The new moon this weekend marks the Chinese New Year, Year of the Dragon. Dragon’s Blood (Leaf 29, https://lnkd.in/dDpsGHaz) and Dragon Boats (Leaf 34, https://lnkd.in/dkvgCcAk) have comeup before; this week I happened upon the snapdragon plant, Antirrhinum majus (Plantaginaceae). We have taken someplayful artistic license with the cover picture for this leaf (credits @Lidan Beck). If you want to see what the flowers reallylook like, search the Internet.
Antirrhinum, like mostplants, has an extensive array of phytochemicals. Kumar (2022) mentions anthocyanidins, flavonols, flavones, aurones, flavanones, and cinnamic acids. Special attentionis drawn to bracteatin glucoside, an aurone found for the first time in this plant.
Practically every plant Iread up on turns out to have some documented medicinal properties, no less Antirrhinum. Kumar (2022) mentions traditional use of this plant to treat scurvy, tumours, liverproblems, and as a diuretic. Recent research shows that extracts of the flowersinterfere with the mammalian cell cycle in a way that might counter lung andcolon cancers (Seo et al, 2020).
More relevant to our Green Mountain Biotech skincare interests is research proposing Antirrhinumextract in topical treatments for Acne vulgaris (Shahtalebi et al, 2018).The article focuses particularly on inhibition of the acne bacterium (Cutibacteriumacnes), pointing out the expected antimicrobial activity of bracteatin and other aurones.
It is far from clear whether it is bracteatin, other flavones, or other phytochemicals that responsible for the anticancer and anti-acne activities of the Antirrhinus. Maybe it is just one among many medicinal plants, or perhaps the snapdragon is distinguished by some unique combination molecules whose activities combine to give this plant its special snap.
References
🐲Kumar G (2022), A review of the chemicalconstituents and pharmacological activities of Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon). IPInt J Compr Adv Pharmacol 7(2):72-76. https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijcaap.2022.013
🐲Seo J et al (2020). Antirrhinum majus L. flower extract inhibitscell growth and metastatic properties in human colon and lung cancer celllines. Food science & nutrition, 8(11), 6259–6268.
🐲 Shahtalebi MA et al (2018). Formulation of Herbal Gel of Antirrhinummajus Extract and Evaluation of its Anti-Propionibacterium acne Effects. Advanced biomedical research, 7, 53. https://doi.org/10.4103/abr.abr_99_17
