Cleome viscosa (wild mustard): A review on ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and pharmacology

Abstract

Cleome viscosa Linn. (Capparidaceae), commonly known as “wild or dog mustard,” is an annual, sticky herb found as a common weed all over the plains of India and throughout the tropics of the world. The whole plant and its parts (leaves, seeds, and roots) are widely used in traditional and folkloric systems of medicine. In traditional systems of medicine the plant is reported to possess beneficial effects as an anthelmintic, antiseptic, carminative, antiscorbutic, sudorific, febrifuge, and cardiac stimulant. Following the various traditional claims for the use of C. viscosa (CV) as a cure of numerous diseases, considerable efforts have been made by researchers to verify its utility through scientific pharmacological screenings. The pharmacological studies have shown that CV possesses various notable biological activities such as anthelmintic, antimicrobial, analgesic, antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, antipyretic, psychopharmacological, antidiarrheal, and hepatoprotective activities. A wide variety of phytoprinciples have been isolated from the plant. The present review is an effort to consolidate traditional, ethnobotanical, phytochemical, and pharmacological information available on C. viscosa.

Keywords::

• Cleome viscosa
• ethnobotany
• pharmacological activities
• phytoprinciples
• traditional uses

Introduction

Cleome viscosa (CV) Linn. (Capparidaceae) (synonym: C. icosandra Linn.) is a weed distributed throughout the tropics of the world and the plains of India (Nadkarni, 1982). The plant is an annual, sticky herb with a strong penetrating odor, and is clothed with glandular and simple hairs. It grows about 30– 90 cm high and is branched. The leaves are 3–5 foliate, obovate, and obtuse, gradually becoming shorter upward. The flowers are yellow, axillary, growing out into a lax raceme. The fruits are capsules, compressed and hairy throughout, while the seeds are finely transversely striate, subglobose, and become brownish-black when ripe (Vaidyaratnam, 1994). CV is known by various names such as wild mustard, dog mustard, and sticky cleome. In India, the plant is known by various vernacular names such as Hul-Hul, Pashugandha, Pivala tilvana, Kanphuti, and Talwani. The plant is a popular remedy for a variety of ailments as documented in ethnobotanical surveys and traditional systems of medicine, such as Ayurveda and Unani (Chatterjee & Prakashi, 1991). Following the folk claims of cures for various diseases, the plant has been explored scientifically to justify its potential as a curative agent. The present review is a comprehensive account of the traditional uses and ethnobotanical, phytochemical, and pharmacological investigations carried out on the plant, which may explain the multifaceted role of this medicinal herb.

Uses described in traditional medicine

Plants have been used as a source of medicine by humankind since ancient times. The indigenous knowledge of many traditional communities has been formulated, been documented, and eventually become organized systems of medicine, such as Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and other systems outside India.

In the Ayurvedic system of medicine, CV is considered to possess cooling, stomachic, laxative, diuretic, and anthelmintic properties (Anonymous, 1978). It is reported to be useful in the treatment of malarial fevers, fevers due to indigestion, skin diseases, leprosy, blood diseases, and uterine complaints (Kirtikar & Basu, 1984). It is also documented to remove “Kapha” (phlegm), and to cure earache, and ulcers (Anonymous, 2001).

In the Unani system of medicine, the seeds of the plant are documented as anthelmintic and detergent, and are given to treat fever and diarrhea (Chopra et al., 1956). The juice of the leaves is reported to be beneficial for earache, malaria, piles, and lumbago (Kirtikar & Basu, 1984).

Uses ascribed in folkloric medicine

In recent years, ethnomedicinal studies have received much attention, bringing to light the numerous little-known and unknown medicinal uses especially of plant origin. They obviously deserve evaluation by modern scientific methods such as phytochemical analysis, biological screenings, and clinical trials (Mali et al., 2006). Almost all the parts of CV are documented to possess medicinal benefits in ethnobotanical surveys conducted by researchers (Table 1).

Table 1.  Ethnobotanical uses of Cleome viscosa Linn.

Part of the plant	Use	Reference(s)
Leaves	Boils	Maheshwari et al., 1980
	Earache	Singh, 1945; Sharma et al., 1979; Singh & Pandey, 1980; Shah, 1984; Sudhakar & Rolla, 1985
	Headache	Ramchandran & Nair, 1981
	Ulcers	Rajwar, 1983
	Wounds	Bedi, 1978; Singh et al., 1987
Seeds	Helminthic infections	Singh, 1945
	Convulsions	Shah et al., 1983
	Fever and diarrhea	Malhotra & Moorthy, 1973; Sharma et al., 1979
	Skin diseases	Purohit et al., 1985
Roots	Cardiac stimulant	Kirtikar & Basu, 1984
	Diabetes	Yaniv et al., 1987

The leaves are used for the treatment of boils (Maheshwari et al., 1980), earache (Singh, 1945; Sharma et al., 1979; Singh & Pandey, 1980;Shah, 1984; Sudhakar & Rolla, 1985), headache (Ramchandran & Nair, 1981), ulcers (Rajwar, 1983), and wounds (Bedi, 1978; Singh et al., 1987).

