Leonotis

The medicinal Lamiaceae, with about 250 species, represents a vast source of material to explore when looking for anxiolytic agents of clinical value. Among these medicinal species are Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and Leonotis nepetifolia, the properties of which are described here. 

Bienvenu E, Amabeoku GJ, Eagles PK, Scott G, Springfield EP. Anticonvulsant activity of aqueous extract of Leonotis leonurus. Phytomedicine 2002 9 217-223. 

Calixto JB, Yunes RA, Rae GA. Effect of crude extracts from Leonotis nepetaefolia (Labiatae) on rat and guinea-pig smooth muscle and rat cardiac muscle. J Pharm Pharmacol 1991 43 529-534. 

Purushothaman KK, Vasanth S, Connolly JD, Labbe C. 4,6,7-Trimethoxy-5-methylchromen-2-one, a new coumarin from Leonotis nepetaefolia. J Chem Soc 1976 23 2594-2595. 

LION S TAIL -- Leonotis leonurus R. Br. Family Labiatae (Mint family). 

Hedychenone (12) is a furanoid diterpenoid from the rhizomes of Hedychium spicatum (Zingiberaceae).22 A number of furanoid diterpenoids have been isolated from Leonotis species including nepetaefolinol (13) and two related diterpenoids, leonotinin (14) and the dilactone (15)23 from L. nepetaefolia. 

Leonitin (14) is a 9,13-epoxylabdane which was obtained " from Leonotis leonitis (Labiatae). It possesses a clear relationship to nepetaefolinol, which had previously been obtained from L. nepetaefolia. 

Leonotis leonurus R. Brown-411 Leonurus artemisia (Loureiro) Hu—411 Leonurus heteraphylla Swect.-4U Leonurus sibiricus L.-411 Leonurus tartarica L.—411 Leptactinia densijlora Hkr. 204,263,439 Lespedeza bicolor Turczaninow-246 Lespedeza capitata Michaux-246 Licariapuchury-major (Mart.) Kbst.—90 Limonia acidissima L.—246,402,420 Lobelia injlata L.—411 Lobelia tupa L.—411 Lolium perenne L.—160,262 Lolium temulentum L,—155,159-60 Lomariopsis japurensis (Martius) J. Sm.-155,216,270,411... 

Leonotis leonurus Under the name wilddagga ( wild marijuana )> flower buds and an exudate of the leaves of this mint species were smoked traditionally in South Africa as an inebriant by the Hottentots (Emboden 1979 Schleiffer 1979). Chemical studies are lacking, and the drug is used as an emmenj ogue in Thai ethno-medicine (Ponglux etal. 1987). 

Structure and bioactivity of the furan-diterpenoids from the genera Leonotis and Leonurus 07H(74)31. 

C20H28O4, Mr 332.44, crystalline, mp. 160°C, [ajp +33.3° (CHCI3). A diterpene of the labdane type isolated from Marrubium vulgare and Leonotis leonurus (Lamiaceae). M. is formed in the plant from premarrubiin [C20H28O4, Mr 332.44, oil [a]o +29° (CHCI3)] during the isolation process. 

Stillingia oil (Section 3.3.34) contains a Cg allenic acid. Ci8 allenic acids have been identified in seed oils of the Labiatae, especially in the subfamily Stachyoideae (Hagemann et al, 1967). Laballenic acid (18 2 5e6e) was first identified in Leonotis nepetaefolia ( - 15%) (Bagby etal, 1965) and lamenal-lenic acid (18 3 5c6 16 ) in Lamium purpureum ( 14%) (Mikolajezak fl/, 1967). 

Several allenic acids are known. One of these, laballenic acid (17), is from the seed oil of a mint, Leonotis nepetaefolia (Fig. 3.13). An unusual allene containing triacylglycerol is... 

By hydrolysis of 4,6,7-trimethoxy-5-methylcoumarin, isolated from Leonotis... 

Lion s tail Leonotis leonurus Long grass with yellow, orange, and red tubular flowers, evoking the tail of a lion. It is traditionally used by the Xhosa and Hottentot tribes of South Africa. The leaves were smoked for its euphoric effects. 

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