Morinda lucida.Benth.
| Botanical Name | Morinda lucida.Benth. |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Genus: | Morinda |
| Species: | M. lucida |
| Common Names: | Brimstone tree (English) Arbre a soufre, oruwo (French) |
Plant Synonyms
Morinda citrifoliaL.
Plant Local Names
Burkina Faso: Dioula - Mangana
Ghana: Akan - Bronyadua Konkroma
Nigeria: Igbo - Nuke, Yoruba - Oruwo
Sierra Leone: Mende - Hojologbo
Togo: Ewe - Dzadzakian, Ouatchi - Dadaklan, Adja - Tsikemachou
Plant Habitat
Morinda lucidaoccurs from Senegal to Sudan and southward to Angola and Zambia. It is sometimes planted around villages and grows in grassland, exposed hillsides, thickest, forests, often on termite mounds, sometimes in areas which are regularly flooded, from sea-level upio 1300 m altitude.
Plant Material of Interest
Leaf, root and stem bark
Plant Description
M. lucida is an evergreen shrub or small to medium-sized tree up to 18-25 metres tall, with bole and branches often crooked or gnarled; bark smooth to roughly scaly, grey to brown, often with some distinct purple layers. Leaves opposite, simple and entire; stipules ovate or triangular, 1-7 mm long, petiole up to 1.5 cm long; blade elliptical, 6-18 cm x 2-9 cm, base rounded to cuneate, apex acute to acuminate, shiny above, sometimes finely pubescent when young. Inflorescence a stalked head 4-7 mm in diameter, 1-3 at the nodes opposite a single leaf; peduncle up to 8 cm long bearing at base a stalked cup- shaped gland. Flowers bisexual, regular, 5- merous, heterostylous, fragrant; calyx cup- shaped, about 2 mm long, persistent; corolla salver-shaped, about 1.5 cm long, white or greenish yellow, lobes ovate-lanceolate, up to 5 mm x 2.5 mm; ovary inferior, 2-celled, style 8-11 mm long with 2 stigma lobes 4-7 mm long; stamens 5. Fruit a drupe, several, together arranged into an almost globose succulent syncarp 1-2.5 cm in diameter, soft and black when mature; pyrene compressed ovoid, up to 6.5 mm x 4 mm, dark red-brown, very hard, 1- seeded. Seed ellipsoid, about 3.5 mm x 2 mm x 0.5 mm, yellowish, soft.
Plant Used Parts
Plant Uses
In West Africa, M. lucida is an important plant in traditional medicine. Decoctions and infusions or poultices of roots, bark and leaves are recognized remedies for the treatment of different types of fever (including yellow fever), malaria, trypanosomiasis and bouts of fever during labour. The plant is also used in cases of diabetes, hypertension, stroke, dysentery, stomach pain, ulcers, leprosy and gonorrhoea. In Nigeria, M. lucida is one of the four most commonly used traditional remedies against fever. In Cote d'lvoire, a bark decoction is used against jaundice, and in DR Congo it is combined with the powdered root bark as a poultice to treat the itch and ringworm The fruits are used in the treatment of asthma (Chin, 2002) and in Nigeria, the leaves are used to treat diabetes (Gbolade, 2009; www.prota.org). The leaves, stem bark and roots are used in the treatment of malaria (Asase and Oppong-Mensah, 2009; Adebayo and Kretti, 2011), while the infusion or decoction of the leaves and bark of the trunk, are used in the treatment of oral cancer (Ashida et al., 2010). The decoction of the bark of the trunk is also used in the treatment of haemorrhoids and gastric ulcer (Agyare et al., 2009).
Plant Therapeutic Action
Antimalarial, antipyretic, antidiabetes and pesticidal (antitrypanosome and antihelminthic) (Okpekon et al., 2004).
Plant Precaution for Use
Caution should be taken in the administration of the aqueous extract in patients with compromised renal and liver functions.
Plant Adverse Effect
Possible increase in serum creatinine when given at high doses.
Plant Contraindication
Renal and liver disease
Plant Dosage Forms
Decoction, Infusion
Plant Dosage
Decoction: 30 g plant material in 900 ml water; simmer until reduced to 600 ml; 1 teacup three times daily.
Plant Storage
Plant Chromatographic Fingerprint
Plant Constituents
Anthraquinones (Durodola, 1974, Koumaglo et al., 1992; Sittie et al., 1999); urosilic acid and other triterpenoid acids (Cimanga et al., 2006; Adebayo and Kretti, 2011).
Plant Pictures
Plant References
Adebayo, J.O., Krettli, A.U. (2011). Potential antimalarials from Nigerian plants: A review. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 133:289-302.
Agyare, C., Asase, A., Lechtenberg, M., Niehues, M., Deters, A., Hensel, A. (2009). An ethnopharmacological survey and in vitro confirmation of ethnopharmacological use of medicinal plants used for wound healing in Bosomtwi-Atwima-Kwanwoma area, Ghana. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 125:393-403.
Asase, A., Akwetey, G.A., Achel, D.G. (2010). Ethnopharmacological use of herbal remedies for the treatment of malaria in the Dangme West District of Ghana. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 129:367-376.
Asase, A., Oppong-Mensah, G. (2009). Traditional antimalarial phytotherapy remedies in herbal markets in southern Ghana. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 126:492-499.
Ashidi, J.S., Houghton, P.J., Hylands P.J., Efferth, T., (2010). Ethnobotanical survey and cytotoxicity testing of plants of South-western Nigeria used to treat cancer, with isolation of cytotoxic constituents from Cajanus cajan Millsp. Leaves. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 128:501- 512.
Chin, W.Y. (2002). A Guide to Medicinal Plants. Singapore Science Centre, Singapore. Cimanga, R.K., Tona, G.L., Mesia, G.K., Kambu, O.K., Bakana, D.P. et al., (2006). Bioassay- guided isolation of antimalarial ^terpenoid acids from the leaves of Morinda lucida Pharmaceutical Biology 44:677-681.
Do Ceu de Madureira, M., Paula Martin, A., Gomes, M., Paiva, J., Proenca da Cuhna, A., do Rosario, V. (2002). Antimalarial activity of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine in S. Tome and Principe islands. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 81:23-29.