VINCA ROSEA is used to treat diabetes and cough
Tejaswini M. V.
BSc I Year CBZ,
GFGC, Tumkur
tejutejaswini1@gmail.com Ph: 7349030174
Vinca rosea or Catharanthus roseus is used to treat diabetes and cough. The leaves and stems are a source of the alkaloids that have anti tumor and anti cancer properties. The leaves are used to control diabetes and high blood pressure. Vincarosea is also called as Madagascar periwinkle, rose periwinkle etc. flowering plant in the dogbone family apocynaceae. It is native and endemic to Madagascar, but grown elsewhere as an ornamental and medicinal plant, a source of drugs Vincristine and Vinblastine, used to treat cancer.
Medicinal uses:
The vinca alkaloids include at least 86, extracted from plants in the genus vinca. The chemotherapy agent vincristine is used to treat leukemia, lymphoma and juvenile cancers as well as several other types of cancer and some non cancerous conditions. Vinblastine is a chemical analogue of vincristine and is also used to treat various forms of cancer. Dimeric alkaloids such as vincristine and vinblastine are produced by coupling the smaller indole alkaloids, vindoline and catharanthine. In addition, the neotropic agent vincamine is derived from vinca. Minor vinorelbine is a newer semi – synthetic chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of non small cell lung cancer and is prepared either from the natural product leurosine or catharanthine and vindoline or both.
Periwinkle are of two types – foliage periwinkle (which often grow wild on cliff) and annual periwinkle (C. roseus). The species are long been cultivated as ornamental plants. In the UK it has gained the Royal horticultural society award of garden merit. In Ayurveda the extracts of its roots and shoots, though poisonous are used against several diseases. In traditional chinese medicine extracts from it have been used against numerous diseases, including diabetes, malaria and Hodgkin lymphoma. This conflict between historical indigenous, use and recent patents on C. roseus derived drugs by western pharmaceutical companies without compensation has led to accusations of biopiracy.
C. roseus can be extremely toxic if consumed orally by humans and is cited in the Louisiana state act 159. As an ornamental plant it is appreciated for its hardiness in dry and nutritionally deficient conditions, popular in subtropical garden where temperature never falls below 5-7 0C and as a warm season bedding plant in temperate gardens. It is noted for its long flowering period throughout the year in tropical conditions and from spring to late autumn in warm temperate climates. Full sun and well drained soil are preferred. Numerous cultivars have been selected for variation in flowers colors (white, mauve, peach, scarlet and reddish orange) and also for tolerance of color growing conditions in temperature.