CHAPTER 3: MALVALES
Anton Kramer
Introduction
The order Malvales contains several homeopathic remedies like Theobroma cacao (Chocolate), Cola nitida and C. acuminata, Abroma augusta, Malva, Althea, Hibiscus, Abelmoschus, Gossipium, Tilia europea and T. cordata, Mezereum, Dapne, Dirca, Bixa orellana, Helianthemum, Cistus.
The Malvales are devided in the core Malvales (Malvaceae) with
-Malvoideae: Malva, Althea, Hibiscus, Abelmoschus, Gossipium (and non-homeopathic: Okra, Balsa wood, Kapok tree, Durian fruit)
-Sterculioideae: Cola (Kola), Abroma (Non-homeopathic: Baobob tree)
-Tilioideae: Tilia europea and T. cordata
-Byttnerioideae: Theobroma cacao.
and the expanded Malvales, containing less-characteristic famillies:
-Bixaceae: Bixa orellana
-Cistaceae: Helianthemum, Cistus canadensis, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Bach), Helianthemum nummularium (Bach flowers: Rock Rose)
-Thymelaceae: Mezereum, Dapne, Dirca. This family is a very basal one within the Malvales; botanically it has primitive characteristics.
Phylogenetic relationships
Molecular phylogenetic analyses of the core Malvales (Malvaceae) showed that these families do not form natural (monophyletic) groups; thus a new classification of the core Malvales has been proposed with nine clades; the familly names are changed and there has been a rearranging within each family and clade. There is still discussion in literature about families, clades, sub-families and genera. The most recent information leads to the botanic tree as shown above, all ending with -oideae; this gives information about the proximity of our remedies.
Botanical characteristics
Many members of expanded Malvales can be identified by the following combination of characters: leaves with palmate venation (often three principal veins arising from the base of the leaf blade), mucilage canals
within the tissues (think of the slime in Okra and Althea), stellate (star-shaped) hairs on the vegetative parts of the plant (characteric in kapok and in cotton) and stipules (leaf-like structures at the base of the leaf stalk); containing flavones, myricetin. In addition, members of the Malvaceae have nectaries composed of glandular hairs, usually on the calyx, and seeds with cyclopropenyl fatty acids.
Cyclopropene acids are found in Malvales seed oils (Sterculiaceae, Gnetaceae, Bombacaceae, Tiliaceae, Malvalaceae) and Baobab, Kapok and Mowrah seed oils which are used as human food in Madagascar. They can reduce the commercial value of cotton seed oil (Gossypium) in interfering with animal fatty acid metabolism (desaturation of stearic acid). Such toxic acids are deactivated or removed by normal industrial treatments. Compounds containing cyclopropenoid ring are associated with several biological properties, such a: insecticide, antifungal, antibiotic, antiviral, hormonal, carcinogenic or antitumoral activities and enzyme.
Sterculic acid. The 9,10-methylene octadec-9-enoic acid was discovered in Sterculia foetida oil. It was named sterculic acid. An homologue molecule, 8,9-methylene heptadec-8-enoic acid, was discovered in Malva verticillata seed oil and named malvalic acid. Cotton oil (Gossypium hirsutum) was the first oil, used
for human consumption, where cyclopropenic acids were shown to be. Sterculic acid was shown to be an inhibitor of the delta-9-desaturase which converts stearic acid into oleic acid, altering membrane permeability and inhibiting cellular reproduction.
Both cyclopropenic acids are present in Malvales in various proportions. In Sterculiaceae, malvalic acid is present in the range 3-26% and sterculic acid in the range 5-54%, in Malvaceae O.5-5% and 0.3-7%, in Gnetaceae 13-39% and 13-28%, and in Bombacaceae 2-20% and 1-46%, respectively.
Taxa with ectomycorrhizal associations are common in this order, e.g.
Tilioideae and ex Sterculiaceae, Dipterocarpaceae and Cistaceae, Sarcolaenaceae; it will be interesting to see just how widespread this is.
Economic Importance of the Malvales
Together the expanded Malvales order contains approximately 4,000 species and range from small Mediterranean shrubs like Cistus (Rock Rose and Cistus canadensis) to towering tropical trees like Shorea. It also contains many economically important plants, such as Bixa orellana (annatto, a natural red coloring) and Ochroma pyramidale (balsa wood).
In total, the Core Malvales (Malvaceae) comprises approximately 2300 species in 204 genera (Judd et al. 1999). This group contains several economically important taxa, such as Theobroma cacao (the source of cocoa), Cola (the source of cola flavor), Gossypium (cotton), Bombax (kapok tree), Durio zibethinus (durians, a fruit) and many ornamental plants, such as Hibiscus, Adansonia digitata (Baobab tree), Hibiscus esculentus (Okra), Althaea (hollyhocks) and Malva (mallows).
Althaea officinalis, commonly known as the marshmallow, is a perennial herb often found in marshy areas of Europe and northeastern North America. Its thick roots contain about 20% mucilage, the jelly-like substance used to make the original marshmallows. In the nineteenth century, the French began mixing the mucilage from Althaea roots with sugar and egg whites to make a foamy meringue that hardened to form a medicinal candy for soothing sore throats. Although the modern marshmallow gets its texture from gelatin and not Althaea's mucilage, powdered Althaea root is still commonly used in teas to treat colds and sore throats.
