CYNOMORIUM – A BIZARRE PLANT POTENTIALLY USEFUL IN MEDICINE

Zdeňka Navrátilová¹, Jiří Patočka^2
1Přírodovědecká fakulta Univerzity Karlovy v Praze, katedra botaniky; ²Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra radiologie a toxikologie

Korespondenční autor: Zdeňka Navrátilová (navratil@natur.cuni.cz)

ISSN 1804-7858 (On-line)

Full verze:

Submitted:8. 8. 2011
Accepted: 10. 11. 2011
Published online: 20. 12. 2011

Summary

Cynomorium coccineum and Cynomorium songaricum are interesting parasitic plants characterized by their unique habitus. Thanks to their special appearance and extraordinarily rare occurrence, magic capacities were attributed to these plants. The plant Cynomorium coccineum, which occurs in the Mediterranean, was used in Europe as soon as in the Middle Ages under the name fungus maletensis (Maltese fungus) and in Arabic cultures it was used under the name tarthuth. The Asian species (Cynomorium songaricum), sometimes considered as a subspecies of the C. coccineum, has long been used under the name suo yang in the traditional Chinese medicine. Contemporary studies demonstrate a number of effects on the organism and there is a possibility that substances present in these plants or derived from them will found their use for therapeutic purposes in the future. Effects on sexual functions are of a particular interest: experiments in male rats demonstrated an increase in the fertility after the administration of extracts (increased weight of testes, increase in sperm cells in their number and viability). This may possibly offer a new approach to the treatment of man infertility, which currently presents a big problem.

Keywords: Cynomorium – Maltese fungus – traditional medicine – man infertility

Souhrn

Cynomorium coccineum a Cynomorium songaricum jsou zajímavé parazitické rostliny s unikátním vzhledem. Díky zvláštnímu vzhledu a mimořádné vzácnosti výskytu byly těmto rostlinám přisuzovány magické schopnosti. Rostlina Cynomorium coccineum, která roste v mediteránní oblasti, byla v Evropě pod jménem fungus maletensis (maltská houba) používána již ve středověku a pod jménem tarthuth byla používána v arabských kulturách. Asijský druh Cynomorium songaricum, někdy považovaný za poddruh C. coccineum, je odedávna používán pod názvem suo yang v tradiční čínské medicíně. Současné studie prokazují řadu účinků na organismus a je možné, že obsahové látky těchto rostlin či látky od nich odvozené naleznou v budoucnosti využití k léčebným účelům. Velmi zajímavý je zejména účinek na sexuální funkce, pokusy na zvířatech potvrdily u samců potkanů po podávání extraktu zvýšení fertility (zvětšení hmotnosti varlat, zvýšení počtu a životaschopnosti spermií). Je možné, že se zde otevírá nová cesta k léčbě mužské neplodnosti, která je v současnosti velkým problémem.

Klíčová slova: Cynomorium – maltská houba – tradiční medicína – mužská neplodnost

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