Mosannona depressa

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Mosannona depressa
Mosannona depressa fruit and leaf.png
Flower and leaves of Mosannona depressa in the Yucatán
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Annonaceae
Genus: Mosannona
Species:
M. depressa
Binomial name
Mosannona depressa
Synonyms

Mosannona depressa is an evergreen tree within the Annonaceae family native to tropical southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Contents

English common names include lancewood and wild soursop. Spanish common names include elemuy and yumel. [3]

Description

A mature tree is generally 6–10 m (20–33 ft) tall. [4]

Chemistry

The bark contains significant amounts of alpha-asarone, but not its carcinogenic isomer beta-asarone, and other related trans-Propenylbenzene compounds. [5]

Medicinal Use

The bark of this tree is used by many people where it is native as medicine for gall stones. [6] The root, cooked with corn silk, was reported used to treat gonorrhea and kidney and bladder problems. [4]

Some more modern studies suggest this herb might have cholesterol-lowering properties. [7]

Toxicology

Extremely high doses (60 mg/kg) of pure alpha-asarone extracted from lancewood caused significant maternal harm when fed to pregnant mice. At doses of 15, 30 and 60 mg/kg, this compound was lethal to embryos and teratogenic. [8] These concentrations are far beyond what can be achieved using the plant as medicine and therefore has no bearing on whether or not it would cause problems in pregnancy.

References

  1. ↑ Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI); IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019). "Mosannona depressa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T146776389A146776391. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T146776389A146776391.en .
  2. ↑ "Mosannona depressa (Baill.) Chatrou". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  3. ↑ Wiersema, JH; León, B (2016). World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference, Second Edition. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. ISBN   9781439821428.
  4. 1 2 Ken Fern (2024). "Mosannona depressa". Useful Tropical Plants. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  5. ↑ Enqíques RG, Chávez MA, Jáuregui F (1980). "Propenylbenzenes from Guatteria gaumeri". Phytochemistry. 19 (9): 2024–2025. Bibcode:1980PChem..19.2024E. doi:10.1016/0031-9422(80)83029-9.
  6. ↑ Chamorro G, Salazar M, Salazar S, Mendoza T (November–December 1993). "Pharmacology and toxicology of Guatteria gaumeri and alpha-asarone". Rev Invest Clin (in Spanish). 45 (6): 597–604. PMID   8159883.
  7. ↑ Resendiz JS, Lerdo de Tejada A (1982). "Cholesterol-lowering effect of Guatteria gaumeri (preliminary report)". J Ethnopharmacol. 6 (2): 239–242. doi:10.1016/0378-8741(82)90006-x. PMID   7132402.
  8. ↑ Salazar M, Salazar S, Ulloa V, Mendoza T, Pages N, Chamoro G (August 1992). "Teratogenic action of alpha-asarone in the mouse". J Toxicol Clin Exp (in French). 12 (3): 149–154. PMID   1453351.
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