to be a sustainable alternative for healthcare. Despite its anti-oxidant activities, Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston also contains other promising properties derived from other compounds which occupy a wide range of therapeutic properties including analgesic, anticonvulsant, anthelmintic, antinociceptive, antiparasitic and antitumor properties which can be used as a powerful drug to treat ailments featuring:
- Stomachache, Toothache and Muscle pain
- Intestinal worms
- Rheumatism
- Scabies
- Snakebites
- Malaria
- Fever
- Cholera
Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston also helps boost immune system since it has anti-oxidant agent which supports the function of the body, help preventing and slowing free radical that frequently cause various diseases including, cardiovascular disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and the ageing process.
Chemical Composition
LIMONENE
SABINENE
TERPINOLENE
Side Effect
There are no reported side effects with the use of Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston on humans.
OFFICIAL RESEARCH
Anti-bacteria Activity
The result from a study showed that essential oils from Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston had broad spectrum antibacterial activity to Gram positive and negative bacteria. This is in accordance with other studies that showed broad spectrum antibacterial activity (4-8/8 mg/mL) against bacterial, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.
Anti-oxidant Activity
In a study investigating the antibacterial from the essential oils from Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston reported to a strong presence of antioxidant with IC50 value of 5.66 mg/mL. The result of the antioxidative potential of Z. limonella indicated that crude extracts from stems and essential oil from fruits of Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston exhibited the antioxidant activity related to the regulation of CAT and GSH enzymes in prostate cancer cells.
Anti-malaria and Antituberculous Acitivities
Numerous studies showed that the crude extract Zanthoxylum Limonella Alston exhibited antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum and antituberculous activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37 Ra.
