Annona Species Monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future

Chapter 7. Uses
pain of the chest, swelling and trypanosomiasis (You et al., 1995; Fatope et
al., 1996), and treatment of convulsions in children and against cancer.
Sugar apple has many alkaloids, such as aporphine, roemerine, norcorydine,
corydine, norisocorydine, glaucine and anonaine in different parts of the
plant (Kowalska and Puett, 1990). The roots are used to treat acute dysentery,
depression and spinal marrow diseases, while leaves have been used in cases
of prolapse of the anus, sores and swelling (Chao-Ming et al., 1997). Tea
made from the roots is highly purgative, while when it is made from the
leaves is mildly laxative (Leal, 1990). It has a tonic effect on the digestive
tract (Leal, 1990). Ethanol extracts of the bark appear to have anti-tumour
activity (Hopp et al., 1996, 1997, 1998). The leaves have an alkaloid,
higenamine, and this is a cardiotonic active principle (Wagner et al., 1980).
Sugar apple fruits contain 16-b, 17-dihydroxykauran-19-oic acid, which has
demonstrated anti-HIV activity (Wu et al., 1996). Seed extracts are very
poisonous and have insecticidal properties (Pandey and Varma, 1977; Qadri
and Rao, 1977; Hernández and Angel, 1997); saponin, extracted from the
seeds, haemolyses red blood cells and is toxic to fish (Salluja and Santani,
1990). In India, the extract of the seeds is used to provoke abortion by tribes
in Madhya Pradesh State (Salluja and Santani, 1990), often combined with
leaves of Plumbago zeylanica. Constituents of the leaves and tender stems
are itemized in Asolkar et al. (1992).
The folk and modern medicinal uses of the annonas are clear, but this chapter
should not be used for self-medication, as the toxic properties of most of
these compounds can have undesirable side effects. Caparros-Lefebvre et al.
(1999) showed that the alkaloids present in the leaves, bark and seeds of
annonas, when consumed for their sedative and hypnotic effects in the
French West Indies, are responsible for inducing neurotoxic effects with
symptoms of Parkinsonism. Hence, any medicinal use of the annonas should
only be carried out with medical guidance.
7.4 Other uses
The annonas have a number of other non-medicinal important uses for their
chemical constituents. The acetogenins with insecticidal properties, present
in roots, stems, leaves and seeds, can be prepared domestically as powders or
by extracting them with water, acetone, ethanol, petrol ether, ethylic ether or
hexane solvents. These extracts can be very potent insecticides, even in
diluted form, and proper protection should be used when handling. An oil can
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