Elephant apple
Dillenia indica · Accepted scientific name
Scientific literature: Moderate (110 studies) · ★★★☆☆
Elephant apple, scientifically known as Dillenia indica, is a distinctive tropical tree native to South and Southeast Asia. Renowned for its large, edible, acidic fruits, it holds significant ethnobotanical value. Beyond its culinary uses, this versatile plant offers numerous medicinal properties, widely utilized in traditional healing practices across various cultures.
- Family
- Dilleniaceae
- Native range
- Africa
- Parts used
- Fruit · Flower
- Common names
- Elephant Apple · Dillenia · 1 more
- Scientific synonyms
- Dillenia Elongata · Dillenia Indica F. Elongata
Names
Common Names
- Elephant Apple
- dillenia
- elephant-apple
Regional and Traditional Names
German:
- Indischer Rosenapfel
Scientific Names
Accepted name
Dillenia indicaSynonyms
- Dillenia elongata
- Dillenia indica f. elongata
Taxonomical Classification
This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta within the class Equisetopsida. It is further organized into the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Dilleniales, falling under the family Dilleniaceae. Finally, its taxonomic identity is defined by the genus Dillenia.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Dilleniales | WCVP |
| Family | Dilleniaceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Dillenia | WCVP |
Distribution
This plant exhibits a wide geographical distribution spanning across several tropical regions. In West-Central Tropical Africa, it can be found specifically around the Gulf of Guinea Islands. Its presence extends significantly into the Western Indian Ocean, where it inhabits Comoros, Mauritius, and Réunion. Additionally, the species is located within the South-Central regions of China. Together, these locations highlight the diverse environments where the plant thrives.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| West-Central Tropical Africa | Gulf of Guinea Is. | WCVP |
| Western Indian Ocean | Comoros | WCVP |
| Western Indian Ocean | Mauritius | WCVP |
| Western Indian Ocean | Réunion | WCVP |
| China | China South-Central | WCVP |
| China | China Southeast | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | Assam | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | Bangladesh | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | East Himalaya | WCVP |
| Indian Subcontinent | India | WCVP |
Plant Parts
This plant, commonly known as the Simpoh Air, possesses various components that are utilized in different ways. The large, fleshy fruits are a prominent feature, often used in local culinary traditions. When processed, the fruit powder can be derived to serve specific medicinal or functional purposes. The broad, green leaf is another significant part of the plant's anatomy, often studied for its biological properties. Furthermore, the flower extract is highly valued for its concentrated bioactive compounds, making the entire structure of Dillenia indica a subject of interest in traditional medicine.| Plant Part | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| fruit | PeerJ (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| flower | Microbial pathogenesis (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| leaf | Journal of natural medicines (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Chemicals
Dillenia indica has 18 reported phytochemicals identified across 6 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include naringenin, Flavonoids, betulinic acid, kaempferol, Betulin.
| Chemical | Supporting sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| naringenin | 3 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Flavonoids | 2 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| betulinic acid | 2 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| kaempferol | 2 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Betulin | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| CATECHIN | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Caffeoylmalic Acid | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Epicatechin | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Flavonoid | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| SYRINGIC ACID | 1 supporting sources | ★☆☆☆☆ |
naringenin
- Journal of ethnopharmacology
- Frontiers in bioscience (Landmark edition)
- Chemistry & biodiversity
Flavonoids
- Chinese herbal medicines
- Chemistry & biodiversity
betulinic acid
- Dr. Duke
- Pharmaceutical biology
kaempferol
- Journal of ethnopharmacology
- Chemistry & biodiversity
Betulin
- Dr. Duke
CATECHIN
- Journal of ethnopharmacology
Caffeoylmalic Acid
- Chemistry & biodiversity
Epicatechin
- Journal of ethnopharmacology
Flavonoid
- PeerJ
SYRINGIC ACID
- Journal of ethnopharmacology
Activities
Dillenia indica has 30 reported activities identified across 6 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, Antibacterial, Anticancer, Antimicrobial.
Most Reported Activities
| Activity | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant | PeerJ (and other 6 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Antidiabetic | PeerJ (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antibacterial | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Anticancer | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antimicrobial | Chinese herbal medicines (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antinociceptive | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antiproliferative | Current pharmaceutical design (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Cytotoxic | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Anthelmintic | Dr. Duke (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| AntiHIV | Dr. Duke (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Medicinal Uses
Dillenia indica has 22 reported medicinal uses identified across 6 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include breast cancer, cancer, Apoptosis, anti-oxidant, antioxidant.
Most Reported Uses
| Use | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| breast cancer | Chinese herbal medicines (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| cancer | Current pharmaceutical design (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Apoptosis | Frontiers in bioscience (Landmark edition) (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| anti-oxidant | 3 Biotech (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| antioxidant | Heliyon (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| apoptosis | Frontiers in bioscience (Landmark edition) (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| asthma | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| colon cancer | Journal of natural medicines (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| colorectal cancer | Chinese herbal medicines (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| diabetes mellitus | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Preparations
| Preparations | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| Methanolic Fruit Extract | Frontiers in bioscience (Landmark edition) (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| aqueous ethanolic extract (AEE) | Pharmaceutical biology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| buccal patches | Current drug discovery technologies (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| emulgel | Current drug discovery technologies (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| ethyl acetate extract (EAE) | Pharmaceutical biology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| extracts | Frontiers in plant science (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| flower extract | Microbial pathogenesis (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| fruit powder | Journal of diabetes research (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| leaf | Journal of natural medicines (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| methanolic crude extracts | PeerJ (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |