NAME: Tanglad

SCIENTIFIC NAME: COMMON NAME:

Andropogon cerifer Hack. Balioko (Bis.)

Andropogon ceriferus Hack. Barani (Ilk.)
Andropogon citratus DC. Paja de meca (Span.)
Andropogon
Zacate limon (Span.)
citriodorus Desf. [Invalid]
Andropogon fragrans C.Cordem. Tanglad (Tag., Bik., Bis.)
Andropogon roxburghii Nees ex
Salai (Tag.)
Steud.
Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

Snippets
Cymbopogon is a genus of about 55 species, indigenous in tropical and semi-tropical areas of
Asia and cultivated in South and Central America. (10)
- Cymbopogon derives from the Greek words "kymbe" meaning "boat" and "pogon" meaning
"beard", referring to the flower spike arrangement. (10)

Botany
Tanglad is a tufted and perennial grass. Leaves grow to a length of up to 1 meter, about 1 to 1.5
centimeters wide, scabrous, flat, long-acuminate, and smooth. Panicles are 30 to 80 centimeters
long, interrupted below; the branches and branchlets somewhat nodding. Perfect spikelets are
linear-lanceolate, pointed, not awned, and about 6 millimeters long.

Distribution
- Planted in most parts of the Philippines for its fragrant leaves, but is nowhere spontaneous.
- Cultivated commercially in Java, India, and Sri Lanka.
- Native of tropical East Asia and widely distributed in cultivation.

Constituents
- Distillation of the fresh plant yields lemon-grass oil, verbena oil, and Indian Molissa oil.
- Plant contains small amounts of methyl heptenone and terpenes (limonene and dipentene).
- Contains citral, an aldehyde found in lemon peel oil and other natural essential oils.
- Main constituents of essential oil are citral (aldehydes geranial and neral) and terpenes
(myrcene, monoterpene and geranial-terpenic alcohol).
- The exact value of the oil depends on the amount of citral it contains. High grade oil contains
about 70 to 80 percent citral.
- Study of essential oil yields hydrocarbon terpenes, alcohols, ketones, esters and aldehydes.
- Leaves and roots have yielded alkaloids, saponin, a-sitosterol, terpenes, alcohol, ketone,
flavonoids, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid and sugars.
- Plant yields flavonoids and phenolic compounds--luteolin, isoorientin 2'-O-rhamnoside,
quercetin, kaempferol, and apigenin.
- Study for essential oil composition yielded (percentage of components): citral-α 40.8, citral-ß
32, nerol 4.18, geraniol 3.04, citronellal 2.10, terpinolene 1.23, geranyl acetate 0.83, myrecene
0.72, terpinol 0.45, methylheptenone 0.2, borneol 0.1-0.4, linalyl acetate 0.1, α-pinene 0.07, ß-
pinene 0.04, traces of limonene, linalool and ß-caryophyllene. (10)
- GC-MS analysis of methanol leaf extract yielded six compounds viz., hexadecanoic acid (8.11%)
(1), hepta-9,10,11-trienoic acid (17.43%) (2), octadecenoic acid (8.41%) (3), 2-ethenyltetradecan-
1-ol (13.28%) (4), eicosane aldehyde (37.56%) (5) and 1-ethoxyoctadecane (15.20%) (6). (32)
- GC-MS analysis of leaf sheath oil yielded 23 compounds representing 96.9% of the oil, with
major compounds of geranial (42.4%), neral (29.8%), myrcene (8.9%), and geraniol (8.5%). (see
study below) (33)

Properties
- The oils are reddish-yellow with an intense odor and taste of lemons.
- Carminative, tonic, stimulant, diuretic, purgative, sudorific.
- Leaves considered antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and sedative.
- Possess pharmacologic activities: antimalarial, antimutagenicity, antimycobacterial,
antioxidants, hypoglycemic and neurobehavioral.
- Studies have shown antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, neurobehavioral, analgesic,
anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, repellent, insecticidal, analgesic, gastroprotective,
antileishmanial, hypotensive, diuretic, antimalarial properties.

