Socfindo Conservation

Coral Berry Tree

Breynia vitis-idaea (Burm.f.) C.E.C.Fisch.

Phyllanthaceae

Location in our garden

Coral Berry Tree 1Coral Berry Tree 2Coral Berry Tree 3

Overview

Coral berry tree can be found in its native range in East Asia - Southern China, Indian subcontinent through tropical Asia to Indonesia. The plant is harvested from the wild for its use in traditional medicine.

Vernacular Names

Kaangplaa thale (Thailand), Shan qi jing (Chinese), Matang-hipon (Phillipines), Hime kobannoki (Japanese), Seruyan (Malaysia), Cu de (Vietnamese).

Agroecology

B. vitis-idaea is typically found scattered in evergreen trees, mangroves, swamp forests, bamboo thickets, along rivers and roads and along the shore, from sea level to an altitude of 800 m, on the edges of forests and clearings. It occurs on montane slopes and scrub in southern China at altitudes of 100-1,000 m.

Morphology

  • Barks - yellowish grey.
  • Leaves - distichous, simple, elliptic to elliptic-ovate, 1-3 cm long, margin flat.
  • Fruit - pink, purple or dull red, round, somewhat fleshy, nearly spherical, about 5 mm in diameter, subglobose capsule, obscurely 6-lobed, fruiting perianth hardly enlarged.
  • Flowers - very small, greenish or pink, axillary, solitary, and about 3-5 mm in diameter, the flowers lack petals and are dimorphic, with male flowers arranged toward the base and female flowers at the apex of each branch.
  • Seeds - subtrigonous. 3-4.5 mm x 1.8-2.5 mm x 1.7-2.5 mm.

Cultivation

It can be propagated by seeds (generative propagation) and by stem cuttings (vegetative propagation).

Chemical Constituents

Benzoylarbutin, breynioside B, glycosides, tannins and 6-O-benzyl-α-D-glucose, beta sitosterol, triacontane, ceryl alcohol, lanosterol, pentatricontanoic acid, canangaionoside, breynin, saponins, flavonoids.

Benefits

  • Antioxidant, radical scavenging, anti-cancer, larvicidal, adaptogenic, antihyperglycemic, hypolipidemic, hepatoprotective, inhibiting properties of tyrosinase have been demonstrated in studies.
  • The bark is astringent and used to avoid hemorrhages.
  • Infusion of leaves for fever in warm water.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, it is used to treat chronic bronchitis and wounds.
  • Used in Ayurveda for leucorrhea, edema, menorrhagia, diabetes, tooth decay. Root decoction is used as mouthwash in India.
  • The mature stem is used as a herbal toothstick by Tamil ethnic groups.

Simplisia

  • Panen daun segar kemudian cuci hingga bersih.
  • Keringkan di bawah naungan beberapa hari atau dengan oven suhu 40 ËšC hingga kadar air 10%.
  • Tumbuk hingga membentuk bubuk.
  • Simpan simplisia dalam wadah tertutup.

Plant Parts Used

Coral Berry Tree part 1
Coral Berry Tree part 2
Coral Berry Tree part 3

Traditional Recipes

1. Meredakan demam

1. 1. Meredakan demam

  • Beberapa helai daun direndam dalam air hangat. Saring.
  • Minum 3-4 kali selama demam.
2. Penyakit kuning

2. 2. Penyakit kuning

  • Siapkan daun segar 10 g dan air matang 200 ml.
  • Haluskan dengan blender lalu saring.
  • Minum ramuan 2 kali sehari selama 10 hari.

Reference Sources

  1. Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. (2014). Breynia vitis-idaea. http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Breynia+vitis-idaea. 21-10-2020.
  2. Biodiversity India. (No date). India Biodiversity Portal. Breynia vitis-idaea (Burm.f.) C.E.C.Fisch. https://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/228948. 26-10-2020.
  3. Stuart Xchange. (2016). Philippine Medicinal Plants. Matang-hipon. http://www.stuartxchange.com/Matang-hipon.html. 21-10-2020.
  4. PROSEA. (2016). Breynia vitis-idaea (PROSEA). https://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Breynia_vitis-idaea_(PROSEA). 21-10-2020.
  5. Kato, M. & Kawakita, A. (2017). Obligate Pollination Mutualism. Springer, Tokyo-Japan.