Medicinal Plants

Gardenia carinata Wall. ex Roxb.

Cempaka Hutan

Rubiaceae

Location in the garden Main
Photo 1 of medicinal plant Gardenia carinata (Cempaka Hutan) Photo 2 of medicinal plant Gardenia carinata (Cempaka Hutan) Photo 3 of medicinal plant Gardenia carinata (Cempaka Hutan)

Summary

Gardenia carinata or cempaka hutan is native to Thailand and the Malay Peninsula, later spreading to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Australia, and Asia. Its fragrant flowers with a distinctive shape make it a popular ornamental, while research shows this plant contains compounds with therapeutic potential, including anti-HIV, anticancer, and antimicrobial activity promising for future drug development.

Agroecology

Cempaka hutan is usually found growing in lowland and hill forests, and is also often found growing along roadsides as an ornamental. Its growth prefers areas with full sun or bright light, with moderate water requirements.

Morphology

  • Stem round, cylindrical, brown.
  • Leaves simple or unifoliate, elliptic-obovate shaped, veins pinnate, venation prominent and hairy underneath, margin entire, tip acute, base narrowing or tapering down the petiole to a narrow attenuate base, green, petiolate.
  • Flowers bisexual, solitary, large, fragrant, pinwheel-shaped, flower texture smooth. Initial color white, but slowly turning yellow and then golden orange over several days (2-3 days) before falling. Flower tube narrow and very long, opening into a flat-faced flower with 6 petals or more.
  • Fruit round, with about 5 distinct, evenly spaced longitudinal ridges. Yellowish green in color, then turning blackish brown when dry.

Cultivation

Plant propagation is generative through seed and vegetative through air layering.

Chemical Content

Eight cycloartane triterpenoids (carinatins A-H), secaubryolide, dikamaliartane D, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, C-glycoside, phenolic compounds, essential oil (trans-geraniol and farnesol).

Benefits

Has various therapeutic uses such as anti-HIV, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antihyaluronidase, and antimicrobial.

Local Names

Randa.

Reference Sources

  1. Royal Botanic Gardens. Plants of the World Online: Gardenia carinata Wall. ex Roxb. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:750947-1. 25-04-2022.
  2. Plant Resources of South-East Asia. Gardenia carinata (PROSEA). https://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Gardenia_carinata_(PROSEA). 25-04-2022.
  3. Flowers of India. Golden Gardenia. https://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Golden%20Gardenia.html. 25-04-2022.
  4. Flora Fauna Web. 2022. Gardenia carinata. https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/2/9/2932. 25-04-2022.
  5. Naowarat Kongkum, et. al. 2013. Cytotoxic, antitopoisomerase IIα, and anti-HIV-1 activities of triterpenoids isolated from leaves and twigs of Gardenia carinata. Journal of natural products. DOI:10.1021/np3006887. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Cytotoxic%2C-antitopoisomerase-II%CE%B1%2C-and-anti-HIV-1-of-Kongkum-Tuchinda/5ec474e34e8309e62b93f5ea97458e9568c11b26. 25-04-2022.
  6. Thongchai Khammee, Wachiraporn Phoonan, Unchalee Ninsuwan, Amornmart Jaratrungtawee, Mayuso Kuno. 2019. Volatile constituents, in vitro and in silico anti-hyaluronidase activity of the essential oil from Gardenia carinata Wall. ex Roxb. flowers. Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry, 9(6): 4649-4654.
  7. Appalaraju V.V., Ismail N.E., Adimoolam S., Tan Xin Yi. Phytochemical screening and evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of Gardenia carinata leaves. https://www.frontiersin.org/10.3389%2Fconf.fphar.2018.63.00097/event_abstract. 25-04-2022.