Gloriosa superba, the flame lily, is one of Africa’s most beautiful flowers. With a rich history of medicinal use, and wide range of applications, it is also one of the most useful. But beware, it contains colchicine, a potent treatment for gout, but also a noticeably toxic compound in higher doses. Join Gus, the African Plant Hunter, as he shares a few of the secrets of this extraordinary plant.
For more on the medicinal properties of the Flame Lily, check out the following:
- Jana, S. and Shekhawat, G.S., 2011. Critical review on medicinally potent plant species: Gloriosa superba. Fitoterapia, 82(3), pp.293-301.
- Kala, C.P., Farooquee, N.A. and Dhar, U., 2004. Prioritization of medicinal plants on the basis of available knowledge, existing practices and use value status in Uttaranchal, India. Biodiversity & Conservation, 13(2), pp.453-469.
- Hassan, A.K.M.S. and Roy, S.K., 2005. Micropropagation of Gloriosa superba L. through high frequency shoot proliferation. Plant Tissue Cult, 15(1), pp.67-74.
- Khan, H., Ali Khan, M. and Hussan, I., 2007. Enzyme inhibition activities of the extracts from rhizomes of Gloriosa superba Linn (Colchicaceae). Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry, 22(6), pp.722-725.
- Kamuhabwa, A., Nshimo, C. and de Witte, P., 2000. Cytotoxicity of some medicinal plant extracts used in Tanzanian traditional medicine. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 70(2), pp.143-149.
- Rajendran, K., Balaji, P. and Basu, M.J., 2008. Medicinal plants and their utilization by villagers in southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
- Hemaiswarya, S., Raja, R., Anbazhagan, C.H.I.N.N.A.T.H.A.M.B.I. and Thiagarajan, V.E.N.K.A.T.E.S.A.N., 2009. Antimicrobial and mutagenic properties of the root tubers of Gloriosa superba Linn.(Kalihari). Botany, 41(1), pp.293-299.
- Yadav, K., Aggarwal, A. and Singh, N., 2012. Actions for ex situ conservation of Gloriosa superba L.-an endangered ornamental cum medicinal plant. Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology, 15(4), pp.297-303.
- Arumugam, A. and Gopinath, K., 2012. In vitro micropropagation using corm bud explants: an endangered medicinal plant of Gloriosa superba L. Asian J. Biotechnol, 4(3), pp.120-128.
- Ayyanar, M. and Ignacimuthu, S., 2005. Medicinal plants used by the tribals of Tirunelveli hills, Tamil Nadu to treat poisonous bites and skin diseases.
- John, J.C., Fernandes, J., Nandgude, T., Niphade, S.R., Savla, A. and Deshmukh, P.T., 2009. Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the hydroalcoholic extract from Gloriosa superba Linn. International Journal of Green Pharmacy (IJGP), 3(3).
- Ade, R. and Rai, M.K., 2009. Current Advances in Gloriosa superba L. Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 10(4).
- Mathur, A., Verma, S.K., Singh, S.K., Mathur, D., Prasad, G.B.K.S. and Dua, V.K., 2011. Investigation of anti-inflammatory properties of Swertia chirayta and Gloriosa superba. Recent Research in Science and technology, 3(3).
- Budhiraja, A., Nepali, K., Sapra, S., Gupta, S., Kumar, S. and Dhar, K.L., 2013. Bioactive metabolites from an endophytic fungus of Aspergillus species isolated from seeds of Gloriosa superba Linn. Medicinal Chemistry Research, 22(1), pp.323-329.
- Gupta, L.M. and Raina, R., 1998. Side effects of some medicinal plants. Current Science, 75(9), pp.897-900.
- Pattanaik, C., Reddy, C.S. and Murthy, M.S.R., 2008. An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by the Didayi tribe of Malkangiri district of Orissa, India. Fitoterapia, 79(1), pp.67-71.