The seeds are documented to be beneficial in helminthic infections (Singh, 1945), convulsions (Shah et al., 1983), fever, diarrhea (Malhotra & Moorthy, 1973; Sharma et al., 1979), and skin diseases (Purohit et al., 1985).

In Sri Lanka, the roots and seeds of CV are considered a cardiac stimulant and are given internally in cases of snake-bite. The leaves are used by the aboriginals of Australia to relieve headache (Kirtikar & Basu, 1984). In Israel, the plant is used for the treatment of diabetes (Yaniv et al., 1987).

Chemical constituents

A wide variety of chemical constituents have been isolated from various parts of CV. The structures of the major chemical constituents of the plant are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1.  Phytoconstituents of Cleome viscosa Linn.

The seeds of CV are reported to have nutritive value, and have been found safe as edible material for human beings. The seeds are reported to contain 18.3% oil, a mixture of five fatty acids, seven amino acids, and sugar sucrose (Rukmini & Deosthale, 1979). The oil obtained from the seeds is rich in linoleic acid and other fatty acids such as palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linolinic (Rukmini, 1978; Afaq et al., 1984; Deora et al., 2003).

Gupta and Dutt (1938) reported two chemical constituents, viscocic and viscosin (a monomethoxy trihydroxyflavone), from the seeds. A novel umbelliferone derivative, designated as cleosandrin, has been isolated from the ethanol extract of the seeds (Ramchandran, 1979). The seeds are also reported to contain cleomiscosin A, a coumarino-lignoid (Ray et al., 1980); cleomiscosin B (Ray et al., 1982); and cleomiscosin C (Ray et al., 1985) and its regioisomer cleomiscosin D, a minor coumarino-lignan (Kumar et al., 1988). Chattopadhyay et al. (2007) have developed a simple, accurate, and reproducible reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for identification and quantification of two isomeric coumarino-lignoids, cleomiscosin A and B, in different extracts of the seeds using photodiode array detection at 326 nm.

Phytochemical examination of the roots resulted in isolation and identification of various chemical constituents such as dihydrokaempferide-3- glucuronide and docosanoic acid (Chauhan & Srivastava, 1979); naringenin-4-galactoside and dihydrokaempferol-4’- xyloside (Chauhan et al., 1979b); naringenin-4-(xylosyl-β-(1,4)-glucoside); a new naringenin glycoside (Srivastava et al., 1979); kaempferide-3-glucuronide (Chauhan et al., 1979a); 3’,4’, 5’-trihydroxyflavanone-7-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside, β-amyrin, and lupeol (Srivastava, 1980).

Srivastava and Srivastava (1979) isolated a new glycoside, eriodictyol-5-rhamnoside, from the whole plant. It was also found to contain a glycoflavanone, 3’,4’-dihydroxy-5-methoxyflavanone-7-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (Srivastava & Srivastava, 1979); a new saponin, stigmasta-5,24(28)-diene-3β-O-α-l-rhamnoside (Srivastava, 1980); and ergast-5-ene-3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside and 5,4’-di-O-methyleriodictyol-7-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (Srivastava, 1982). Two glucosinolates, namely glucocapparin and glucocleomin (Songsak & Lockwood, 2002); and a new macrocyclic diterpene, cleomaldeic acid ((3E, 7E, 11E) 20-oxocembra-3,7,11,15-tetraen-19-oic acid) have been isolated from the whole plant (Rehman, 1990).

Pharmacological activities

CV has been screened scientifically for various pharmacological activities and found to possess significant activities such as anthelmintic, antimicrobial, analgesic, antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, antipyretic, psychopharmacological, antidiarrheal, and hepatoprotective activities. The various pharmacological activities reported for the plant are summarized in Table 2.

Table 2.  Pharmacological activities of Cleome viscosa Linn.

