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Family Agavaceae

Tungkod-pare
Baston De San Jose
Cordyline fruticosa (L.)  A.Chev.
GOOD LUCK PLANT
Zhu jiao

Scientific names  Common names 
Aletris chinensis Lam. Baston de San Jose (Sp.) 
Calodracon heliconiifolia (Otto & A.Dietr.) Planch Danga (Ilk.)
Calodracon nobilis Planch Dang-nga (Bon.) 
Calodracon siebert (Kunth) Planch Dongla (If.) 
Calodracon terminalis (L.) Planch Kilaa (Bis.) 
Convallaria fruiticosa L. Kilala (Bik.) 
Cordyline amabilis Cogn. & Marchal Sagilala (Tag.) 
Cordyline baptistii Cogn. & Marchal Tokorpari (Pamp.)
Cordyline cheesemanii Kirk Tungkod-obispo (Tag.) 
Cordyline dennisonii André Tungkod-pare (Tag.) 
Cordyline densicoma Linden & André Chinese fire leaf (Engl.)
Cordyline eschscholziana Mart. ex Schult. & Schult.f. Good luck plant (Engl.) 
Cordyline gloriosa Linden & André King of kings (Engl.)
Cordyline guilfoylei Linden ex Lem. Tree of kings (Engl.)
Cordyline hedychioides F.Muell.  
Cordyline heliconiifolia Otto & A.Dietr.  
Cordyline hendersonii Cogn. & Marchal  
Cordyline metallica Dalliére  
Cordyline nobilis (Planch.) Koch  
Cordyline reali (Liden & André) G.Nicholson  
Cordyline regina Veitch ex Regel  
Cordyline sepiaria Seem.  
Cordyline sieberi Kunth  
Cordyline terminalis  (L.) Kunth [Illegitimate]  
Cordyline ti Schott  
Cordyline timorensis Planch.  
Dianella cubensis A.Rich.  
Dracaena amabilis auct.  
Dracaena aurora Linden & André  
Dracaena baptistii auct.  
Dracaena bellulaa Linden & André  
Dracaena chelsoni Veitch  
Dracaena cuprea T.Moore  
Dracaena esculenta Regel  
Dracaena formosa W.Bull  
Dracaena gloriosa Linden ex E.Morreri  
Dracaena illustris W.Bull  
Dracaena lineata Baker  
Dracaena metallica W.Bull  
Dracaena princeps W.Bull  
Dracaena reali Linden & André  
Dracaena reginae T.Moore  
Dracaena regis André  
Dracaena robinsoniana André  
Dracaena rothiana Carriére  
Dracaena salviati Linden  
Dracaena separia Seem.  
Dracaena terminalis L.  
Dracaena trooubetzkoi Linden & André  
Dracaena warocquei Linden & André  
Ezehisia palma Lour. ex B.A.Gomes  
Taetsia ferrea Medik.  
Taetsia fruticosa (L.) Merr.  
Terminalis fruticosa (L.) Kuntze  
Baston de San Jose lists as common names for two different plants: Cordyline fruticosa (Tungkod -pare) and Polianthes tuberosa (Azucena).
Sagilala is a common name shared by Baston de San Jose (Cordyliine fruticosa) and San Francisco (Codiaeum variegatum).
Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A.Chev. is an accepted name The Plant List

Other vernacular names
CHINESE: Ya zhu na, Zhu jiao.
COLOMBIA: Palmita roja.
DUTCH: Limiestriuk.
FIJIAN: Vasili, Qai, Ti, Masawe, Kokotodamu.
GERMAN: Endstandige Keulenlilie, Endstandige kolbenlile.
HAWAIIAN: Ti, Ki, Lau'i.
INDONESIA: Bak juang, Lak-lak, Linjuang, Anderuang, Sabang, Andong, Weluga, Wersingin, Weusisi.
IVORY COAST: Essul ahrana.
MALAYSIA: Andong, Juang, Jenjuang, Senjuang.
NEW ZEALAND: Ti pore.
PAPAUA NEW GUINEA: Aegop, Masau, Kava, Bauga, Elavi, Ta'un, Ariko.
PORTUGUESE: Croton.
RUSSIAN: Dratsena verkhushechnaia
SPANISH: Caña de indio, Croto.
TAHITI: Auti.
THAI: Maak phuu, Maak mia, Ma poo ma mia.
TONGA ISLANDS: Si si tongotongo.

 Botany
Tungkod-pare is an erect, smooth shrub which grows from 1 to 3 meters high from tuberous roots. Stems are simple or somewhat branched, and marked with leaf-scars. Leaves are mostly near the apex of the stem, lanceolate to oblanceolate, and usually tinged with red or purple, 30 to 50 centimeters long. Panicles are terminal, purplish, laxly branched; the branches up to 30 centimeters in length, and slender. Flowers are pink, and about 1 centimeter long, slender, tubular, with the perianth split to the middle into 6 equal lobes. Stamens are 6, ovary 3-celled, with 4 to 16 ovules. Fruits are globose berries, and about 5 millimeters in diameter, few or one-seeded.

