WHO monographs on selected medicinal plants - travolekar.ru

<strong>WHO</strong> <strong>monographs</strong> on selected medicinal plants
Major chemical constituents
The major chemical constituents of the oil are triacyl glycerols containing
an unsaturated and hydroxylated C 18
fatty acid: (R)-(+)-12-hydroxy-Zoctadec-9-enoic
acid, also known as ricinoleic acid (85–92%) (1, 17). It
should be noted that ricinoleic acid occurs primarily as its precursor triglyceride,
ricinolein (70–77% of the oil) (20). Other fatty acids found are:
palmitic (2% maximum), stearic (2.5% maximum), oleic and isomers
(2.5–6.0%), linoleic (2.5–7.0%), linolenic (2.5% maximum), eicosenoic
(1.0% maximum), other acids (1.0% maximum) (1). The structure of ricinoleic
acid is presented below.
Ricinoleic acid
H 3 C
H
OH
CO 2 H
Medicinal uses
Uses supported by clinical data
None.
Uses described in pharmacopoeias and well established documents
Short-term treatment (3–5 days) for acute constipation when other dietary
methods or bulk-forming laxatives have not provided adequate relief.
As a cathartic for use in bowel evacuation prior to surgery (21). Used
externally for topical dermatoses and dermatitis (5, 6).
Uses described in traditional medicine
Used as an emmenagogue, to induce labour, for the treatment of burns,
bronchitis, diarrhoea, itching, earache, haemorrhoids, pneumonia, rheumatism
and sprains (6, 22, 23).
Pharmacology
Experimental pharmacology
Anti-inflammatory activity
Pharmacological studies suggest that ricinoleic acid has a similar activity to
that of capsaicin, and further suggest a potential interaction of ricinoleic
acid with sensory neuropeptide-mediated neurogenic inflammation (24).
The pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects of ricinoleic acid
were assessed in an experimental model of blepharitis induced by intradermal
injection of carrageenan in guinea-pig eyelids. Topical treatment
with ricinoleic acid (10–100.0 mg/guinea-pig) or capsaicin (1–10 mg/guinea-pig)
caused eyelid reddening and oedema. At lower doses both drugs
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