Aptenia cordifolia (A Zulu traditional medicine)

[Alchemica]

Aptenia cordifolia (A Zulu traditional medicine)



Please note: this plant contains oxalates. While it may be safe in the right doses and prepared correctly, please do not use medicinally unless you are skilled in using it. But you can grow it!

This is a plant that got me through real dark times. Today I give a plant to a "Grow Free Box". I found after fermentation ca. 15g was active and antidepressant with a different quality, more groundedly hearty than Kanna. It was really nice, so much so I made a full spectrum ethanol extract of the fermented material.

 

"Aptenia cordifolia is a species of succulent plant in the iceplant family known by the common names heartleaf iceplant and baby sun rose. Native to southern Africa, this species has become widely known as an ornamental plant."
 

Growing Aptenia cordifolia

 

Aptenia cordifolia is a well-known groundcover. It is an ideal plant for coastal gardens as it tolerates sea spray and grows in sandy soil. It can be used in rockeries or outcrops, terraced slopes and along roadside embankments. It requires full sun or semi-shade; it can be planted underneath trees. If grown in unfavourable conditions, the plant will die.

 

Aptenia cordifolia is easily grown from seed and cuttings. Sow seed in summer. The plant can be divided and runners can be planted directly into the ground. Before planting, prepare the garden bed by digging over the soil; add compost and a slow-release fertilizer. Once established it requires less water. Trim or prune the plant to maintain its shape. The plant can become weedy.
 

Aptenia's Medicine:
 

Aptenia cordifolia is used medicinally as an anti-inflammatory, as a dressing (poultice) and deodorant. The plant is also used as a love and good luck charm. Zulu medicinal uses include making a mild enema for babies; the black powder is used for vaccination and against witchcraft (sorcery). Burnt stems and leaves are applied to aching joints.

 

"Aptenia cordifolia is used by Zulu healers in S. Africa as one of their important medicinal plants. The leaves may be infused to relieve sore throat and perspiration; the herb is also anxiolytic, and acts as an antiinflammatory when applied externally.Interestingly, a black powder prepared from the plant is reputedly endowed with magical properties, and used to protect against sorcery (Van Wyk & Gericke 2000, Van Wyk et al. 1997) Prepared in the same manner as Sceletium spp., this common and attractive ornamental plant has been found to have similar effect to S. tortuosum, but is of lower potency (pers. comms.)...

 

The plant contains mesembrine-type alkaloids which have antidepressant effects through serotonin and other pathways and may be superior to SSRIs currently used to treat depression.

 

Aptenia cordifolia may contain significant levels of mesembrine-type alkaloids, as compared to other Aizoaceae, though still only 13.6% of the levels found in Sceletium tortuosum. Mesembrine [c. 9.7% of the extract], 4'-O-demethylmesembranol [c. 14.4% of extract] and three unidentified compounds were observed; 2 of these, comprising c.4.8% of the extract, appear to be indoles (Smith, M.T. et. al. 1998)"

It is worth considering that perhaps some of the alkaloids identified by Smith et al. as being present in  Aptenia samples  (4’-Odemethylmesembrenol, mesembrine and mesembrenone) may have been mis-identified, more recent analysis  presence of the  mesembrine-type of mesembrane alkaloids 4,5-dihydro-4’-O-methylsceletenone  and 4’-O-methylsceletenone [1]

 

The phytochemical screening of the ethanolic extract of the leaves of A. cordifolia, which was a strong antiinflammatory, revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavanoids, tannins, phenols, saponins and steroids. Aside from mesembrine-type alkaloids and unidentified indole alkaloids, ferulic acid, 3,4-dimethoxy-dihydrocinnamic acid were isolated as well as the corresponding Me and Et esters respectively. Also identified were pinoresinol and syringaresinol, respectively. Oxyneolignans such as apteniol G were discovered. It's listed as a 'safe plant' on databases and suggested as being safe for consumption by multiple sources.

Edited February 15, 2022 by Alchemica

[Alchemica]

The latest study

Antidepressant Potential of Mesembryanthemum cordifolium Roots Assisted by Metabolomic Analysis and Virtual Screening

 

Depression is a common mental disturbance that can be categorized as mild, moderate or severe. Mesemberine alkaloids, the main recognized phytoconstituents of some plants belonging to family Mesembryanthemaceae, are well-known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the antidepressant activity of the alkaloidal fraction of Mesembryanthemum cordifolium L.f. (Aptenia cordifolia) roots, family Mesembryanthemaceae using forced swimming test, assisted by metabolomic analysis and in silico ligand-based and structure-based screening. Results showed that the alkaloidal fraction displayed an antidepressant activity superior to imipramine hydrochloride, a standard antidepressant agent. Nine alkaloids were annotated from the metabolomic analysis. Interestingly, among the dereplicated constituents, mesembrane (5) displayed strong binding affinity to SERT protein, which is slightly higher than the antidepressant drug venlafaxine. In conclusion, the alkaloidal fraction of the M. cordifolium (A. cordifolia) root exhibits an antidepressant activity which can be attributed in part to mesembrane (5).

