It has not been recorded in the Northern Cape Province, Namibia and Botswana (Bergman et al. The genus Gunnera was named by Carl von Linnaeus in honor of Johan Ernst Gunnerus (1718-1773) who was a Norwegian Bishop of Trondheim and a botanist who wrote the Flora norvegica (1766-1772) (Bergman et al. with help from Scientific name & Voucher Number Local name Xhosa (X), English (E) Family Ailment/diseases Parts and mode of use/uses 13 Gunnera perpensa L. (RBB 225) Iphuzi (X); The petioles have a bitter taste unless the fibrous vascular bundles and the outer covering are removed. Edible. 1992). All Gunnera species are wind pollinated and the fruits are red, fleshy berries that are dispersed by birds. Indigenous people use the essence extracted from the roots to expel the placenta after birth and to relieve menstrual pains. 2003; Van Wyk & Gericke 2000; Von Ahlenfeldt et al. The roots are up to 300 mm thick, creeping in black, muddy soil. Flora zambesiaca 4: 79-81. Gunnera perpensarhizome is a common ingredient of inembeand isihlambezo, preparations used during the last trimester of pregnancy to ensure healthy foetal growth and easy delivery 2. 1992; Mendes 1978). In Latin, perpenso means to weigh exactly or consider carefully, which points to the impact its bold, majestic appearance has as well as the importance of its presence to a wetland (Smith & Stern 1972). Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 102b: 45-48. New Phytologist 122: 379-400. Tansley Review No. 2003; Van Wyk & Gericke 2000; Von Ahlenfeldt et al. It cannot tolerate frost and even when growing in warm protective areas it will die back for the coldest months of the year. Keywords: evidence-based medicine, Gunnera perpensa, Therapeutic Goods Administration, traditional medicines In the allopathic medicine, indications or therapeutic uses and claims are based on scientific evidence. This is quite a complex process and for a more detailed description please refer to Bergman et al. Von Ahlenfeldt, D., Crouch, N.R., Nichols, G., Symmonds, R., McKean, S., Sibiya, H., & Cele, M.P. The database and code is licensed under a G. perpensa is inherited from and linked to the Siswati, Changana, Sotho, Venda, Shona, Tsonga, and Zulu traditional healing systems, particularly in South African provinces where the plant species is still found in the wild. And Achilles' weak spot was his heel or rather the big tendon of his heel. The internal arrangement of the vascular system is evidence that Gunnera was adapted to survive in the swamps where the dinosaurs browsed. deep. Mendes, E.J. Gunnera perpensa is the only species of the genus Gunnera that has been recorded in Africa. & Williams, R. 2003. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). In South America, the native people eat the leaf stalks raw or cooked, similar to rhubarb. Gunnera perpensa is a perennial, robust, erect herb up to 1 m. tall that always grows near water. Extracts ofGunnera perpensaare traditional remedies for treating endo- metritis in both humans and animals. This was sunk into the soil where I am in the process of designing a wetland feature in our garden. http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html, http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336, http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Flowering plant at the University of California Botanic Garden, Berkeley, California. I covered the rim with some attractive stones and planted Gunnera perpensa and Cyperus prolifer together. Gunnera perpensa L. is a medicinal plant used in many parts of South Africa to treat several human ailments. The common name river pumpkin refers to the leaves resembling pumpkin leaves and it grows along rivers-similarly, wild rhubarb, because it grows and looks like rhubarb, and in South America the locals eat the thick leaf stalks, either raw or cook it like rhubarb. People's plants: a guide to useful plants of southern Africa . On each spike there will be female flowers at the base, male flowers at the top and bisexual flowers in the middle, flowering between September and February (Mendes 1978). It is an obligate wetland plant that grows in shallow water around the edge of pools in marshy areas or along streams. Gunnera perpensa L. (Gunneraceae) is a medicinal plant used by Zulu traditional healers to stimulate milk production. It also is eaten in various ways, largely the petioles, flower stalks and leaves, fresh and raw, preferably with skins and fibre removed, which is said to remove bitterness, but also cooked. Among the plants tested, Gunnera perpensa, Harpephyllum caffrum, Hypoxis latifolia and Ledebouria ovatifolia showed the best antibacterial activity. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here. ); qobo (Sotho); uqobho (Swati); rambola-vhadzimu, shambola-vhadzimu (Venda); iphuzi lomlambo, ighobo (Xhosa); ugobhe, ugobho (Zulu). Briza Publications, Pretoria . Medicinal use of Gunnera perpensa: None known Known hazards of Gunnera perpensa: None known Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future. Edible parts of Gunnera: Young leaf stalks - peeled and cooked as a vegetable or eaten raw. The petioles vary in length from 150 to 750 mm. