Plant Name
Ranunculus laetus Wall. ex Royle
Syn.- Ranunculus brevirostris Edgew
Ranunculus laetus ssp. laetiformis Ovcz.
Ranunculus laetus ssp. pseudolaetus (Tamura) Ovcz.
Ranunculus pseudolaetus Tamura.
Botanical Info
Tall perennial, 30-70 cm high.
Geography:
Pamir. Western Tien-Shan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Himalaya
Grows in damp places at altitudes of 1500-2700 m.
Chemical Content
Chemical constituents: gamma-lactons-protoanemonin. Alcaloids-traces. Flavone jacein , jacedin-5-0-?-D-glucoside , and centaurein , coumarin, 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin, ?-amyrin , and beta-sitosterol-3-0-beta-D-glucoside
Traditional Use and Activity
Protoanemonin have shown antifungal activity against selected strains of dermatophytes and yeasts . Also protoanemonine possess strong antibacterial actions.
The toxicological studies on Ranunculus have revealed the hepatoxicity and photosensitization reaction with some species of the genus.