Lingbeck Jody M, O'Bryan Corliss A, Martin Elizabeth M, Adams Joshua P, Crandall Philip G
Sea Star International LLC, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.
Department of Food Science and Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.
Pharmacogn Rev. 2015 Jan-Jun;9(17):1-11. doi: 10.4103/0973-7847.156307.
Sweetgum trees are large, deciduous trees found in Asia and North America. Sweetgum trees are important resources for medicinal and other beneficial compounds. Many of the medicinal properties of sweetgum are derived from the resinous sap that exudes when the outer bark of the tree has been damaged. The sap, known as storax, has been used for centuries to treat common ailments such as skin problems, coughs, and ulcers. More recently, storax has proven to be a strong antimicrobial agent even against multidrug resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In addition to the sap, the leaves, bark, and seeds of sweetgum also possess beneficial compounds such as shikimic acid, a precursor to the production of oseltamivir phosphate, the active ingredient in Tamiflu®-an antiviral drug effective against several influenza viruses. Other extracts derived from sweetgum trees have shown potential as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, and chemopreventive agents. The compounds found in the extracts derived from sweetgum sap suppress hypertension in mice. Extracts from sweetgum seeds have anticonvulsant effects, which may make them suitable in the treatment of epilepsy. In addition to the potential medicinal uses of sweetgum extracts, the extracts of the sap possess antifungal activity against various phytopathogenic fungi and have been effective treatments for reducing nematodes and the yellow mosquito, Aedes aegypti, populations thus highlighting the potential of these extracts as environment-friendly pesticides and antifungal agents. The list of value-added products derived from sweetgum trees can be increased by continued research of this abundantly occurring tree.
枫香树是一种高大的落叶乔木，生长于亚洲和北美洲。枫香树是获取药用及其他有益化合物的重要资源。枫香树的许多药用特性都源自其树皮受损时渗出的树脂状汁液。这种汁液名为苏合香，几个世纪以来一直被用于治疗常见疾病，如皮肤问题、咳嗽和溃疡。最近，苏合香已被证明是一种强大的抗菌剂，甚至对耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌等多重耐药细菌也有效。除了汁液，枫香树的叶子、树皮和种子也含有有益化合物，如莽草酸，它是磷酸奥司他韦生产的前体，磷酸奥司他韦是抗流感药物达菲®中的活性成分，对多种流感病毒有效。从枫香树中提取的其他提取物已显示出作为抗氧化剂、抗炎剂和化学预防剂的潜力。枫香树汁液提取物中的化合物可降低小鼠的高血压。枫香树种子提取物具有抗惊厥作用，这可能使其适用于癫痫治疗。除了枫香树提取物的潜在药用价值外，汁液提取物对多种植物病原真菌具有抗真菌活性，并且已有效用于减少线虫和埃及伊蚊的数量，因此突出了这些提取物作为环保型杀虫剂和抗真菌剂的潜力。通过对这种广泛存在的树木进行持续研究，可以增加从枫香树中衍生出的增值产品清单。