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Also, it is the only group of land plants that host the cyanobacteria in intercellular spaces, in other words the cyanobacteria live in the spaces between the cells. Its leaves, rhizomes, roots, and stems are reported to possess diverse medicinal properties and used to treat or manage various human and animal diseases and In South America, the native people eat the leaf stalks raw or cooked, similar to rhubarb. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. The rhizomes are widely used and indiscriminately collected in large quantities from the wild to meet the ever increasing demand in traditional medicine … The flowers are numerous, small and not very noticeable, tiny pinkish reddish brown, borne on a long slender spike, which is taller than the leaves. This study involved the biosynthesis, characterization, and evaluation of the antibacterial activity of Gunnera perpensa-mediated AgNPs. The stalks of G. tinctoria (nalcas), from Southern Chile and Argentina, are edible. The effect of an aqueous extract of the rhizome of the plant on milk production in rats was investigated. Sadly, our indigenous species are rarely ever available at nurseries, yet it is a plant with features that would look most attractive in any wetland. The petioles and flower stalks are eaten raw by the indigenous people of southern Africa. Login to add your Comment Is this what the dinosaurs ate? Renè GlenKwaZulu-Natal Herbarium December 2005, SA Distribution: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Western Cape, Flowering season: Spring, Early Summer, Late Summer. The leaves are used to stop bleeding and were carried by the European soldiers to treat the wounds of war, hence its name of Achillea from Achilles. Food from the veld. Gunnera and a few other plants have an unusual internal vascular system. It is in flower from July to August. 2003. All the leaves arise from a central tuft near the top of the apex, just above the soil level. It is hardy to zone (UK) 7 and is not frost tender. The veins are very noticeable on the lower surface of the leaf, radiating from the point where the petiole joins the leaf, referred to as palmate radiation. Zulu botanical knowledge : an introduction. It is best known in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal where it has been used traditionally as a “muthi” (medicinal) plant by the indigenous Zulu people for a long time. Heteromorpha arborescens has many and varied uses in traditional medicine (Hutchings et al., 1996; Van Wyk and Gericke, 2000; Lundgaard et al., 2007). Richard Morris. However, the most unique oddity is that it is the only genus of flowering plants that has a symbiotic relationship with a nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). National Botanical Institute, Durban . The root contains 9% tannin. Bergman, B., Johansson, C. & Söderbäck, E. 1992. S39-S40. Email Decoctions are also taken orally to relieve dysuria, rheumatic pains and dyspepsia, as a stomachic, or for colds. 1978. Propagation of Gunnera: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a sandy mix in a cold frame. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Medicinal. It is of impor-tance to investigate its use as an antimicrobial remedy. (1992) and Benson & Margulis (2002). Gunnera perpensa, Scabiosa columbaria, and Eriospermum ornithogaloides. Ken Fern, The latter was purchased at a nursery, whereas G. perpensa was a gift from KwaZulu-Natal National Botanical Garden . Some of the large exotic species of Gunnera are sold at our local nurseries. The genus Gunnera has numerous unique characteristics, some of which indicate that these plants have been around for the last 95 million years and belong to one of the oldest angiosperm families as well as being among the largest herbs on earth (Bergman et al. It is quite vigorous when it gets established and makes good ground cover in the margins, but is not suitable for cold areas as the fleshy stems freeze solid and that's curtains. However, the destruction of its habitat due to mismanagement of the wetlands and uncontrolled harvesting for the medicinal trade market, are the main threats to the survival of Gunnera perpensa . Gunnera perpensa is a source of traditional medicine in Southern Africa, both in veterinary and human ailments, largely in obstetric and digestive complaints, but also as a wound dressing. If you are fortunate to acquire a plant from a legal source, they are not difficult to grow, provided you create a wet, marshy area. It is in flower in August. Uses. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. Medicinal In traditional medicines a decoction of the plant is used to remove excess fluid from the body or excess blood and the placenta in humans and cattle In South Africa, a decoction of the roots of Gunnera perpensa is used to expel the placenta after birth or to relieve menstrual pains (Ngwenya et al. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Medicinal plants traded on South Africa 's eastern seaboard . G. perpensa is declining considerably throughout its natural habitat due to over-exploitation of the plant for its medicinal uses. Gunnera tinctoria is a PERENNIAL growing to 2 m (6ft 7in). 2003). For the toning of the uterus, it is common to use a combination of plants, e.g. Instead of having a central core with all the vascular tissue in it, there are numerous separate vascular strands referred to as polysteles, which is indicative that Gunnera evolved from aquatic ancestors (Bergman et al. An investigation was undertaken to determine whether this plant possesses antibacterial activity, which may explain its efficacy. Ajna Fern External links. 