A review of the toxicosis and biological properties of the genus Eupatorium

Abstract

Eupatorium genus grows wild in many parts of the world. A number of species of Eupatorium are toxic to grazing animals. Milk sickness in humans is caused by ingestion of milk of the animals reared on the pastures infested with Eupatorium rugosum (white snakeroot). While some information is available on the toxins in various species of Eupatorium, ambiguities still persist in extrapolation of the data to field incidence of toxicosis. Eupatorium genus has been used for its medicinal properties for many decades. A number of bioactive natural products have been reported in the extracts of Eupatorium spp. and the genus is a promising bioresource for preparation of drugs and value-added products.

Chemical Composition and Bioactivity of Essential Oil of Ageratina adenophora from Bhaktapur District of Nepal

“…It is a perennial herb, nearly 1 meter hight, and erect, found in open and deforested areas of the central and eastern Nepal at altitude of 500-2000 m. It is a problem weed in forest plantations as it infests disturbed areas and prevents self-seeding of cultivated trees, and hence it is known as banmara in Nepal (killer of the forests) 2,3 . It grows as weed on vast expanses in many parts of the world and are an attractive source of bioactive natural products 4,5,6 . Various species of Eupatorium have been used in the traditional system of medicine in different parts of the world.…”

Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils ofLantana camara,Ageratum houstonianumandEupatorium adenophorum

“…Decoction or infusion of the plant is given in various stomach diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, and intestinal colic and also in rheumatism and fever (Sharma & Sharma, 1995). Various species of Eupatorium have been used in the traditional system of medicine in different parts of the world (Sharma et al, 1998). E. adenophorum Spreng.…”

“…(Asteraceae) is used in India as an antiseptic and blood coagulant. A decoction of the plant has been recommended to treat jaundice and ulcers (Sharma et al, 1998).…”

“…camara, A. houstonianum, and E. adenophorum grow as weeds on vast expanses in many parts of the world and are an attractive source of bioactive natural products (Sharma & Sharma, 1989, 1995Sharma et al, 1998;James et al, 2004). There are some previous reports on the antimicrobial activity of the oils of some species of Lantana, Ageratum, and Eupatorium (Hernandez et al, 2005;Juliani et al, 2002;Deena & Thoppil, 2000;Pattnaik et al, 1996;Habtemariam & MacPherson, 2000;Gupta et al, 2002;Sasikumar et al, 2005).…”

Composição química e atividade antioxidante do óleo volátil de Eupatorium polystachyum DC

“…Muitas espécies do gênero Eupatorium já foram avaliadas quanto aos seus componentes químicos voláteis e atividades biológicas, (Albuquerque et al, 2001;Albuquerque et al, 2004;Ding et al, 1994;Habtemariam;MacPherson, 2000;Mongelli et al, 1996;Mongelli et al, 2000;Paolini et al, 2005;Sharma et al, 1998;Souza et al, 2005;Souza et al, 2006;Tori et al, 2001). Os componentes majoritários dos óleos voláteis das espécies já estudadas são terpenos hidrocarbonados como α-pineno, β-pineno, limoneno, sabineno, α-felandreno, germacreno D, β-cariofi leno e biciclogermacreno (Paolini et al, 2005;Maia et al, 2002); terpenos oxigenados como espatulenol e globulol (Maia et al, 2002), além de cromenos (Albuquerque et al, 2004), também são descritos para o gênero e são apontados como componentes majoritários em algumas espécies.…”