[FancyPants]

Wow!

 

I have some growing out the front of my place and it needs a trim. Is it a difficult process? Can I as a total noob do it? 
 

also the oxalates, I have a kidney issue meaning avoiding high oxalate food and drink. But does that apply to insufflation?

[Alchemica]

I've just mashed it and put it in a jar, sun fermented then oven dried (smells a bit...) before to get a usable powder as per herbalistics DIY Sceletium fermentation page. Bigger batches including roots were problematic with mold. I needed high doses to get effects but I'm a bit of a serotonergic hard head. I personally don't think you'd get enough of a dose via insufflation.

[withdrawl clinic]

it's a very comman plant, and often sold in nurseries.

i seem not to like ssri type pills and even sceletium,

but i might ad that sceletium could maybe be a hallucigenic in close to pure form, and very euphoric.

but maybe the smoke apperatus was contaminated.

 

fermenting this material is fun, herbalistic often contains woody parts, which than ge turned into powder.

i leave the material to ferment (in the sun in a closed container) and once it's mushy, run the fingernails of thump and pointer along the stems, and as such remove the green parts (leaves and soft bark), but leave the wooden core behind.

for a/b you need chloroform....

[fyzygy]

Mesembryanthemum = Aptenia? I've got this growing at random, my plant ID app tells me it's M. cordifolia. Don't know where it came from, but it's always reminded me of Sceletium spp. Both seem to be unstoppable ground covers. 

[Alchemica]

4 hours ago, fyzygy said:

Mesembryanthemum = Aptenia? I've got this growing at random, my plant ID app tells me it's M. cordifolia. Don't know where it came from, but it's always reminded me of Sceletium spp. Both seem to be unstoppable ground covers. 

 

Mesembryanthemum cordifolium L.f. (syn. Aptenia cordifolia)

 

Think there's some variety in colour

 

 

 

 

[Alchemica]

Just updating this - there seems to be confusion between A. cordifolia (Mesembryanthemum cordifolium) and A. lancifolia and there are common hybrids between the two.

 

Aptenia cordifolia and A. lancifolia are very popular garden plants around the world, and are particularly useful as attractive ground covers on dry slopes as they rapidly form lush green carpets with decorative reddish purple flowers. A. cordifolia has cordate or heart-shaped leaves, while the leaves of A. lancifolia are lance-shaped, tapering gradually towards their bases. Leaf shape is used as a rather tenuous character in distinguishing A. cordifolia from its nearest relative, A. lancifolia.

 

Quote

 

In the  stems of A. cordifolia the predominant alkaloid found was 4’-O-methylsceletenone, followed by hordenine and then 4,5-dihydro-4’-Omethylsceletenone. In A. cordifolia sample 2 ... no alkaloids were found to be present in the fruit and flowers of the plant. Only the non-mesembrane  alkaloid hordenine was observed to be present only in the leaves of the plant in trace amounts, while the predominant alkaloid in both the stems and the roots of the plant was 4’-O-methylsceletenone, followed by 4,5-dihydro-4’-O-methylsceletenone 
 

In the A. lancifolia samples investigated, all of the plant parts were observed to contain mesembrane alkaloids. In the stems of A. lancifolia, 4’-Omethylsceletenone, 4,5-dihydro-4’-O-methylsceletenone and hordenine were all found to be present in trace amounts. 4,5-dihydro-4’-O-methylsceletenone  was the main alkaloid observed to be present and hordenine was present in trace amounts in A. lancifolia leaves. In A. lancifolia roots, the predominant alkaloid present was 4’-O-methylsceletenone, followed by hordenine, and trace amounts of 4,5-dihydro-4’-O-methylsceletenone. The fruit and flowers of A. lancifolia yielded mainly 4,5-dihydro-4’-O-methylsceletenone followed by 4’-O-methylsceletenone, and the stems of A. lancifolia yielded predominantly 4’-O-methylsceletenone followed by 4,5-dihydro-4’-O-methylsceletenone. 

Microsoft Word - 1. Cover page.doc (def-sa.com)

 

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by Alchemica

[Alchemica]

Tried to do a simple Phytochemistry of Aptenia write up with TLCs

 

Aptenia_TLC.pdf

Aptenia_TLC.pdf

Edited April 19, 2023 by Alchemica

[fyzygy]

Daffney/Gaffney - typo?

Any info on traditional use of these plant/parts?

[Alchemica]

12 minutes ago, fyzygy said:

Daffney/Gaffney - typo?

Any info on traditional use of these plant/parts?

 

Thanks for picking that up, corrected.

 

Just made it the phytochemistry but could add more when I'm not so zonked.

 

Hope you're doing well.

[fyzygy]

Leaves on this one look much larger than the variety I have growing, approximately the same "heart" shape.