Sphaeranthus africanus L. or Sphaeranthus glaber DC. (MAHA-mundi)

We are of the of the opinion that S. africanus shall be taken as mahamundi.

Botanical Description – Herb 0.5–1 m high; stems simple or branched, the branches winged; wings entire or denticulate, glabrous or pubescent. Leaves narrowly elliptic or obovate, 2–10 cm long, 0.8–3.2 cm wide, but lower stem leaves may grow to 15 cm long and 5 cm wide, base decurrent into the wings, margins subentire or denticulate, apex rounded to subacute, pubescent to almost glabrous, glandular and slightly aromatic. Glomerule greenish white, ellipsoid to globose, 7–13 mm long, 7–13 mm across, occasionally double, the individual capitula distinct; capitulum stalk 5–30 mm long; receptacle globose to ellipsoid; glomerule bracts linear to lanceolate and 2.5–4 mm long, 0.3 mm wide, acute to acuminate, glandular-puberulous, the lowermost bracts hidden at anthesis; capitula borne on a short secondary receptacle, with 6–15 bracts, these oblanceolate, 1.5–3 mm long, apiculate to rounded, sparsely glandular. Florets: outer florets 15–40, tube ovoid to broadly cylindrical and corky, abruptly narrowed into a filiform tube, 0.7–0.9 mm long, glabrous, minutely toothed distally, style 0.8–1 mm long; inner florets 1–3, tube inflated and corky but abruptly constricted below the lobes and there sparsely glandular, 0.7–1 mm long, lobes 0.3–0.5 mm long, sparsely glandular, anthers 0.6–0.8 mm long, style 1.7–2.8 mm long, briefly bifid. Achenes cylindrical, 0.4–0.6 mm long, puberulous and glandular, briefly stalked on a white glabrous stipe.

Distribution: Madagascar, Africa

Chemical constitutents – The ethanolic crude extract of the whole plant of Sphaeranthus africanus Linn. Exhibited cytotoxicity against various carcinoma cell lines and gave positive for free radical activity test. Seven compounds were isolated, namely stigmasterol, Chrysophenol D, 3,7-dimethoxy-4’,5,6-trihydroxyflavone, Chrysophenol C, 3α,5β-diangeloxoyloxy-7-hydroxy carvotanacetone, 1-angeloxoyloxy-3-[4’-angeloxoyloxy-3’-methoxy]-2-propene and 1-angeloxoyloxy-3[4’-isopentanoloxoxoyloxy-3’-methoxy]-2-propene. The last compound was found to be a new compound.

Research studies – All isolated flavonoids (Chrysophenol D,3,7-dimethoxy-4’,5,6-trihydroxyflavour, Chrysophenol C) and 3α,5β-diangeloxoyloxy-7-hydroxy carvotanacetone showed free radical scavenging activity against DPPH radical. 3α,5β-diangeloxoyloxy-7-hydroxy carvotanacetone and Chrysophenol D exhibited cytotoxicity against KB cell (Udom Kokpol et al., 2000)