USES
Edibility / Culinary
- Commonly used as a stuffing ingredient in pig spit-roasting to improve the flavor and decrease
the grease-taste.
- Used for cooking stale fish to improve the taste.
- Also used to flavor wines, sauces and spices.
- In Java, plant is used for spicing sherbet.
- The roots have a ginger-like flavor and used as a condiment and adding fragrance to gogo hair-
washes.
Folkloric
· For diarrhea, decoction of leaves with sugar and a small piece of crushed ginger taken orally.
For adults, 1 cup, 3 times daily taken after each loose bowel movement. For infants and babies, 1
tablespoon 3 times daily and after each loose bowel movement; 2-6 years, 1/4 cup 3 times daily
and after each loose bowel movement; 7-12 years, 1/2 cup three times daily and after each loose
bowel movement.
· One of the 10 herbal ingredients in the decoction-bath used in the post-partum ritual of suob.
(See: Suob)
· Hot decoction of roots used for toothaches.
· Roots also used as a diuretic.
· Leaves used for aromatic baths.
· Leaves applied to the forehead and face as a cure for headaches; infusion held in the mouth to
alleviate toothaches.
· A stomachic for children. Tea made from leaves used as stomachic tonic, diuretic, and
refrigerant.
· Used as emmenagogue.
· Used in baths and fomentations.
· The oil, mixed with equal amounts of coconut oil, is used as a liniment for back pains,
rheumatic complains, neuralgia, sprains and other painful afflictions.
· Decoction of leaves used as stomachic, diuretic, and refrigerant.
· Used for stomach discomfort, toothache, sprain, vomiting and ringworm
· In various traditional systems, leaf infusions used as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and
sedative.
· In Cuban folk medicine, used to lower blood pressure and as anti-inflammatory.
· In Brazil, used as sedative, for gastrointestinal maladies, and as febrifuge. Also, tea from leaves
used for anxiolytic, hypnotic, and anticonvulsant effects.
· In Malaya, used as a potion after childbirth.
· In Indonesia, used as digestive, diuretic, sudorific and emmenagogue.
· In India, used for gastrointestinal problems. Also, oil used as remedy for cholera.
· In China, used as anxiolytic.
· In Nigeria, used as antipyretic, stimulant and antispasmodic.
· In Trinidad and Tobago, used for diabetes.
· In Egypt, hot water extract of dried leaves and stem taken orally as renal antispasmodic and
diuretic. In Cuba, hot water extract of dried leaves taken orally as hypotensive, for catarrh and
rheumatism. In Thailand, hot water extract of entire plant drunk as stomachic; extract of dried
root taken orally for diabetes. In Argentina, leaf decoction taken orally for sore throat, empacho,
and as emetic. (10)
· In various folk medicinal use: oil used for cough, cold, hemoptysis, rheumatism, back pain,
bladder problems.
Others
- Essential Oil: Volatile oil, called Lemon grass oil, consists mainly of citral and used in
perfumery, soap, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, insecticide and food industries.
- Roots used for perfuming hair washes of gogo.
- Lemon grass oil is used in making perfumes, especially ionone (synthetic essence of violets).
- In India, cultivated around houses to repel snakes.
- Scavon Vet Spray: Andropogon citratus is one of the ingredients in a spray used for parasitic
mite, Demodex bovis, that causes demodectic mange in cattle.
- Repellent: To keep away mosquitos, plant it around your house or place crushed leaves on your
window sills.
- Liniment: Boil equal amounts of chopped leaves and roots with freshly made coconut oil. Also
use as insect repellant.

PREPARATION FOR SPECIFIC USE

Parts utilized
Leaves, roots, whole plant.

STUDY

Considerations in choosing a plant

Name: Akapulko
Scientific name: (refer to the link na gi-give)

Description of the plant: Akapulko is a coarse, erect, branched shrub, 1.5 to 3 meters high. Leaves are
pinnate and 40 to 60 centimeters long, with orange rachis on stout branches. Each leaf has 16 to 28
leaflets, 5 to 15 centimeters in length, broad and rounded at the apex, small and rounded at the tip.

Uses
- The seeds are used for intestinal parasitism.
- Tincture from its leaves is reported to be purgative.
- It is also for decoction of leaves and flowers for cough and as expectorant in bronchitis and asthma.
It also used for astringent.
- Its crushed leaves and juice extract are used for ringworm, scabies, eczema, tinea infections, itches,
insect bites, herpes.
- Preparation: Pound enough fresh leaves; express (squeeze out) the juice and apply on the affected
skin morning and evening. Improvement should be noticed after 2 - 3 weeks of treatment.
- Decoction of leaves and flowers used as mouthwash in stomatitis.
- In Africa, the boiled leaves are used for hypertension.
- In South American, used for skin diseases, stomach problems, fever, asthma, snake bites and
venereal disease.
- In Thailand, leaves are boiled and drunk to hasten delivery.
- As laxative, boil 10-15 dried leaves in water, taken in the morning and bedtime.
- For wound treatment, leaves are boiled and simmered to one-third volume, then applied to affected
areas twice daily.
- In India, plant used as cure for poisonous bites and for venereal eruptions.
- In Nigeria locally used for treatment of ringworm and parasitic skin diseases.
- In the Antilles, Reunion, and Indo-China, plant is used as hydrogogue, sudorific, and diuretic.
- Decoction of roots used for tympanites.

SOME OF ITS PARTS ARE ALSO UTILIZED SUCH AS:

- Wood used- alterative
- Sap of leaves- antiherpetic
- Leaf tincture or extract-purgative
- Juice of leaves mixed with lime-juice for ringworm.
- Leaves taken internally to relieve constipation.
- Strong decoction of leaves and flowers- wash for eczema.
- Infusion of leaves and flowers- asthma and bronchitis.
- Strong decoction of leaves- abortifacient.
-Seeds- vermifuge

Preparation for a specific use

LEAVES PREPARATION
Preparation: Pound enough fresh leaves; express (squeeze out) the juice and apply on the affected
skin morning and evening. Improvement should be noticed after 2 - 3 weeks of treatment.
OINTMENT PREPERATION
(1) Wash fresh leaves thoroughly and cut in small pieces.
(2) Add one glass of cooking oil or coconut oil to one glass of cut fresh leaves.
(3) Fry until crispy.
(4) Remove from the heat; strain.
(5) Cut 2 white candles (Esperma No. 5) into small pieces.
(6) In a cooking pot, pour the strained oil together with the candle pieces; stir until the candle has
melted.
(7) Pour the mixture into a clean container; cover when cool.
(8) Apply the ointment to affected areas twice daily.

STUDY

CONSIDERATIONS IN CHOOSING THE PLANT