Activity	Part of the plant/extract used	Reference(s)
Analgesic	Whole plant, seeds/methanol, aqueous	Parimaladevi et al., 2003; Singh & West, 1991
Anthelmintic	Seeds/aqueous, alcohol	Mali et al., 2007
Antidiarrheal	Whole plant/methanol	Devi et al., 2002
Antiinflammatory	Whole plant/methanol	Parimala et al., 2003
Antimalarial	Leaves/methanol	Saxena et al., 2000
Antimicrobial	Leaves, flowers, stems, aerial/ethanol, hexane, aqueous	Sudhakar et al., 2006; Williams et al., 2003; Samy et al., 1999; Mishra et al., 1991
Antipyretic	Whole plant/methanol	Devi et al., 2003
Gastroprotective	Leaves/methanol	Bhamarapravati et al., 2003
Hepatoprotective	Seeds/aqueous	Sengottuvelu et al., 2007
Immunomodulatory	Aerial/aqueous, ethanol, coumarino-lignoids	Tiwari et al., 2004; Bawankule et al., 2007
Mutagenic	Seed oil	Polasa & Rukmini, 1987
Psychopharmacological	Whole plant/methanol	Parimala Devi et al., 2004

Antipyretic activity

Devi et al. (2003) studied the antipyretic activity of the methanol extract of C. viscosa (CVME) on normal body temperature and yeast-induced pyrexia in albino rats. The CVME, at doses of 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg BW p.o., showed a significant reduction in normal body temperature and yeast-provoked elevated temperature in a dose-dependent manner. The effect also extended up to 5 h after drug administration. The effect of CVME was found comparable to that of paracetamol (150 mg/kg p.o.), a reference standard used in the study.

Analgesic activity

Following the folk claim, the analgesic activity of the methanol extract of CV was evaluated in mice using the acetic acid-induced writhing and the tail flick, tail clip, and tail immersion methods. The results of the study showed significant activity of the extract at the higher concentration of 400 mg/mL as compared to diclofenac sodium, included as a reference standard (Parimaladevi et al., 2003).

In another study, the aqueous extract of the seeds of CV was evaluated for its analgesic activity in mice and found to possess significant activity (Singh & West, 1991).

Antiinflammatory activity

The methanol extract of CV was evaluated for its antiinflammatory potential against carageenin-, histamine-, and dextran-induced rat paw edema. Diclofenac sodium (20 mg/kg), a non-steroidal antiinflammatory agent, was included as a standard for comparison. The results of the study demonstrated significant activity of the extract compared to the reference standard used (Parimala et al., 2003).

Antimicrobial activity

Sudhakar et al. (2006) have tested the ethanol extracts of the leaves and flowers of CV for antimicrobial activity. Both extracts exhibited a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, particularly significant against Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while the leaf extract showed moderate activity against pathogenic fungi.

In one study, Williams et al. (2003) evaluated the hexane extract of the leaves and stems of CV for biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, contact insecticidal, and nematicidal. The extract was found to be a potent antibacterial agent according to the thin layer chromatography autobiographic assay. Activity-directed isolation studies of the antibacterially active compounds led to a 14-member ring, cembranoid diterpene, being identified as one of the effective agents. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 5.0 μg/spot and 1.0 μg/spot were found for the diterpene on Bacillus subtilis (Gram-positive) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (Gram-negative), respectively. The diterpene did not inhibit growth of the fungus Cladosporium cucumerinum. The extract demonstrated a pyrethroid type of contact insecticidal activity on adult Cylas formicarius (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). The extract has also shown high nematicidal activity, with a percentage Abbott’s value of 72.69 on the plant parasitic nematode Meloidogyne incognita Chitwood; however, the extract lost its potency upon subfractionation.

Samy et al. (1999) evaluated the aqueous extract of aerial parts of the plant at the concentrations of 30 and 40 mg/mL for antimicrobial activity, and the results of the study showed maximum inhibition against Aeromonas hydrophila and Bacillus cereus.

In another study, Mishra et al. (1991) reported the toxicity of the aqueous macerate of leaves of CV against ringworm-causing fungi Epidermophyton floccosum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Microsporum gypseum by inverted Petri-plate technique. The results of the study demonstrated good mycotoxic activity of the plant.

Antidiarrheal activity

A study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of the methanol extract of the entire plant for its antidiarrheal potential against some of the experimental models of diarrhea in rats. CVME showed significant inhibitory activity against castor oil-induced diarrhea and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂)-induced enteropooling in rats. The extract also showed a significant reduction in gastrointestinal motility in the charcoal meal test in rats. The results of this study established the efficacy and substantiated the folklore claim for CV as an antidiarrheal agent (Devi et al., 2002).

