Journal of Medicinal Plants Research Vol. 5(20), pp. 5197-5199, 30 September, 2011 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.

org/JMPR ISSN 1996-0875 2011 Academic Journals

Short Communication

Morus nigra - L. A.
E. Mohiuddin1, Khan Usmanghani1, M. Akram1*, H.M.Asif2, Naveed Akhtar2, Pervaiz A. Shah3 and M. Uzair4
2

Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University Karachi, Pakistan. College of Conventional Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy and Alternative Medicine, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. 3 University College of Pharmacy, Punjab University Lahore, Pakistan. 4 Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Pakistan.
Accepted 30 August, 2011

Morus nigra L. (Moraceae) belongs to the genus Morus and is found in Africa, South America and in Asia. M. nigra has been used in Unani medicine as antitussive, diuretic, expectorant and hypotensive. It has wide range of medicinal uses and can be used either as single drug or compound drugs to treat different ailments. The phenolic compounds of M. nigra have anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial activities. The bark of M. nigra has been used as antihelmintic and its extracts have antibacterial and fungicidal activity. In present article, medicinal uses of M. nigra have been discussed. Key words: Morus nigra, active constituents, previous research study. INTRODUCTION English name of Morus nigra is black mulberry. Vernacular name is shah tut. It belongs to family moraceae. This is commonly found in Pakistan and west Asia. Fruits and Leaves of M. nigra are usually used for treatment of various ailments (Usmanghani et al., 1997). A deciduous tree growing up to 10 by 15 m at a slow rate. It is in flower from May to June and the seeds ripen from August to September. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). The plant is selffertile. The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution (Usmanghani et al., 1997; Dharmananda, 2003). The aim of this study was to document the medicinal uses of M. nigra. PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS Though not studied intensively, mulberry fruits appear to contain one main class of non-nutrient active constituents, which are the anthocyanins. In particular, it is known to contain cyanin (VI), which contributes the red pigment that gives the fruit a red to purple color (Naderi et al., 2004). The content in ripe fruits is about 0.2%; an ounce of fruit would provide about 60 mg anthocyanins. The dried fruits are used in doses of 9 to15 g per day in decoction, and this can yield about 90 to 150 mg of anthocyanins. In Chinese diets, this component may have been low, in which case, such herbal supplements (decoctions or juices) can be an important source (Grieve, 1984) (Figure 1). RESEARCH STUDY Nutritional evaluation of M. nigra A study was done in which nutritional value of M. nigra was evaluated. The values for moisture, ash, protein, lipids, crude fibers, pectin, carbohydrates and computed calorific values were analyzed. M. nigra was proved to be good nutritional source and balanced diet (Ikhtiar et al., 2008). Anti-inflammatory properties of M. nigra leaves
*Corresponding author. E-mail: makram_0451@yahoo.com. Tel: 92-021-6440083. Fax: 92-021-6440079.

A study was conducted to evaluate the anti-inflammatory

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Cyanin (VI)

Figure 1. Cyanin.

activity of M. nigra. Anti-inflammatory activity of M. nigra extract (MnE) was investigated on Carrageen an-induced paw edema. The MnE at test doses of 100 to 300 mg/kg p.o. clearly demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects by reduced paw edema induced by carrageen (Marina, 2010). Studies on chemical constituents from bark of M. nigra A study was conducted to investigate the chemical constituents in the barks of M. nigra. In this study, nine compounds were isolated and identified as olcancolic acid, apigenin, cyclocommunol, morusin, cyclomorusin, kuwanon C, daucosterol, ursolic acid and 63-sitosterol (Wang, 2007). DISCUSSION Anthelmintic, astringent, homeopathy, hypoglycemic, laxative, odontalgic, purgative The mulberry has a long history of medicinal use in Chinese medicine; almost all parts of the plant are used in one way or another. The white mulberry (Morus alba) is normally used, but this species has the same properties. Recent research has shown improvements in elephantiasis when treated with leaf extract injections and in tetanus following oral doses of the sap mixed with sugar, Analgesic, emollient, sedative. The leaves are antibacterial, astringent, diaphoretic, hypoglycemic, odontalgic and ophthalmic (Zheng et al., 2010). They are taken internally in the treatment of colds, influenza, eye infections and nosebleeds. The leaves are collected after the first frosts of autumn and can be used fresh but are generally dried. The stems are antirheumatic, diuretic, hypotensive and pectoral. A tincture of the bark is used to relieve toothache. The branches are harvested in late

spring or early summer and are dried for later use. The fruit has a tonic effect on kidney energy. It is used in the treatment of urinary incontinence, tinnitus, premature greying of the hair and constipation in the elderly. Its main use in herbal medicine is as a colouring and flavoring in other medicines (Souza et al., 2000). The root bark is antitussive, diuretic, expectorant and hypotensive. It is used internally in the treatment of asthma, coughs, bronchitis, edema, hypertension and diabetes. The roots are harvested in the winter and dried for later use. The bark is anthelmintic and purgative, it is used to expel tape worms. Extracts of the plant have antibacterial and fungicidal activity. A homeopathic remedy is made from the leaves. It is used in the treatment of diabetes (Bown, 1984; Chiej, 1984; Duke and Ayensu, 1985; Chopra et al., 1986). The root bark extract contains deoxyjirimycin (DNJ), an alkaloid has been identified in root bark of M. nigra. This alkaloid has been observed effective against AIDS virus. An infusion of M. nigra leaves are effective in lowering blood sugar level (Singh and Ghosh, 1992), sometimes diuresis and a reduction of arterial pressure. The fruits are one of the constituent of Unani medicine named Tut- i-aswad which is said to be against cancer (Ahmad et al., 1985). CONCLUSION M. nigra has been used as expectorant and antitussive in Unani system of medicine. As a conclusion, it is found that M. nigra is used to treat a variety of ailments and is effective for the treatment of cough, influenza, asthma and bronchitis.
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Zheng ZP, Cheng KW, Zhu Q, Wang XC, Lin ZX, Wang M (2010). Tyroinase inhibitory constituents from the roots of Morus nigra: Structure-activity relationship study. J. Agric. Food Chem., 58: 53685373.