rough cocklebur

Xanthium strumarium · Accepted scientific name

Scientific literature: Moderate (135 studies) · ★★★☆☆

Rough cockleburl, scientifically known as Xanthium strumarium, is a common annual herb found globally in disturbed soils. Renowned for its distinctive prickly seed pods, this plant holds significant ethnobotanical value. Historically used in traditional medicine to treat inflammation and skin ailments, it remains a subject of pharmacological study.

Family
Asteraceae
Native range
Europe
Parts used
Leaf · Fruit
Common names
Rough Cocklebur · Cocklebur · 12 more
Scientific synonyms
Xanthium Brasilicum · Xanthium Strumarium Subsp. Brasilicum · 20 more

Names

Common Names

Regional and Traditional Names

Spanish:

  • bardana, bardana menor, arrancamoños, cardillo
  • Abrojo
  • Cadillo

German:

  • Gewöhnliche Spitzklette
  • Stechende Spitzklette
  • Gemeine Spitzklette
  • gewöhnliche Spitzklette
  • Gemeine Spitzklette
  • Kropf-Spitzklette

French:

  • Lampourde glouteron
  • lampourde glouteron
  • lampourde glouteron
  • Lampourde ordinaire
  • Lampourde commune
  • Lampourde d'Orient

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Xanthium strumarium

Synonyms

Taxonomical Classification

This plant, known as Xanthium strumarium, belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. It is classified under the class Equisetopsida and the subclass Magnoliidae within the order Asterales. Finally, it is a member of the family Asteraceae and falls under the genus Xanthium.

Rank Classification Source
Kingdom Plantae WCVP
Phylum Streptophyta WCVP
Class Equisetopsida WCVP
Subclass Magnoliidae WCVP
Order Asterales WCVP
Family Asteraceae WCVP
Genus Xanthium WCVP

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad presence across several regions within the European continent. In Northern Europe, it can be found growing in both Great Britain and Ireland. Moving toward the central part of the continent, the species is also established in Middle Europe. Specifically, it is documented in countries such as Austria and Belgium. Additionally, its geographical reach extends through the Middle Europe region of Czechia-Slovakia.

Region Area Source
Northern Europe Great Britain WCVP
Northern Europe Ireland WCVP
Middle Europe Austria WCVP
Middle Europe Belgium WCVP
Middle Europe Czechia-Slovakia WCVP
Middle Europe Germany WCVP
Middle Europe Hungary WCVP
Middle Europe Netherlands WCVP
Middle Europe Poland WCVP
Middle Europe Switzerland WCVP

Plant Parts

This plant, commonly known as cocklebur, possesses various components that are utilized in different medicinal and biological contexts. The aerial parts, which encompass the stems and upper structures, are often studied for their overall chemical composition. The large, heart-shaped leaves contain various secondary metabolites, while the sturdy roots are frequently examined for their specific bioactive properties. Most notably, the plant produces distinctive fruits that are encased in a prickly, bur-like structure designed for dispersal. Contained within these protective husks are the seeds, which are known to contain potent compounds that require careful handling due to their high toxicity.
Plant Part Sources Consensus
leaf International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology (and other 5 sources) ★★★☆☆
fruit Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 4 sources) ★★☆☆☆
root Journal of natural products (and other 3 sources) ★★☆☆☆
seed International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
flower Folia microbiologica (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆

Chemicals

Xanthium strumarium has 56 reported phytochemicals identified across 15 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Flavonoids, Xanthatin, Flavonoid, Glycosides, Saponins.

Chemicals reported in Xanthium strumarium
Chemical Supporting sources Consensus
Flavonoids 3 supporting sources ★★☆☆☆
Xanthatin 3 supporting sources ★★☆☆☆
Flavonoid 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
Glycosides 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
Saponins 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
Steroids 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
Tannins 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
scopoletin 2 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
(-)-Caryophyllene oxide 1 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆
(2s)-butylitaconic acid 1 supporting sources ★☆☆☆☆

Flavonoids

  1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
  2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
  3. Frontiers in bioscience (Scholar edition)

Xanthatin

  1. Frontiers in pharmacology
  2. PloS one
  3. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology

Flavonoid

  1. Helicobacter
  2. Turkish journal of biology = Turk biyoloji dergisi

Glycosides

  1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
  2. Frontiers in bioscience (Scholar edition)

Saponins

  1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
  2. Frontiers in bioscience (Scholar edition)

Steroids

  1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
  2. Frontiers in bioscience (Scholar edition)

Tannins

  1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
  2. Frontiers in bioscience (Scholar edition)

scopoletin

  1. Natural product research
  2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

(-)-Caryophyllene oxide

  1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

(2s)-butylitaconic acid

  1. Journal of natural products

Activities

Xanthium strumarium has 6 reported activities identified across 15 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antibacterial, Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Anticancer, Insecticide.

Most Reported Activities

Activity Sources Consensus
Antibacterial Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Antimicrobial Folia microbiologica (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Antioxidant Plants (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Anticancer Turkish journal of biology = Turk biyoloji dergisi (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Insecticide Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Phototoxic Annals of dermatology (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆

Medicinal Uses

Xanthium strumarium has 32 reported medicinal uses identified across 15 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include allergic rhinitis, arthritis, bacterial infections, headache, rhinitis.

Most Reported Uses

Use Sources Consensus
allergic rhinitis Computers in biology and medicine (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
arthritis Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
bacterial infections Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
headache Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
rhinitis Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
urticaria Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 2 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Aspergillus niger Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Bacillus subtilis Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Candida albicans Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Klebsiella pneumoniae Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆

Preparations

Preparations Sources Consensus
Crude extract Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
Fruit Extract Toxins (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
acetone extract Turkish journal of biology = Turk biyoloji dergisi (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
aerial parts Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
aqueous-ethanol extract Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
biomass Frontiers in plant science (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
chloroform fraction Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
crude extract Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
essential oils Plants (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆
ethanol extracts Frontiers in bioscience (Scholar edition) (and other 1 sources) ★☆☆☆☆