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Zornia latifolia: a smart drug being adulterated by Stylosanthes guianensis

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Abstract

Dried herbal preparations, based on “Zornia latifolia,” are commonly sold on web, mainly for their supposed hallucinogenic properties. In this work, we demonstrate that these commercial products contain a different Fabacea, i.e., Stylosanthes guianensis, a cheaper plant, widely cultivated in tropical regions as a fodder legume. We were provided with plant samples of true Zornia latifolia from Brazil, and carried out a thorough comparison of the two species. The assignment of commercial samples was performed by means of micro-morphological analysis, DNA barcoding, and partial phytochemical investigation. We observed that Z. latifolia contains large amounts of flavonoid di-glycosides derived from luteolin, apigenin, and genistein, while in S. guianensis lesser amounts of flavonoids, mainly derived from quercetin, were found. It is likely that the spasmolytic and anxiolytic properties of Z. latifolia, as reported in traditional medicine, derive from its contents in apigenin and/or genistein.

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Notes

  1. From a taxonomical point of view, Fortuna-Perez & Tozzi [4] established under synonymy of Z. latifolia Sm. the following taxa: Z. gemella Willd. ex Vogel (an invalid name), Zornia gracilis DC. (under Z. diphylla (L.) Pers. var. gracilis (DC.) Benth.), Z. diphylla (L.) Pers. var. bernardinensis Chodat & Hassl., Z. maranhamensis G. Don, and Z. surinamensis Miq.. These taxa were frequently identified in herbaria as Z. latifolia. Before this, Zornia latifolia (as Z. latifolia DC.) had already been considered as a variety of Z. diphylla (L.) Pers. by Bentham [5], but Mohlenbrock [6] reestablished the valid name for Z. latifolia Sm..

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento DISTAV, Università di Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genoa, Italy

    L. Cornara & B. Borghesi

  2. Dept of Bot, Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, SP, Brazil

    A. P. Fortuna-Perez

  3. Dipartimento Biotecnol & Biosci, Università Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milan, Italy

    I. Bruni

  4. Center of Excellence for Biomedical Research (CEBR), Università di Genova, Viale Benedetto XV 5, 16132, Genoa, Italy

    A. Salis & G. Damonte

  5. Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Viale T. Michel 11, 15121, Alessandria, Italy

    M. Clericuzio

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  1. L. Cornara
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Cornara, L., Fortuna-Perez, A.P., Bruni, I. et al. Zornia latifolia: a smart drug being adulterated by Stylosanthes guianensis. Int J Legal Med 132, 1321–1331 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-018-1774-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-018-1774-z

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