Swertia

Swertia
Swertia perennis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Gentianaceae
Subtribe:	Swertiinae
Genus:	Swertia L.
Type species
Swertia perennis L.
Species
120–150; see text
Synonyms [1] [2] [3]
Kingdon-WardiaC. Marquand OpheliaD. Don PleurogyneEschsch. ex Griseb. SwertopsisMakino SynallodiaRaf. TesseranthiumKellogg Probable synonyms AnagallidiumGriseb. Possible synonyms FraseraWalter LomatogoniopsisT. N. Ho & S. W. Liu

Swertia is a genus in the gentian family containing plants sometimes referred to as the felworts. ^[4] Some species bear very showy purple and blue flowers. ^{[5] [6]} Many members of this genus have medicinal and cultural purposes. ^[7]

Plants of genus Frasera are sometimes considered part of this genus, sometimes as a separate genus, and sometimes as synonymous.

Selected species

According to Plants of the World Online, the genus has 165 species. Species in the genus Swertia include, but are not limited to: ^{[1] [8] [9]}

• Swertia angustifolia Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don
• Swertia bimaculata (Siebold & Zucc.) C. B. Clarke
  • Swertia bimaculata(Siebold & Zucc.) Hook. f. & Thoms.
• Swertia calcicola Kerr.
• Swertia chinensis (Griseb.) Franch.
  • Swertia diluta (Turcz.) Benth. & Hook. f.
• Swertia chirayita(Roxb. ex Fleming) H. Karst.
  • Swertia chirata(Wall.) C. B. Clarke
• Swertia ciliata (D. Don ex G. Don) B. L. Burtt.
• Swertia cordata (Wall. ex G. Don) C.B. Clarke
• Swertia dilatata C. B. Clarke
• Swertia hookeri C. B. Clarke
• Swertia japonica (Roem. & Schult.) (Makino) (known by the common names Japanese felwort and Japanese star swertia.)
• Swertia leduci Franch.
  • Swertia mileensisT. N. Ho & W. L. Shih
• Swertia macrosperma C. B. Clarke
• Swertia multicaulis D. Don
• Swertia nervosa (G. Don) C. B. Clarke
• Swertia perennis L.
• Swertia pseudochinensis H.Hara
• Swertia punicea Hemsl.
• Swertia purpurascens (D. Don) A. Wall ex E. D. Clarke
• Swertia striata Collett & Hemsl.
• Swertia tashiroi (Maxim.) Makino
• Swertia tetrapetala Pall.
• Swertia tibetica Batal.
• Swertia tongluensis Burkill
• Swertia tozanensis Hayata
• Swertia trichotoma Wight ex C.B.Clarke
• Swertia uniflora Mildbr.
• Swertia usambarensis Engl.
• Swertia veratroides Maxim. ex Kom.
• Swertia verticillifolia T.N.Ho & S.W.Liu
• Swertia virescens Harry Sm.
• Swertia volkensii Gilg
• Swertia wardii C.Marquand
• Swertia wattii C.B.Clarke
• Swertia welwitschii Engl.
• Swertia wolfgangiana Grüning
• Swertia woodii J.Shah
• Swertia yezo-alpina H.Hara
• Swertia younghusbandii Burkill
• Swertia yunnanensis Burkill
• Swertia zayuensis T.N.Ho & S.W.Liu
• Swertia zeylanica (Griseb.) Walker ex C.B.Clarke

Chemical constituents

Swertia contains the chemicals sawertiamarine, mangeferin and amarogenitine ^[10] 1,5,8-trihydroxy-3-methoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxy-2,3,5,7-tetramethoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxy-3,5,8-trimethoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxyl-2,3,4,6-tetramethoxyxanthone, 1-hydroxy-2,3,4,7-tetramethoxyxanthone, 1,8-dihydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyxanthone, 1,7-dihydroxy-3,8-dimethoxyxanthone, 1,3,5,8-tetrahydroxyxanthone, balanophonin, oleanolic acid, maslinic acid, and sumaresinolic acid. ^[11] Swerilactones from Swertia mileensis showed anti-hepatitis B virus activity in vitro . ^[12]

Traditional medicine

Swertia is used in Indian Ayurvedic Herbal System to cure Fever as in Laghu sudarshana churna, Maha sudarshan Churna and in Tibetan folk medicine. ^{[13] [ full citation needed ]} It is also one of the most widely used medicinal plants of Sikkim, and is considered Vulnerable based on IUCN CAMP Criteria. ^[14]

References

1. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) (2004-09-23). "Genus: Swertia". Taxonomy for Plants. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program, National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Archived from the original on 2012-09-14.
2. "Index Nominum Genericorum database". International Code of Botanical Nomenclature . Smithsonian Institution. 1978. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
3. "Linnaean Name: Swertia perennis Linnaeus". The Linnaean Plant Name Typification Project. Natural History Museum. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
4. NRCS. "Swertia". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 4 December 2015.
5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
6. "Archived copy" (PDF). www.ansab.org. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
7. O'Neill, A. R.; Badola, H.K.; Dhyani, P. P.; Rana, S. K. (2017). "Integrating ethnobiological knowledge into biodiversity conservation in the Eastern Himalayas". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 13 (1): 21. doi: 10.1186/s13002-017-0148-9 . PMC   5372287 . PMID   28356115.
8. Porcher, Michel H.; et al. (2004). "Sorting Swertia names". Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database. The University of Melbourne . Retrieved 2008-05-16.
9. "Swertia L. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
10. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 98 (2005) 31–35
11. Li XS, Jiang ZY, Wang FS, Ma YB, Zhang XM, Chen JJ (2008). "Chemical constituents from herbs of Swertia mileensis". Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 33 (23): 2790–2793. PMID   19260313.
12. Geng CA, Zhang XM, Ma YB, Luo J, Chen JJ (2011). "Swerilactones L-O, secoiridoids with C₁₂ and C₁₃ skeletons from Swertia mileensis". J Nat Prod. 74 (8): 1822–1825. doi:10.1021/np200256b. PMID   21823575.
13. Variation of active constituents of an important Tibet folk medicine Huiling Yang, Chenxu Ding, Yuanwen Duan, Jianquan Liu
14. O'Neill, Alexander; et al. (2017-03-29). "Integrating ethnobiological knowledge into biodiversity conservation in the Eastern Himalayas". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 13 (21) 21. doi: 10.1186/s13002-017-0148-9 . PMC   5372287 . PMID   28356115.

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment
• Picture of Swertia perennis