POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

AN ORNAMENTAL PLANT AS A MEDICINAL PLANT: THE UNKNOWN

THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES OF WRIGHTIA ANTIDYSENTERICA

Submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements in

Science, Technology, and Society (GEED10083)

Bondoc, Stepanie Aeriel

Laao, Phoebe

Menor, Elaine

Olavere, Ruth

Talibsao, Angela

October 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS
 PAGE
Chapter 1: Introduction
● Background of the Study

● Statement of the Problem

● Theoretical Framework

● Conceptual Framework

● Significance of the Study

● Objectives of the Study

● Scope and Limitation of the Study

Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature

● Review of Related Literature

● Review of Related Studies

Chapter 3: Methodology
● Research Design

● Research Locale

● Data Gathering Tools Data

● Gathering Procedure

● Data Analysis

Chapter 4: Results and Discussions

Chapter 5: Summary and Conclusion

 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The Philippines is a tropical country that is rich in various plants that have botanical
compositions similar to that of Indonesia and mainland Southeast Asia. The Philippine forests
cover almost half of the land is dominated by Dipterocarpaceae, a family with the species of mainly
tropical lowland rainforest trees, representing 75% of the area. The forest also has vines, epiphytes,
and climbers. Man-made, open grasslands ranging up to 2.4 meters in height, consume one-fourth
of the land area. It also has a diverse flora that includes 8,000 species of flowering plants, 1,000
kinds of ferns, and 800 species of orchids (Nations Encyclopedia, 2019). Among the many species
of flowering plants in the Philippines, the Wrightiaantidysenterica, locally known as "white angel,"
is an ornamental plant with white flowers that often blooms all year round. It is widely known in
the Philippines as a decorative plant but the researchers ought to know the different medicinal
properties of Wrightia Antidysenterica, or commonly known as White Angel, as a plant that can
act as a natural antioxidant.
CHAPTER II: Review of Related Literature

Foreign Literature

Fern (2019) described Wrightia antidysenterica as a “compact, evergreen shrub that can
grow up to 1.5 metres tall. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is
often grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its year-round production of white flower.”

According to Health Benefits (2017), the different parts of Wrightia antidysenterica, or

commonly known Snowflake in Sri Lanka, has different medicinal uses. The leaves have anti-
inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic properties which can treat psoriasis and other skin
problems. This part can be used to treat jaundice and toothache. Bark possesses anti-inflammatory
and anti-microbial properties, while its juice provides relief from mouth sores. Leaves and barks
can also be used to treat stomach pains and dysentery. Seeds are used for treating diarrhea, fever,
intestinal worms and dysentery.

Manahan (2016) stated in his book “American Journal of Clinical Pathology”, the
Wrightia antidysenterica dichloromethane fraction 4(WAD-4) showed greatest antimicrobial
activity specifically on Streptococcus pneumoniae and Bacillus subtilis . The fraction WAD-4 was
subjected to gravity column chromatography for further component separation. The subfractions
were tested for antimicrobial activity by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration,
minimum bactericidal concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration against
representative organisms.

Foreign Study

Maema et al., (2016), conducted a study entitled “Invasive alien plant species used for the
treatment of various diseases in Limpopo province, South Africa”. In the study, one of the invasive
plants species is the Catharanthusroseus, which is in the same family as Wrigthia Antidysenterica
– Apocynaceae. The bark or roots are boiled to be used to treat Gonorrhea and Drop, while the
entire plant is macerated to be used to treat asthma.
 According to Bhattacharyya et al., (2016), pharmacopeial analytical study showed its
standardized values for testing the drug used for the study. It is proved as potent therapeutic emetic
agent with no complication showed its clinical benefits over skin disorder like psoriasis.

Local Study

The results of the research entitled “Phytochemical and Antioxidant Activities of Selected
Ornamental Plants in the Philippines” conducted by Libag (2019), showed that White Angel
(WrightiaAntidysenterica), one of the plants studied, has antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory,
antibacterial, antioxidant and anticancer properties. It also has triterpenes which implies
antimicrobial, antitumoral and immunomodulatory activities. Moreover, it has alkaloids that make
these compounds as potential sources of analgesic, anti-cancer, and anti-aging.

REFERENCES
 Encyclopedia of the Nations (n.d.), Philippines – Flora and fauna. Retrieved from:
https://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Philippines-FLORA-AND-
FAUNA.html#ixzz61lgmdUzZ

Fern, K. (2019). WrightiaAntidysenterica. Retrieved from:

http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Wrightia+antidysenterica

Health Benefits (2017). Health Benefits of WrightiaAntidysenterica. Retrieved from:

https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/wrightia-antidysenterica/

Libag, Ruth. (2019). Phytochemical and Antioxidant Activities of Selected Ornamental

Plants in the Philippines. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC AND
TECHNICAL RESEARCH. 4. 10.26808/rs.st.i9v4.01.

Maema, Lesibana&Potgieter, Martin &Mahlo, Salome. (2016). Invasive alien plant species
used for the treatment of various diseases in limpopo province, South Africa. African Journal of
Traditional, Complementary and Alternative medicines. 13. 223-231. 10.21010/ajtcam.v13i4.29.

Bhattacharyya, Pujar, Chaturvedi, et al. (2016). A Clinico-analytical Study on Seed of

Wrightia antidysenterica Linn. as a Therapeutic Emetic Agent (Vamaka Yoga) in the Management
of Psoriasis

Manahan. (2016). Antimicrobial Property of the Vacuum Liquid Chromatographic

Fractions of Hexane, Dichloromethane, and n-Butanol Leaf Extract of Wrightia antidysenterica,
American Journal of Clinical Pathology, Volume 146, Issue suppl_1, September 2016, 205.
Retrieved from: https://academic.oup.com/ajcp/article/146/suppl_1/205/2246723/