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Ammi majus L. and A. visnaga (L.) Lam. (Apiaceae/Umbelliferae)

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Handbook of 200 Medicinal Plants

Abstract

Seeds are classified as stimulatory, carminative, anti-inflammatory and extremely useful for vitiligo and leucoderma. Powdered seeds mixed with honey, that has been heated to remove scum, 10 g daily with warm water for fifteen days are claimed to cure vitiligo. It is also used as an emmenagogue to regulate menstruation, as a diuretic, and for the treatment of leprosy, kidney stones, and urinary tract infections. Since ancient times, a tea made from the fruit of Ammi visnaga (khella , as it is known in the Arab world) has been used as a remedy for renal colic due to kidney stones. In Israel and Morocco, the plant is used for the treatment of diabetes. Natural coumarins (furocoumarins), isopimpinellin, xanthotoxin (8-methoxypsoralen, 8-MOP), imperatorin, bergapten, umbelliprenin, maurin, alloimperatorin, ammirin, ammajin and marmesin, have been isolated from the fruits of A. majus. Khellin, visnagin, and khellol glycoside have been isolated from fruits of A. visnaga. 8-MOP is a purified extract of the root, that has been used in a crude form for centuries in the Middle East in the treatment of various skin diseases, and was first utilized in the treatment of vitiligo in 1948. Ethanol seed extract decreased TC, TGs and LDL-C, and increased HDL-C of rats, and also produced significant anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic effects. Both a single oral dose and repeated administration of aqueous extract of A. visnaga significantly lowers blood glucose in normal and diabetic rats. Spontaneous passage of multiple ureteral stones in a patient, possibly as a result of using a khellin preparation was reported from Turkey.

Ammi majus and Ammi visnaga are two different species; vernaculars mentioned here are for A. majus.

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  1. Stockton, CA, USA

    Shahid Akbar

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Akbar, S. (2020). Ammi majus L. and A. visnaga (L.) Lam. (Apiaceae/Umbelliferae). In: Handbook of 200 Medicinal Plants. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16807-0_23

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