Herbal Medicines: Cytotoxic Effects of Chenopodiaceae Species Used in Argentinian Folk Medicine

Abstract

Chenopodium sp. (Chenopodiaceae), common name ''Paico,'' is a medicinal plant that has been used for centuries as an antirheumatic, anthelmintic, sedative, and analgesic agent and as a spice in food. The main component of the essential oil is ascaridole. The aim of this work was to evaluate the possible cytotoxic effects of aqueous extracts of Chenopodium ambrosioides L. (ten specimens from different parts of the country), Chenopodium multifidum L. (three specimens) and to compare them with a nonaromatic Chenopodium (Chenopodium album). The extracts [decoction (D) and infusion (I)], which are the usual way of consumption by the population] were assayed by mitotic index in different concentrations (0, 1, 10, 100, and 1000 mg dried plant=mL of culture), on lymphocyte cultures from four healthy donors, as a cytotoxicity biomarker. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was performed. The results show a statistically significant decrease in all the specimens of C. ambrosioides and C. multifidum, whereas no effect was observed in the analysis of C. album. These results suggest a cytotoxic effect of C. ambrosioides and C. multifidum aqueous extracts related with the essential oil of the plant.

Nutraceutical Properties of Herbal Infusions from Six Native Plants of Argentine Patagonia

“…The results of the A. salina bioassay for the infusions analyzed are shown in Table 2. A. australe is a plant widely cited as edible [5] and D. multifida is used as an infusion for medicinal purposes [8]. In the present study, neither species showed toxicity in the A. salina bioassay, which suggests that, in principle, the use and consumption of these plants throughout the range tested (0-50 mg/mL) appear to be safe.…”

“…It is mainly consumed as an infusion and in some cases also as a condiment. The toxicity and anthelmintic properties of this herb are due to the presence of the monoterpene peroxide ascaridole [8]. The toxicity of this herb in humans is a subject of current debate.…”

Las plantas medicinales en el control de nemátodos gastrointestinales en cabras: potencial de las plantas que crecen en la región de Coquimbo, Chile

“…Por su parte, el Ascaridol, principal componente del aceite esencial de C. ambrosoides es citóxico y genotóxico, incluso en pequeñas dosis pues su efecto es acumulativo (Gadano et al, 2007;Bussman et al, 2011;Gómez et al, 2011). Torres et al (2003) mencionan que su uso en la medicina vernácula no está exento de riesgos, ya que la dosis efectiva está muy cercana a la dosis tóxica, por lo que se deben extremar las precauciones en sus aplicaciones.…”