Tillandsia recurvata (Bab-nèg) : medicinal properties in alcoholic extraction

Tillandsia recurvata (Bab-nèg, Blackbeard, Barbe-à-negre) — family Broméliacées.

Scientific synonyms : Renealma recurvata-L, Tillandsia recurvata (L)-R, T uniflora-Kunth.

This database documents alcoholic (ethanol) extractions of active substances. Our monograph currently lists 4 indications in alcoholic extraction for this species. The Lapo v2 catalogue records 19 scientific references for this species (full detail in the application).

Important — scientific references on this public page: only a short excerpt of each cited source is shown (selected abstract sentences), kept in the original language of the publication (most often English), without translation. These excerpts are not the full article text and are not a complete bibliography. The full reference records and complete monographic detail are available in the Lapo v2 application (free 30-day trial).

1. 1

   Adjuvant treatment for diabetic foot

   Plant part used: Whole plant.

   Scientific references (short excerpts)

   Short excerpts only (not the full article). Full reference records are in the Lapo v2 application.

   • According to Bahado-Singh PlS (2014)

     Excerpt Jamaican Ball Moss (Tillandsia recurvata sp.) & Lignum Vitae (Guaiacum officinale) are indigenous to the West Indian region and have been widely studied and used as ethnomedicinal remedies to treat numerous diseases. One of the major challenges faced by people living with diabetes is the treatment and management of diabetic sores and ulcers.

   • According to Estrella-Parra E (2017)

     Excerpt Tillandsia has a favorable reputation as medicine: for leucorrhea, rheumatism, ulcers, hemorrhoid treatment, as an anti-diabetic remedy, emetic, analgesic, purgative, contraceptive, antispasmodic and diuretic. This review communicates the economic importance, ethnobotany, chemistry composition & biological activities of the Tillandsia genus, & analyze its biological & economic perspective.

   • According to Lowe H (2014)

     Excerpt The same Mini-review Article European Journal of Medicinal Plants, 4(9): 1138-1149, 2014 1139 extract was further shown to display promising anti-diabetic properties via a reduction in fasting blood glucose (P<0.05), fructosamine levels (P<0.05), serum CRP & insulin levels when compared to the control mice. This review takes a look at the work that has currently been conducted on Tillandsia recurvata commonly known as ball moss which is believed to assist with future research.

2. 2

   Adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer, breast cancer, acute myeloid leukaemia, melanoma and glioblastoma multiforme

   Plant part used: Whole plant.

   Scientific references (short excerpts)

   Short excerpts only (not the full article). Full reference records are in the Lapo v2 application.

   • According to Lowe HI (2013)

     Excerpt A crude chloroform extract from Tillandsia recurvata was tested for activity against three human cancer cell lines including; A375 (human melanoma), MCF-7 (human breast) & PC-3 (human prostate cancer) using the WST-1 assay. Even though the bioactivity of these two islaotes were fairly weak against the cell lines, the results presented here will prove useful for further research aimed at identifying molecules that maybe effective against melanoma, breast & prostate cancers associated with fewer side-effects.

   • According to Author (2013)

     Excerpt A method of treating prostate cancer by administering a pharmaceutically-acceptable amount of a crude extract of the indigenous Jamaican plant Ball Moss (Tillandsia Recurvata) comprising one or more cycloartane isolates, & the isolates used in the method for eliciting thereby a kinase inhibitory response of prostate cancer cells by selectively inhibiting MRCKα kinase & angiogenesis of (growth of new blood vessels) to reduce the viability of prostate cancer cells.

   • According to Lowe H (2013)

     Excerpt Given the high occurrence of cancer worldwide & the major source of the discovery of new lead molecules being medicinal plants, this research undertook investigations of the Jamaican ball moss extract Tillandsia recurvata, L, since previous research showed that extracts from this plant displayed promising anti-cancer & anti-inflammatory properties. These results will prove useful in drug design as anti-cancer & anti-inflammatory agents.

   • According to Lowe H (2014)

     Excerpt This review takes a look at the work that has currently been conducted on Tillandsia recurvata commonly known as ball moss which is believed to assist with future research. Further the chloroform extract was shown to reduce angiogenesis & the methanol extract inhibited particular kinases (CSNK2A2, MEK5, GAK, FLT & DRAK1) of which MEK5 & GAK have been implicated in prostate cancer.

   • According to Lowe HI (2012)

     Excerpt this research undertook to investigate the possible anti-cancer activity of two natural cycloartanes; cycloartane-3,24,25-diol (extracted in our lab from Tillandsia recurvata) & cycloartane-3,24,25-triol (purchased). The inhibition of MRCKα kinase has emerged as a potential solution to restoring the tight regulation of normal cellular growth, the loss of which leads to cancer cell formation.

3. 3

   Cancer: chemoprevention of prostate cancer (PATENT)

   Plant part used: Whole plant.

   Scientific references (short excerpts)

   Short excerpts only (not the full article). Full reference records are in the Lapo v2 application.

   • According to Author (2013)

     Excerpt A method of treating prostate cancer by administering a pharmaceutically-acceptable amount of a crude extract of the indigenous Jamaican plant Ball Moss (Tillandsia Recurvata) comprising one or more cycloartane isolates, & the isolates used in the method for eliciting thereby a kinase inhibitory response of prostate cancer cells by selectively inhibiting MRCKα kinase & angiogenesis of (growth of new blood vessels) to reduce the viability of prostate cancer cells.

   • According to Lowe H (2014)

     Excerpt Further the chloroform extract was shown to reduce angiogenesis & the methanol extract inhibited particular kinases (CSNK2A2, MEK5, GAK, FLT & DRAK1) of which MEK5 & GAK have been implicated in prostate cancer. This review takes a look at the work that has currently been conducted on Tillandsia recurvata commonly known as ball moss which is believed to assist with future research.

   • According to Lowe HI (2012)

     Excerpt this research undertook to investigate the possible anti-cancer activity of two natural cycloartanes; cycloartane-3,24,25-diol (extracted in our lab from Tillandsia recurvata) & cycloartane-3,24,25-triol (purchased). Conclusions: These results will prove useful in drug discovery as Cycloartane-3,24,25-triol has shown potential for development as an anti-cancer agent against prostate cancer.

   • According to Lowe HI (2012)

     Excerpt CONCLUSION: Since MEK5 & GAK kinases have been associated with aggressive prostate cancer, the inhibitory properties of the ball moss against them, coupled with its previously found bioactivity towards the PC-3 cell line, makes it promising in the arena of drug discovery towards prostate cancer. This research was undertaken in order to investigate the inhibitory potential of the Jamaican ball moss, Tillandsia recurvata against several kinases.

   • According to Lowe HI (2013)

     Excerpt A crude chloroform extract from Tillandsia recurvata was tested for activity against three human cancer cell lines including; A375 (human melanoma), MCF-7 (human breast) & PC-3 (human prostate cancer) using the WST-1 assay. Even though the bioactivity of these two islaotes were fairly weak against the cell lines, the results presented here will prove useful for further research aimed at identifying molecules that maybe effective against melanoma, breast & prostate cancers associated with fewer side-effects.

Further indications (including other extraction modes where applicable), dosages, precautions for use, and the <strong>full scientific references</strong> (complete records, not only the short excerpts above) are available in the complete monographic record in the Lapo v2 application.