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       Devil’s Backbone is the dried stem of Cissus quadrangularis L. (Family Vitaceae), Herbarium Specimen Number:  DMSC 5158, Crude Drug Number:  DMSc 0754.

Constituents  Devil’s Backbone contains triterpenoids (e.g.,lupeol), flavonoids (e.g., kaempferol, quercetin), calcium oxalate, ascorbic acid, tannins, carotenoids, etc.

Description of the plant  (Figs. 1a, 1b)  Woody climber; stem green, succulent, quadrangular, angles winged, much constricted at nodes; tendril unequally bifurcate, 10 to 15 cm long, leaf-opposed; stipules 2, ovate, 3 to 4 mm long, 2 to 3 mm wide, caducous.  Leaves simple, alternate, cordate to ovate, 4 to 7 cm long, 2.5 to 7 cm wide, apex obtuse to cuspidate, base auriculate to truncate, margin crenulate with minute teeth, coriaceous, with 3 main basal veins and 3 pairs of secondary veins, caducous; petiole up to 2 cm long, quadrangular. Inflorescence compound umbelliform cymes, leaf-opposed, up to 3 cm long, up to 5.5 cm wide; peduncle up to 2 cm long; pedicel up to 4 mm long.  Flower small, reddish; calyx, cupuliform, inconspicuous lobes; petals 4, ovate, 2 to 3 mm long, 1 to 1.5 mm wide, apex hood-shaped; stamens 4, filament filiform, 0.7 to 1.3 mm long, anther elliptic-ovate; disc slightly 4-lobed; ovary superior, adnate to the disc, 2-loculed, ovules 2 per locule, style and  stigma inconspicuously cylindrical.  Fruit berry, mostly globose, 0.5 to 1 cm long, 0.5 to 1 cm wide, reddish purple to black.  Seed(s) 1 or 2, orbicular or ellipsoid, about 5 mm long, about 4 mm wide, smooth. 

Description  Odour, mild; taste, bland.

       Macroscopical  (Fig. 1a)  Part of quadrangular vine, varying in size and length, with or without node, pale brown colour; tendril occasionally found.

      Microscopical  (Figs. 2a, 2b, 2c)  Transverse section of the fresh stem shows epidermal layer containing raised stomata, thick cuticle layer and underneath cork layer. Cortex layer composed of parenchyma, some of which contain starch granules, rosette aggregate and raphide crystals, a group of thick-walled angular collenchyma in each ridge and air spaces. Fibrovascular bundle consisting of fibres, phloem, vascular cambium, and xylem.

       Devil’s Backbone in powder possesses the diagnostic microscopical characters of the unground drug.

Warning  The fresh juice of the stem or the crushed-fresh stem irritates the skin and mucous membrane, and may cause itching.

Additional information

       1. It is commonly used with other herbal drugs in the antihemorrhoidal remedies.

       2. Traditionally, thin slices of one fresh internode wrapped with tamarind pulp or ripe banana are daily consumed for three consecutive days to treat hemorrhoid.

Packaging and storage  Devil’s Backbone shall be kept in well-closed containers, protected from light, and stored in a dry place.

Identification

       A. To 5 g of the sample, in powder, add 20 mL of ethanol, shake occasionally during 1 hour and filter (solution 1).  To 2 mL of solution 1, add 4 or 5 pieces of magnesium ribbon, shake well and mix with a few drops of hydrochloric acid:  a pink colour develops.

       B. To 2 mL of solution 1, add a few drops of iron(III) chloride TS, and shake well:  a blue colour develops.

       C. Evaporate 2 mL of solution 1 to dryness, dissolve the residue in 2 mL of acetic anhydride, and then slowly add 1 mL of sulfuric acid to form two layers:  a brown ring forms at the zone of contact and the upper layer is yellow which gradually changes to green.

       D. Carry out the test as described in the “Thin-Layer Chromatography” (Appendix 3.1), using silica gel GF254 as the coating substance and a mixture of 80 volumes of hexane and 10 volumes of ethyl acetate as the mobile phase and allowing the solvent front to ascend 12 cm above the line of application.  Apply separately to the plate as bands of 5 mm, 5 μL each of the following two solutions.  Prepare solution (A) by macerating 500 mg of the sample, in No. 150 powder, with 5 mL of chloroform, shaking frequently during 12 hours and filtering.  Evaporate the filtrate to dryness and dissolve the residue in 1 ml of chloroform.  For solution (B), dissolve 1 mg of lupeol in 1 mL of chloroform.  After removal of the plate, allow it to dry in air and examine under ultraviolet light (254 nm), marking the quenching bands.  Subsequently examine the plate under ultraviolet light (366 nm); two reddish black bands are observed.  Spray the plate with anisaldehyde TS and heat at 110° until colours are fully developed; the chromatogram obtained from solution (A) shows a pink band (hR_f  value 34 to 36) corresponding to the lupeol band from solution (B).  Several other bands of different colours are also observed (Table 1); see also Fig. 3.

Loss on drying  Not more than 9.0 per cent w/w after drying at 105° for 5 hours (Appendix 4.15).

Foreign matter  Not more than 5.0 per cent w/w (Appendix 7.2).

Acid-insoluble ash  Not more than 1.5 per cent w/w (Appendix 7.6).

Total ash  Not more than 20.0 per cent w/w (Appendix 7.7).

Ethanol (80 per cent)-soluble extractive  Not less than 12.5 per cent  w/w (Appendix 7.12).

Water-soluble extractive  Not less than 25.0 per cent w/w (Appendix 7.12).

Dose  3 to 6 g a day.