Distribution
- Widely cultivated for ornamental purposes.
- Probably originated from Malaya.
- Now pantropic in cultivation.

Constituents
- Yields imidazole alkaloids, linoleic acid, saponins, sarsapogenin, smilagenin, sterols, tyramine.
- Contains 5b-spirostanes, calcium oxalate, cholestine glycosides, flavonoids, fructan, polyphenols, polysaccharides.
- Study isolated four new cholestane glycosides (1-4) from the leaves of C. terminalis. (13)
- Cordyline fruticosa leaf extract yielded farrerol, quercetin 3-O-[6-trans-p-coumaroyl]-ß-D- glucopyranoside, helichrysoside, apigenin 8-C-ß-D- glucopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-ß-D glucopyranoside (isoquercitrin), and quercetin 3-O-"-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-6)-ß-d-glucopyranoside. (see study below) (16)

Properties
- Considered antiseptic, aphrodisiac, depurative, diuretic, mildly cooling, blood refrigerant, febrifuge, laxative, purgative, hemostatic, disperses contusions, analgesic, tonic.

Parts utilized
· Flowers, leaves, stems, and roots.
· Flowers may be collected in May. Sun-dry.
· Roots and leaves may be collected through the year.
· Rinse and cut into pieces, sun-dry.

Uses
Edibility
- In Java, young tender leaf shoots are eaten as vegetable.
- Roots may be boiled and baked into food, sweet candy or a fermented drink.
- In Hawaii, leaves used to preserve breadfruit.
- Used as sweetener in Fiji.
Folkloric
· Used for hemoptysis due to pulmonary tuberculosis, premature abortion, excessive menstruation and blood in urine, bleeding due to piles.
· Used in enteritis-bacillary dysentery, rheumatic bone pains, swelling pain due to sprains.
· Dosage: use 60 to 90 gms fresh leaves or 30 to 60 gms dried roots or 9 to 15 gms dried flowers in decoction.
· In Fiji, root used for baldness, gum abscess, gingivitis, toothaches; leaf juice for eczema, abdominal pain, gastritis, eye infections; leaf buds used for lower chest pains. Also, leaves and stems used as abortifacient.
· In Java, sweet rhizome used with betel leaf to cure diarrhea and dysentery. Also, used for indigestion.
· In Malaya, decoction of red leaves with Lygodium used for dysentery.
· In New Guinea, root decoction used by lactating mothers to treat mammary gland infection. Juice from heated leaves used for colds, cough, and whooping cough.
· Infusion of new plant shoots used for filariasis. Stem juice used for postpartum illnesses and to help expel the placenta.
· Roots used to treat baldness. Leaf juice used for earaches, sore eyes, cough, stomachaches, eczema and gastritis. Roots used for treating toothaches and laryngitis.
· In Sumatra, outer part of the stem used with white sale for inflamed gums.
· In Hawaii, leaves used as heat pack; also for fever, asthma, chest congestion, headache, back pain, burns, constipation; flower juice snorted for nasal polyps.
· Surinamese Indonesians use pieces of root in vinegar for bleeding. Leaf infusion in oil used to treat wounds. Infusion of three crushed leaves of the purple cultivar used for a hypotensive drink. Proximal part of the leaf. macerated in olive oil, used as a cataplasm or tampon for wounds.

· In Lombok, Indonesia, used for diarrhea. Leaves used for wounds inflicted by fish stings.
·In Samoa, used for elephantiasis, gout, scrotal swellings, and back pains.
Others
· Ceremonial: In Hawaii, used in making healer's leis, and used in ceremonial blessings - blessings, purifications, to dispel curses, and for exorcisms. In New Guinea, plant used for casting love magic on women. In Malaysia, used for black magic.
· In Hawaii, leaves used as food wrapper; also to line pans used for baking fish and other seafoods, imparting a flavor to cooked products. (12)
· Ornamental: In Hawaii, ti leaf used for hula skirts, leis, garlands, or pu olo used to make an offering to the gods. (12)

Studies
Antibacterial: Study of methanolic extract of C terminalis (Cordyline fruiticosa) showed moderate antibacterial activity against E coli, Shigella boydii, Strep pyogenes and Staph epidermis. (1) Study evaluated the antibacterial property of a leaf extract. Results showed moderate antibacterial effect against E. coli and massive antibacterial activity against B. subtilis. (15)
Antiproliferative: Study isolated from the aqueous extract of C terminalis a natural nucleoside, thymidine. Thymidine inhibited cell replication and decreased cell viability. It also inhibited a human breast cancer line. (2)