Psychopharmacological effects

The methanol extract of the entire plant was evaluated by Parimala Devi et al. (2004) for different psychopharmacological actions such as general behavior, exploratory behavior, muscle relaxant activity, and phenobarbitone-induced sleeping time, and the effect on normal body temperature in rats and mice. The extract was found to cause a reduction in spontaneous activity, a decrease in exploratory behavioral pattern by the head dip and Y-maze test, a reduction in muscle relaxation by rotarod, 30° inclined screen, and traction tests, and a significant lowering of body temperature. In addition, CVME significantly potentiated the phenobarbitone-induced sleeping time.

Immunomodulatory effects

The immunomodulatory effect of aqueous and ethanol extracts of the aerial parts of CV was investigated by Tiwari et al. (2004) in mice. The assessment of immunomodulation was performed by various hematological and serological tests. Both extracts exhibited significant immunosuppressant activity, causing a remarkable decrease in the number of white blood cells and spleenic lymphocytes. They were also found to decrease the phagocytic index and both cellular and humoral responses.

In another study, Bawankule et al. (2007) conducted an in vivo investigation on coumarino-lignoids isolated from CV to evaluate its immunomodulatory potential. The results demonstrated that the coumarino-lignoids possessed significant immunomodulatory activity.

Anthelmintic activity

Mali et al. (2007) have investigated the crude alcohol and aqueous extracts of the seeds of CV for their proclaimed anthelmintic activity using Pheretima posthuma and Ascardia galli as test worms. Various concentrations (10–100 mg/mL) of each extract were tested in the bioassay, which involved the determination of time of paralysis and time of death of the worms. Both the extracts exhibited considerable anthelmintic activity in a dose-dependent manner. The most significant activity was observed at the highest concentration of 100 mg/mL against both types of worm.

Antimalarial activity

Saxena et al. (2000) conducted an ethnomedical survey and found that the Santhal tribes of Madhya Pradesh, India use the smoke of the leaves of CV to repel mosquitoes. Following the folk use, the ethanol extract of the leaves was evaluated for its larvicidal activity against 2nd and 4th stage instar larvae of Anopheles stephensi, a vector of malaria in India, and was found to possess good larvicidal activity.

Hepatoprotective activity

A study was conducted to evaluate the hepatoprotective potential of the aqueous seed extract of CV against carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced liver damage in Wistar rats. The extract (200 mg/kg) was administered orally to the animals with hepatotoxicity induced by CCl₄, and silymarin (200 mg/kg) was given as the reference standard. The extract-treated group of rats showed a significant reduction in serum enzyme aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, and lipid peroxidase and an increase in reduced glutathione (GSH) when compared to the CCl₄-treated control group. In addition, histopathological observations supported the significant protection of the extract, similar to that of the positive control, silymarin (Sengottuvelu et al., 2007).

Mutagenicity

The seed oil of CV was tested by the Ames mutagenicity assay, using S. typhimurium strains TA 98 and TA 100, with and without metabolic activation with S-9 mix prepared from the livers of rats pretreated with sodium phenobarbitone. The results clearly demonstrated that the oil had no mutagenic activity (Polasa & Rukmini, 1987).

Gastroprotective activity

Helicobacter pylori (HP) is a Gram-negative bacterium and well recognized as the primary etiological agent responsible for the development of gastritis, dyspepsia, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric cancer. Bhamarapravati et al. (2003) have verified the in vitro susceptibility of 18 strains of HP to the methanol extracts of 20 spice and food plants used in Thai traditional medicine, including CV, for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. The methanol extract of the plant exhibited an inhibitory effect on the growth of HP with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 50 μg/mL, and was found to possess gastroprotective activity.

Miscellaneous

In a study by Sanchez et al. (2001), CV was found to be one of the hosts of Aphis gossypii Glover (Aphididae), a virus infecting Cucumis melo Linn. (Cucurbitaceae) in Costa Rica.

Conclusion

The pharmacological investigations carried on CV have demonstrated that its various organic and aqueous extracts possess an array of multidimensional pharmacological activities, such as anthelmintic, antimicrobial, analgesic, antiinflammatory, antipyretic, antidiarrheal, immunomodulatory, gastroprotective, psychopharmacological, and hepatoprotective activities. The plant is also reported to contain a wide range of chemical constituents. These compounds could serve as leads in the search for novel medicinal agents. Sodium cromoglycate (mast cell stabilizer) is one example of a lead prepared from analogs of the naturally occurring furanochromone khellin found in Ammi visnaga Lam. (Umbelliferae). With the availability of primary investigations, further studies on CV should be designed to investigate the molecular mechanism(s) of action of isolated phytoprinciples using specific biological screening models and clinical trials, and also to discover novel leads from them. Also, the studies should be extended to standardize the various extracts of CV for the purpose of their use in specific herbal formulations. The data presented here emphasize the potential of the traditional medicine Cleome viscosa.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.