Prickly ash bark

For the record, Hoxsey s herbal mixture for internal cancers included the following (Moss, 1992, p. 161 Walters, 1993, p. 97) potassium iodide, cascara (Rham-ms), licorice (Glycyrrhiza), red clover (Trifolium), burdock root (Arctium), barberry (Berberis), stillingia root (Stillingia), pokeroot (Phytolacca), prickly ash bark (Zan-thoxylum), and buckthorn bark (Rhamnus). All are listed in Hartwell (1982), and some occur in other herbal remedies for cancer. It has been commented that orthodox scientific research has by now identified antitumor activity in most of the plants used by Hoxsey (Walters, 1993, p. 97). 

Alkamides are responsible for the sharp, burning or tingling taste associated with herbs and spices such as prickly ash bark (Zan-thoxylum spp.), black pepper (Piper nigrum). Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpurea and cayenne (Capsicum spp.). Capsicum oleoresin contains several phenolic amides including capsaicin. 

Another Rutaceous plant with a similar alkaloidal spectrum to rue is prickly ash bark—Zanthoxylum spp. Two new quinoline alkaloids isolated from Zanthoxylum simulans were shown to have cytotoxic and antiplatelet activities (Chen et al. 1994). 

Previously thought to be present in prickly ash bark, berberine was not detected in later studies, although it has been reported as a major alkaloid in another Zanthoxylum species, Z. monophyllum Lam. ... 

Southern prickly ash bark has shown toxic effects in cattle. ... 

Z. ailanthoides Sieb. Zucc. (F agar as [Sieb. Zucc.] Engl.), or Japanese prickly ash karasuzanshou (Japanese), shih chu yii, yueh chiao, or la tzu (Chinese), is deciduous small tree that grows to a height of 18 m in Japan, Korea, and China. The bark is grayish-brown... 

La Forge and Barthel (87) isolated this compound, which melts at 76 , from the bark of the southern prickly ash, Zanthoxylum americanum Mill (Z. Clava-Herculis Lam.), where it occurs together with berberine and asarinin. It has been obtained synthetically by the same authors, by reacting 0,A-dimethyltyramine with cinnamoyl chloride. 

Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L. SCN southern prickly ash OCN Hercules club Part bark... 

Prickly ash and southern prickly ash have caused toxic and sometimes fatal reactions in cattle that grazed on the bark (Bowen et al. 1996). The bark is also toxic to fish (Yin et al. 2007). Testing in nerves isolated from rats indicated that southern prickly ash extract appeared to exert action on neuromuscular transmission, probably through blockade of postjunctional, end-plate receptors or enhanced release of neurotransmitters (Bowen et al. 1996). 

Bowen, J.M., RJ. Cole, D. BedeU, and D. Sdiabdach. 1996. Neuromuscular effects of toxins isolated from southern prickly ash Zanthoxylum dava herculis) bark. Am.. Vet. Res. 57(8) 1239-1244. 

Both species are shrubs or small trees growing to about 3 m high with prickly stems and petioles native to North America. Northern prickly ash (Z. americanum) grows from Quebec south to Mississippi and west to Oklahoma, while southern prickly ash (Z. clava-herculis) grows farther to the south, from southern Virginia to Florida, Texas, and perhaps Mexico. Part used is the dried bark. 

Southern prickly ash contains alkaloids (laurifoline, magnofoline, tembetarine, and candicine in root bark chelerythrine, nitidine, and tembetarine in stem bark), amides (herculin, neoherculin, and a cinnamamide), pluviatUol y,y-dimethylallyl ether, A-acetylanonaine, lignans (asarinin and sesamin) (karrer), tannins, resins, and an acrid volatile oil. 

In vitro cytotoxic activity was found against human leukemia (HL-60) cells exposed to coumarins (especially dipetaUne) and lignans (asarinin and sesamin) isolated from the root bark and fresh stems of northern prickly ash. Cytotoxic effects on human tumor cell lines were also found from crude extracts of the berries and furanocoumarins isolated therefrom (psoralen, isoimperatoin, and xanthox-toxin). The bark of southern prickly ash has shown in vitro growth inhibition of a methi-cillin-resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Activity was largely attributed to the alkaloid chelerythrine, which showed activity against various other methicillin-resistant strains of the bacteria. ... 

---