Ammi majus

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Ammi majus
Ammi majus Sturm8.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Ammi
Species:
A. majus
Binomial name
Ammi majus
L.
Synonyms [2]
Synonyms list
    • Aethusa ammiSpreng.
    • Ammi boeberiHell. ex Hoffm.
    • Ammi broussonetiiDC.
    • Ammi cicutifoliumWilld. ex Schult.
    • Ammi elatumSalisb.
    • Ammi glaucifoliumL.
    • Ammi intermediumDC.
    • Ammi pauciradiatumHochst. ex A.Rich.
    • Ammi pumilum(Brot.) DC.
    • Anethum pinnatumRuiz & Pav. ex Urban
    • Apium ammiCrantz nom. illeg.
    • Apium ammi-maiusCrantz
    • Apium candolleiM.Hiroe
    • Apium petraeumCrantz
    • Apium pumilum(Brot.) Calest. nom. illeg.
    • Carum majus(L.) Koso-Pol.
    • Cuminum aethiopicumRoyle
    • Cuminum regiumRoyle
    • Daucus glaberParsa nom. illeg.
    • Daucus parsaeM.Hiroe
    • Selinum ammoidesE.H.L. Krause
    • Sison pumilumBrot.

Ammi majus, commonly called bishop's flower, false bishop's weed, laceflower, bullwort, etc., is a member of the carrot family Apiaceae. The plant, which has white lace-like flower clusters, has a large distribution through Southern Europe, North Africa and West and Central Asia, though it is hypothesized to be native to the Nile River Valley.

Contents

Nomenclature

The plant [3] is called by various common names: bishop's flower [4] [5] [6] or bishop's weed [7] (false bishop's weed [8] ); [a] laceflower, [9] [5] [6] lady's lace [5] or false Queen Anne's lace; [4] [5] [b] bullwort [10] [5] (large bullwort); [4] white dill [6] and greater ammi. [11] [c]

It is known in Arabic as hirz al-shayateen (حِرز الشياطين) or khella/khilla shaitani (خلة شیطانی), [4] meaning, respectively, ‘Devil’s Amulet/Refuge’ and ‘Devil’s Toothpick-weed.[ citation needed ]

The plant has also been introduced into China, where it is called da a min qin (Chinese :大阿米芹) and cultivated in medicinal farms. [12] [4]

Description

Ammi majus is a herbaceous annual, [5] [12] or rather a biennial that behaves like an annual in cultivation. [13]

The lower leaves are 1-2-pinnate, upper leaves 2(-3)-pinnate with serrate lobes. [10]

The inflorescence is compound umbel; [4] they are white umbrella-shaped flowers like those of Queen Anne's lace, [5] blooming June–July and fruiting July–August. [12]

Distribution

Considered indigenous to Egypt, [14] or parts of Europe and the Middle East/West Asia. [5] [4] It is also found scattered in the British Isles, in North and Central Scotland, [10] widely distributed in the Mediterranean region (including Southern Europe [10] and North Africa [4] ), as well as West Africa and Abyssinia. [14]

Uses

In Egypt around 2000 BC, the juice of Ammi majus was rubbed on patches of vitiligo [15] after which patients were encouraged to lie in the sun. [16] In the 13th century, vitiligo was treated with a tincture of honey and the powdered seeds of a plant called "aatrillal," which was abundant in the Nile River Valley. The plant has since been identified as A. majus, [17] but the trade name Aatrillal is still used today to refer to the yellowish-brown powder made from its seeds.

Ammi majus contains significant amounts of furanocoumarins bergapten and xanthotoxin (also known as methoxsalen), two psoralen derivatives well known for their photosensitizing effects. Indeed, A. majus may well be the world's major source of methoxsalen. [16]

The practice of using Ammi majus to treat vitiligo implicitly acknowledges the hyperpigmentation effects caused by exposure to a photosensitizing agent (such as methoxsalen) followed by ultraviolet radiation. An excess of either the photosensitizing agent or subsequent UV exposure can lead to phytophotodermatitis, [16] [18] a serious skin inflammation. Despite this danger, A. majus is cultivated for its furanocoumarins, which are still used for the treatment of skin disease, particularly the furanocoumarin xanthotoxin also known as "ammoidin" and by the brand name "Oxsoralen". [19] [20]