The principle economic use of Malvaceous plants is as a source of natural fibres, the family providing perhaps the world's 3 most important fibre crops. Plants of the family are also used for food, beverages, timber, in traditional medicine, and in horticulture.
Fibre: The most important crop is cotton, which is obtained from the seed hairs of 4 species of Gossypium. Cotton is the world's preeminent natural fibre, of which in excess of 20 million tonnes are produced annually. This dwarfs the production of animal fibres (wool, about 11⁄2 million tonnes annually) and is comparable to the total production of synthetic fibres. The largest producers are China, the United States of America, India and Pakistan. Production is also extensive in Central Asia, the Middle East, Australia, Brasil, and Mediterranean Europe.
Jute, obtained from the phloem fibres of Corchorus capsularis and Corchorus olitorius, is also an important fibre crop; with a production in excess of 2 million tonnes annually it is the second largest vegetable fibre. India and Bangladesh are by far the largest fibres. Kenaf, obtained from the phloem fibres of Hibiscus cannabinus, has an annual production of about 1 million tonnes. Thailand, Burma, China and Bangladesh are the majorproducers.
Tilioideae
Tilia europea. T. europaea is considered to be a hybrid of T. platyphyllos (Large-leaved Lime) and T. cordata.
This tree will grow to 130 feet in height and when in bloom perfumes its whole neighbourhood. Limes are often planted as shade trees. Their fragrant flowers are the source of nectar for honey bees, yielding a honey of delicate flavour.
Lime wood is useful for small articles not requiring strength or durability. It is the lightest wood produced by any of the broad-leaved European trees, and is suitable for many other purposes, as it never becomes worm-eaten. On the Continent it is much used for turnery, sounding boards for pianos, in organ manufacture, as the frame-work of veneers for furniture, for packing-cases, and also for artists' charcoal making and for the fabrication of wood-pulp.
Sterculioideae
Abroma augusta, or Devil's Cotton, is an evergreen tree native from Asia to Australia. They will reach 10 feet (2.5 m) in height with very little spread. The leaves will reach 8 inches (20 cm) across and are 3-5 lobed with very distinct palmate veins. The leaves and stems are covered with soft bristly hairs that are very irritating to the touch. The bark yields a jute-like fiber.
Theobroma cacao (often placed in the Byttnerioideae but homeopathically very similar to Cola nut) was named Theobroma by Linnaeus, the word meaning 'food of the gods,' so called from the goodness of its seeds. Mexicans named the pounded seeds 'Chocolate.' The tree is handsome, 12 to 16 feet high; trunk about 5 feet long; wood light and white coloured; bark brown; Ieaves lanceolate, bright green, entire; flowers small reddish, almost odourless; fruit yellowy red, smooth; rind fleshcoloured; pulp white; when seeds are ripe they rattle in the capsule when shaken; each capsule contains about twenty-five seeds; if separated from the capsule they soon become infertile, but if kept therein they retain their fertility for a long time. The seeds contain about 2 per cent. of theobromine and 40 to 60 per cent of solid fat. The shells contain about 1 per cent of theobromine, together with mucilage, etc.
Cola acuminata and C. nitida.
The cola nut tree is native to West Africa. It has been naturalized to South America, Central America, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. In Africa cola nuts have been used as an appetite and thirst suppressant, enabling soldiers who chewed them to travel long distances without much food. Related to cocoa, cola nut is the source of a stimulant, and contains the methylxanthine alkaloids that occur also in coffee, cocoa, tea, matè and guarana. It is used in the manufacture of methylxanthine-based pharmaceuticals. Methylxanthines (caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine) are used to treat pre-term infant apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and especially asthma. Pharmacologically, these alkaloids relax bronchial smooth muscle, stimulate the central nervous system and cardiac muscle, and are diuretic. However, the most active alkaloid in regard to asthma is theophylline, not present in cola nut.
Bixaceae
Trees or shrubs; flavones, flavonols, ellagic acid, flavonoid sulphates +.
Bixa orellana L.
Lipstick Tree, Anatto, Annatto, Kesumba, Kesumba Kling
This species is cultivated for its fruit pulp which yields the bright orange food dye annatto (otherwise known as annatta or arnotto or roucou). Annatto has been used by South American Indians as a red colouring for the body.
Cistaceae
Herbs to shrubs; (flavonoid sulphates; mucilage cells.
Helianthemum (110), Cistus (18). More or less worldwide, often temperate or warm temperate, esp. Mediterranean region. Cistaceae are aromatic shrubs growing in open, sunny areas often on a sandy or chalky substrate. They often have opposite leaves with broad, even connate bases.
Thymelaceae
Three sub-families; only the Thymelaeoideae are of interest in homeopathy. World-wide, esp. trop. South-America, Africa and
Australia.
Thymelaeoideae (Daphne, Dirca and Daphne)
Trees, shrubs, lianes or herbs; phorbol ester diterpenes, cyclopropenoid fatty acids, chelidonic acid +, myricetin; leaves often opposite.Thymelaeaceae are recognisable by their very fibrous bark and entire, exstipulate often opposite leaves which frequently have rather close, parallel venation and leave prominent raised scars on the stem after they fall off. The plants are often toxic.
The pollen of many Thymelaeaceae is similar to that of Euphorbiaceae-Crotonoideae, and the chemistry is also similar to that of Euphorbiaceae, including the presence of phorbol ester diterpenes.