Zanthoxylum clava-herculis
(Southern prickly ash)

Therapeutic Actions:

• Analgesic
• Antimicrobial
• Antineoplastic activities
• Antipyretic
• Antirheumatic
• Carminative
• Diaphoretic
• Indenoisoquinoline analogue 9 of nitidine was found to possess significant anticancer activity against P388 lymphocytic leukemia, L1210 lymphoid leukemia and B16 melanocarcinoma
• Nitidine and fagaronine inhibited the topoisomerase I-mediated relaxation of supercoiled pSP64 plasmid DNA more effectively than the antitumor agent, camptothecin
• Promotes capillary circulation
• Restores vascular tone
• Stimulates circulation
• Stimulates salivary glands and mucous membranes

Clinical Indications:

• Aphthous stomatitis
• Cancer prevention
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Congestive heart failure
• Memory loss
• Multiple sclerosis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Gastric irritation with gas and burping

Contraindications:

• Pregnancy due to the emmenagogue effect

Drug/Nutrient Interaction:

• Counterproductive to use medications that inhibit stomach acid production, ie antacids, gastric acid secretion inhibitors and histamine H2 receptor antagonists, since prickly ash bark promotes stomach acid secretion

Chemical Constituents:

• Alkaloids:
  
  B-fagarine
  Candicine
  Chelerythrine
  Gamma-fagarine
  Laurifoline
  Magnoflorine
  Nitidine
  Tambetarine
• Amides:
  
  Herculin
  Neoherculin, which is identical to the echinacein found in Echinacea angustifolia
• Asarinin, a lignan
• Resins
• Tannins
• Volatile oil

Toxicity:

• No known toxicity

Copyright 1998 - 2008 by L. Vicky Crouse, ND and James S. Reiley, ND. All rights reserved (ISSN 1527-0661).