Cultivation

Like its close relative Ammi visnaga , A. majus and its cultivars are frequently seen in gardens where they are grown from seed annually. The species [21] and the cultivar 'Graceland' [22] have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Explanatory notes

  1. "bishop's weed" being an ambiguous name that could be confused with Aegopodium podagraria . [5]
  2. As opposed to the true "Queen Anne's lace" ( Daucus carota ). [5]
  3. Other common names listed are: crow's foot; devil's carrot; herb william; honey plant; mayweed. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apiaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus Apium, and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants, with more than 3,800 species in about 446 genera, including such well-known, and economically important plants as ajwain, angelica, anise, asafoetida, caraway, carrot, celery, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, lovage, cow parsley, parsley, parsnip and sea holly, as well as silphium, a plant whose exact identity is unclear and may be extinct.

<i>Citrus</i> Genus of flowering plants

Citrus is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes.

<i>Geranium</i> Genus of flowering plants

Geranium is a genus of 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants that are commonly known as geraniums or cranesbills. They are found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, with the greatest diversity in the eastern part of the Mediterranean region.

<i>Heracleum maximum</i> Species of flowering plant

Heracleum maximum, commonly known as cow parsnip, is the only member of the genus Heracleum native to North America. It is also known as American cow-parsnip, Satan celery, Indian celery, Indian rhubarb, poison turnip or pushki.

PUVA is an ultraviolet light therapy treatment for skin diseases: vitiligo, eczema, psoriasis, graft-versus-host disease, mycosis fungoides, large plaque parapsoriasis, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, using the sensitizing effects of the drug psoralen. The psoralen is applied or taken orally to sensitize the skin, then the skin is exposed to UVA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methoxsalen</span> Chemical compound

Methoxsalen sold under the brand name Oxsoralen among others, is a medication used to treat psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo, and some cutaneous lymphomas in conjunction with exposing the skin to ultraviolet (UVA) light from lamps or sunlight. Methoxsalen modifies the way skin cells receive the UVA radiation, allegedly clearing up the disease. Levels of individual patient PUVA exposure were originally determined using the Fitzpatrick scale. The scale was developed after patients demonstrated symptoms of phototoxicity after oral ingestion of methoxsalen followed by PUVA therapy. Chemically, methoxsalen is a derivative of psoralen and belongs to a class of organic natural molecules known as furanocoumarins. They consist of coumarin annulated with furan. It can also be injected and used topically.

<i>Ribes sanguineum</i> Species of flowering plant in the gooseberry family Grossulariaceae

Ribes sanguineum, the flowering currant, redflower currant, red-flowering currant, or red currant is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Grossulariaceae, native to the western United States and Canada.

<i>Polystichum setiferum</i> Species of fern

Polystichum setiferum, the soft shield fern, is an evergreen or semi-evergreen fern native to southern and western Europe. The stalks and most midribs are coated with cinnamon-brown scales. The Latin specific epithet setiferum means "with bristles".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khellin</span> Chemical compound

Khellin has been used as an herbal folk medicine, with use in the Mediterranean dating back to Ancient Egypt, to treat a variety of maladies including: renal colic, kidney stones, coronary disease, bronchial asthma, vitiligo, and psoriasis. It is a major constituent of the plant Visnaga daucoides, also known as Ammi visnaga and as bishop's weed. Once purified, khellin exists as colorless, odorless, bitter-tasting needle-shaped crystals and is classified as a gamma-pyrone, a furanochromone derivative. In the early 20th century, researchers searched for khellin analogs with lower toxicity and better efficacy. A number of drugs were discovered through this research, such as amiodarone and cromolyn sodium, which are used in current medical practice. Efloxate is also mentioned as analog.

<i>Rhododendron viscosum</i> Species of flowering plant

Rhododendron viscosum, the swamp azalea, clammy azalea or swamp honeysuckle, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae. This deciduous shrub, growing to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) tall and broad, is native to the eastern United States. It has rounded matt green leaves. In early summer it produces funnel-shaped white flowers flushed pink. The flowers have prominent stamens and are strongly fragrant.

