Health benefits of Abutilon - Healthcare

What is abutilon? 

Abutilon is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, (Malvaceae) which is spread throughout the tropics and subtropics of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia. 

It includes several species used as houseplants and in gardens for their white to deep orange, usually nodding, five-petaled blossoms.

Abutilon indicum is one of the renowned plant species used to treat a large number of human ailments. 

The whole plant or its specific parts (leaves, stem, roots, fruits and seeds) are known to have medicinal properties and have a long history of use by indigenous and tribal people in India. 

Traditionally, the plant is used for treatment of inflammation, piles, gonorrhea and as an immune stimulant. 

In general, its root and bark are used as aphrodisiac, anti-diabetic and diuretic. Seeds are used in the treatment of cough, urinary disorders and as a laxative in piles.

 

More importantly, the juice from its leaves has been used to formulate an ointment for quick ulcer healing properties. Besides, it is widely used in folk medicine for treating fever, cough, lung disease, urine output, deafness, ringing in the ears, mumps and pulmonary tuberculosis.

Plant Description

Abutilon indicum is herbaceous weed and found abundantly in wastelands. The stem of the plant is stout, branched, about 1-2 m tall and 0.3-0.9 cm in diameter. The stem of the plant is yellow and often found tinged with purple colour. The leaves are ovate, acuminate, toothed, rarely subtrilobate and 1.9-2.5 cm long. The flowers are yellow in colour, peduncle jointed above the middle. The petioles 3.8-7.5 cm long; stipules 9 mm long and pedicels often 2.5-5 mm long.

They are axillary solitary, jointed very near the top; calyx 12.8 mm long, lobes ovate, apiculate and corolla 2.5 cm in diameter, yellow and open. The fruits are capsule, densely pubescent, with conspicuous and horizontally spreading beaks. The seeds are 3-5 mm in size, reniform, tubercled or minutely stellate-hairy, black or dark brown [23-26]. The root of the plant is with smooth surface, cylindrical, 1.2 to 1.5 cm in diameter, fragrant, salty taste and yellow in color.

Specific health benefits of abutilon:

Anti-diabetic Activity

It has been evaluated that Abutilon indicum improves insulin sensitivity. Based on a study of aqueous extract of the entire plant (leaves, twigs and roots) of Abutilon indicum on postprandial plasma glucose in diabetic rats. 

The crude extract could activate glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) promoter activity. These results suggest that the extract from Abutilon indicum may be beneficial for reducing insulin resistance through its potency in regulating adipocyte differentiation through PPARγ agonist activity, and increasing glucose utilization via GLUT1.

Anti-diarrheal activity

Leaf extracts of Abutilon indicum were evaluated for anti-diarrhoeal activity by gastro-intestinal motility, castor oil-induced diarrhoea. The methanolic and aqueous extracts showed significant anti diarrhoeal activity in castor oil-induced diarrhoea and prostaglandin E2- induced diarrhoea. These extracts reduced diarrhoea by inhibiting intestinal peristalsis; gastrointestinal motility and PGE2 induced enteropooling.

Antioxidant and Antimicrobial activity

The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of chloroform fraction of alcoholic extract of the whole plant of Abutilon indicum extract was screened for antioxidant and free radical scavenging effects at various concentrations. The antimicrobial activity was studied using the agar well diffusion assay. Extract of Abutilon indicum was found to be most effective against Staphylococcus aureus followed by Bacillus sublitis whereas in case of Gram negative bacteria, extract was found to be most effective against Escherichia coli showing the maximum zone of inhibition followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The ethanolic extract showed high activity against C. albicans than that of standard drug amphotericin B.

Wound healing activity

When a  wound healing study of Abutilon indicum was evaluated by P Ganga suresh et al; there was a significant increase in wound closure rate.
All the extracts were obtained subjected to phytochemical studies. The progressive changes in the wound area were monitored by tracing the wound margin every day. From the result, it is concluded that the petroleum ether extract of “Abutilon indicum” Linn had greater wound healing activity than the Ethanolic extract.

Anti-asthmatic activity

This study reported the effectiveness of powder of dried aerial parts of Abutilon indicum in decreasing the severity of commonly observed symptoms of bronchial asthma i.e. dyspnoea, cough, chest tightness and wheezing. It was also found to significantly increase the pulmonary function measured as forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 Sec (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in patients having mild to moderate bronchial asthma.

In vitro anti-arthritic activity

Water soluble extract of Abutilon indicum (linn.) was studied by testing three in vitro parameters: protein denaturation, membrane stabilization and protease inhibition. Abutilon indicum at doses (100 and 250 mcg/ ml) provided significant protection against denaturation of proteins and hypotonic saline induced RBC membrane damage. It also exhibited significant anti-protease activity.

Conclusion

Abutilon indicum have many more pharmacological properties like, hepatoprotective, wound healing, immunomodulatory, analgesic, antimalarial, antimicrobial, hypoglycemic activity. The main chemical constituents are carbohydrates, steroids, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins and Phenolic compounds. Hence this review article, effort has been taken to collect and compile the details notes on Abutilon indicum
which will be useful to the society to venture into a field of alternative systems of medicine