1982. Other uses. G. perpensa is inherited from and linked to the Siswati, Changana, Sotho, Venda, Shona, Tsonga, and Zulu traditional healing systems, particularly in South African provinces where the plant species is still found in the wild. The Zulu name ugobho refers to its use; gobhoza in Zulu means the flowing of fluids, in particular the flowing of water. It has beautiful big, round, bluish-green leaves that are carried on long stems and arise from a central point on the roots. 2003. The aqueous extracts of Gunnera perpensa and Harpephyllum caffrum were most active against all the tested bacteria. Medicinal Download medicinal plant monograph on this plant as pdf file. Conclusions: Of the 87 plants used for reproductive healthcare, the highest number (31) is used for … Other angiosperms, for instance many of the plants in the pea family, have nitrogen-fixing bacteria that occur within specialized cells, not outside the cell wall. This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. (2016). Gunnera perpensa L. (Gunneraceae) is a medicinal plant used by Zulu traditional healers to induce labor, expel the placenta after birth and to relief menstrual pains. Indigenous people use the essence extracted from the roots to expel the placenta after birth and to relieve menstrual pains. The evidence-based medicine (EBM) or practice, as was championed by Sackett could be categorised into “two levels”. Abstract Gunnera perpensa L. is a medicinal plant used in many parts of South Africa to treat several human ailments.G. These structures become mobile and start moving down into spaces between the cells. Ethekweni Parks Department & University of Natal, Durban. If you would like to support this site, please consider. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). among which is Gunnera perpensa L. Gunnera perpensa is of considerable ethnobotanical interest in traditional medicine because of its wide usage. Gunnera occurs naturally in central and southern Africa, Madagascar, New Zealand, Tasmania, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hawaii, Mexico, Central and South America. One of the other characteristics of Gunnera is the specialized glandular structure that develops at the base of each petiole to assist in the entry of Nostoc punctiforme, which occurs naturally in the wet, marshy soil. Van Wyk, B-E. & Gericke, N. 2000. Introduction. The flowers are numerous, small and not very noticeable, tiny pinkish reddish brown, borne on a long slender spike, which is taller than the leaves. It makes large purple hooked flowers over the heart shaped foliage, easily confused with marsh marigolds when young. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. The species is quite common and has not been evaluated for the Red Data List (Von Ahlenfeldt 2003). Media related to Gunnera perpensa at Wikimedia Commons; Data related to Gunnera perpensa at Wikispecies This page was last edited on 6 March 2020, at 02:05 (UTC). Gunnera perpensa is a very hardy, deciduous marsh plant, with large tuberous roots that have a nitrogen fixing, symbiotic relationship with blue-green algae. Decoctions are additionally used to dress wounds, treat colds, or to give animals protection from tickbitesandotherparasites,1whichindi- cates that there may be antiseptic and/or antibiotic properties associated with these solutions. Not registered yet? perpensa is inherited from and linked to the Siswati, Changana, Sotho, Venda, Shona, Tsonga, and Zulu traditional healing systems, particularly in South African provinces where the plant species is still found in the wild.G. Leaves of this species are used in covering curanto (a traditional Chilean food). No nutrients were added-the only requirement is to maintain a wet, soggy habitat. The biosynthesis of nanoparticles has become quite popular and has been proposed as an alternative over the tedious, expensive, and toxic physical and chemical methods of synthesis due to its cost-effectiveness and ecofriendliness. BHAT: MEDICINAL PLANTS OF XHOSA PEOPLE, SOUTH AFRICA 295 Table 1—Medicinal plants and traditional practices of Xhosa people in the Transkei region Eastern Cape (South Africa)—(contd.) 1992). The strength of Gunnera perpensa’s “evidence of traditional use”. Other uses. Haloragaceae. Medicinal. Gunnera perpensa (Gunneraceae), known as river pumpkin, or “uGhobo” in isiZulu, is a perennial shrub which grows along stream banks in many parts of South Africa. Medicinal A decoction of the roots is used to treat dyspepsia; to expel the placenta after birth; and to relieve menstrual pains[ The inside tissues are yellow-brown. Read on to find out. Their principal use is fresh consumption, but also they are prepared in salads, liquor or marmalade. Gunnera perpensa is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.4 m (1ft 6in). 42: the Nostoc - Gunnera symbiosis. Ngwenya, M.A., Koopman, A. In traditional medicines a decoction of it is used to remove excess fluid from the body or excess blood and the placenta in humans and cattle (Ngwenya et al. Gunnera is the only genus in the family, with about 45-50 species, with G. perpensa being the only species occurring in Africa . Leaves are used as a roof covering. Acid and refreshing. 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