<i>Ammi</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Ammi is a genus of about six species of summer-flowering plants in the carrot family Apiaceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa and south-western Asia. They have fern-like leaves and white or cream coloured lace-like flowers borne in branched, rounded umbels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furanocoumarin</span> Class of organic chemical compounds

The furanocoumarins, or furocoumarins, are a class of organic chemical compounds produced by a variety of plants. Most of the plant species found to contain furanocoumarins belong to a handful of plant families. The families Apiaceae and Rutaceae include the largest numbers of plant species that contain furanocoumarins. The families Moraceae and Fabaceae include a few widely distributed plant species that contain furanocoumarins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phytophotodermatitis</span> Medical condition

Phytophotodermatitis, also known as berloque dermatitis, margarita photodermatitis, lime disease or lime phytodermatitis is a cutaneous phototoxic inflammatory reaction resulting from contact with a light-sensitizing botanical agent followed by exposure to ultraviolet A (UV-A) light. Symptoms include erythema, edema, blisters, and delayed hyperpigmentation. Heat and moisture tend to exacerbate the reaction.

<i>Zizia aurea</i> Species of flowering plant

Zizia aurea is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant of the carrot family Apiaceae. It is native to eastern Canada and the United States, from the eastern Great Plains to the Atlantic Coast. The genus is named for Johann Baptist Ziz, a German botanist. The common name is based on the similarity to alexanders, another member of the carrot family from coastal areas in Europe and Northern Africa.

<i>Visnaga daucoides</i> Species of plant

Visnaga daucoides is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by many common names, including toothpick-plant, toothpickweed, bisnaga, khella, or sometimes bishop's weed. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, but it can be found throughout the world as an introduced species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bergapten</span> Chemical compound

Bergapten (5-methoxypsoralen) is a naturally-occurring organic chemical compound produced by numerous plant species, especially from the carrot family Apiaceae and the citrus family Rutaceae. For example, bergapten has been extracted from 24 species of the genus Heracleum in the family Apiaceae. In the family Rutaceae, various Citrus species contain significant amounts of bergapten, especially the bergamot orange, the micrantha, and certain varieties of lime and bitter orange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fig</span> Species of flowering plant known as the common fig

The fig is the edible fruit of Ficus carica, a species of small shrub in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world. Ficus carica is the type species of the genus Ficus, containing over 800 tropical and subtropical plant species.

<i>Tulbaghia violacea</i> Species of flowering plant

Tulbaghia violacea, commonly known as society garlic, pink agapanthus, wild garlic, sweet garlic, spring bulbs, or spring flowers, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, indigenous to southern Africa, and reportedly naturalized in Tanzania and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angelicin</span> Chemical compound

Angelicin is the parent compound in a family of naturally occurring organic compounds known as the angular furanocoumarins. Structurally, it can be considered as benzapyra-2-one fused with a furan moiety in the 7,8-position. Angelicin is commonly found in certain Apiaceae and Fabaceae plant species such as Bituminaria bituminosa. It has a skin permeability coefficient (LogKp) of -2.46. The maximum absorption is observed at 300 nm. The 1HNMR spectrum is available; the infrared and mass spectra of angelicin can be found in this database. The sublimation of angelicin occurs at 120 °C and the pressure of 0.13 Pa. Angelicin is a coumarin.

References

Citations
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  13. Niir (2006), p. 266.
  14. 1 2 Niir (2006), p. 265.
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  16. 1 2 3 McGovern, Thomas W; Barkley, Theodore M (2000). "Botanical Dermatology". The Electronic Textbook of Dermatology. 37 (5). Internet Dermatology Society. Section Phytophotodermatitis. doi:10.1046/j.1365-4362.1998.00385.x. PMID   9620476. S2CID   221810453 . Retrieved October 7, 2018.
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  18. Alouani, I.; Fihmi, N.; Zizi, N.; Dikhaye, S. (2018). "Phytophotodermatitis following the use of Ammi Majus Linn (Bishop's weed) for vitiligo" (PDF). Our Dermatol. Online. 9 (1): 93–94. doi: 10.7241/ourd.20181.29 .
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  22. "RHS Plantfinder – Ammi majus 'Graceland'". Royal Horticultural Society. 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
Bibliography

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