Anticancer Potential: Preliminary results showed the presence of potential MKK1 inhibitors in the crude extracts of A excelsa, C terminalis and T crispa. MMK1 (Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase 1) is one of the potential molecular targets for cancer therapy, together with GSK-3b and PP1, that play a vital role in MAP kinase signal transduction, tumorigenesis, apoptosis and cancer metastasis. (3)
Anthocyanin: Study reports an efficient and promising protocol for enhancement of anthocyanin production from the callis cultures of some ornamental plants. The highest values were obtained with celosia, cordyline and catharanthus calli cultures, respectively. Anthocyanin pigments and derivatives are flavonoids and unique to the plant kingdom, beneficial to human health with potential anti-cancer, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. (4)
Antioxidant / Sodium-Caseinate Bead Encapsulation: Study of methanolic extracts revealed 102.6 mg/g of gallic acid equivalent of polyphenols, with an antioxidant activity of 13.4 mg/g of ascorbic acid equivalent. Encapsulation in sodium-caseinate beads provided antioxidant stability compared to unencapsulated extracts. Sodium-caseinate beads offer a potential for food supplementation with natural antioxidants. (8)
Anti-Cancer / MMK1 Inhibition: MMK1 (mitogen-activated protein kinase) is one of the potential molecular targets for cancer therapy, playing a vital role in mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase signal transduction, tumorigenesis apoptosis, and cancer metastasis. Study of crude extracts of C. terminalis showed potential inhibition against MKK1. (10)
Antibacterial / Leaves: Methanolic extract of C. terminalis Kunth and its solvent fractions moderate antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Shigella boydii, Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus epidermis. (11)
• Antioxidant / Stem Barks:
Study evaluated the antioxidant activity of two plants viz., Cordyline fruiticosa (leaves) and Eriobotrya japonica (stem bark). Both plant fractions exhibited excellent radical scavenging ability on all assays and showed to be promising sources of natural antioxidant ingredients. (16)

Toxicity
Some leaves are reported to contain calcium oxalate raphides and should be cooked. Young raw leaf shoots are sweet and edible.

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Updated May 2017 / August 2014

Photos © Godofredo Stuart / StuartXchange

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Antibacterial activity of Cordyline terminalis Kunth. leaves / Journal of Medical Sciences(Pakistan) / Firoj Ahmed et al
(2)
Selective antiproliferative effects of thymidine / Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences (CMLS) / DOI 10.1007/BF01955167
(3)
PRIMARY SCREENING FOR NATURAL INHIBITORS AGAINST EUKARYOTIC SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION FROM SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS IN SABAH, MALAYSIA / Jualang Azlan Gansau et al / BORNEO SCIENCE 24: MARCH 2009
(4)
Successful Application for Enhancement and Production of Anthocyanin Pigment from Calli Cultures of Some Ornamental Plants / Taha HS, Abd El-Rahman RA et al / Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 2(4): 1148-1156, 2008
(5)
Medicinal Plants of the Guianas (Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana) / botany.si.edu

(6)
Cordyline fruticosa ( Lä'ï / Ti) / Medicine At Your Feet
(7)
Cordyline fruticosa / Vernacular names / GLOBinMED
(8)
Antioxidant properties of Cordyline terminalis (L.) Kunth and Myristica fragrans Houtt. encapsulated separately into casein beads / B. Chandrasekhar Reddy, Ayesha Noor, N. C. Sarada and M. A. Vijayalakshmi / CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 101, NO. 3, 10 AUGUST 2011
(9)
INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA. / STEVEN EDMUND WINDUO / Macmilian Brown Centre for Pacific Studies
(10)
PRIMARY SCREENING FOR NATURAL INHIBITORS AGAINST EUKARYOTIC SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION FROM SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS IN SABAH, MALAYSIA / Jualang Azlan Gansau, Goh Keng Sean & How Siew Eng / BORNEO SCIENCE 24: MARCH 2009
(11)
Antibacterial Activity of Cordyline terminalis Kunth. Leaves / Ahmed Firoj, Prabir K Das M Amirul Islam, K M Rahman, Md. Mustafizur Rahman, M S T Selim / Journal of Medical Sciences 01/2003
(12)
Ti Leaf (Cordyline terminalis or fruticosa) Diseases in Hawaii's Commercial Orchards / M. Kawate, J. Uchida, J. Coughlin, M. Melzer, C. Kadooka, J. Kam, J. Sugano, and S. Fukuda / Hānai'Ai / The Food Provider March | April | May 2014
(13)
New Cholestane Glycosides from the Leaves of Cordyline terminalis / Akihito Yokosuka, Takeyuki Suzuk), Yoshihiro Mimaki / Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, Vol. 60 (2012) No. 2 P 275-279 /
http://dx.doi.org/10.1248/cpb.60.275
(14)
Cordyline fruticosa / Synonyms / The Plant List
(15)
Antibacterial Activity of Cordyline fruticosa L.Ethanolic Leaf Extract / Abordo, Ma. Liciel Q., Iglesias, Eloisa Marie C

It is not uncommon for links on studies/sources to change. Copying and pasting the information on the search window or using the DOI (if available) will often redirect to the new link page.

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