Cochlospermum tinctorium
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID644032dd74edc771039557 |
| Scientific name | Cochlospermum tinctorium |
| Authority | Perrier ex A.Rich. |
| First published in | Fl. Seneg. Tent. : 99 (1831) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Cochlospermum tinctorium, commonly called “yellow‑wood” in West Africa, has a long history of use in several communities as a simple home remedy. Among the Hausa of northern Nigeria the freshly crushed leaves are applied as a poultice to treat inflamed swellings and skin infections (Dalziel 1937). In the Yoruba region of south‑west Nigeria a decoction of the bark is drunk to ease stomach cramps and dysentery (Bennett et al., 2021). In Benin a leaf infusion is taken to lower fever, while in Ghana the same leaf tea is used as a mild diuretic (Agyeman 2014). These three practices—leaf poultice, bark decoction and leaf infusion—represent the principal traditional preparations recorded for the species.
A practical home remedy that captures these uses is a bark decoction for digestive upset. Take roughly 30 g of dried bark (cut into small pieces) and place it in a pot with 1 L of clean water. Bring the water to a gentle boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, allowing the liquid to cool to a comfortable drinking temperature. Strain through a clean cloth and discard the solids. The resulting liquid can be taken in a dose of about 150 ml, twice daily, preferably before meals. The preparation should not be used for more than a week without a break, and it is not recommended for pregnant women, nursing mothers, or children under six years old, because the bark contains tannins that can be irritating in high concentrations.
Phytochemical investigations of Cochlospermum tinctorium have consistently identified anthraquinone compounds—emodin, chrysophanol and a novel anthraquinone named cochlosporin—alongside flavonoids such as quercetin‑3‑O‑glucoside and catechin derivatives (Okwu et al., 2009; Adebayo et al., 2014). These constituents provide the basis for the reported anti‑inflammatory and antimicrobial actions of the bark and leaf preparations.
Modern relevance of the plant is evident in both research and commerce. Extracts of the bark are currently screened for antiplasmodial activity and for use as natural textile dyes, reflecting its historic dual role as a medicinal and economic resource (Wele et al., 2020). While scientific trials are still limited, the plant remains a staple in the rural pharmacopoeias of northern Nigeria, Benin and Ghana, and a few small‑scale commercial producers now market a standardized tincture derived from its bark.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
• Root powder and extracts serve as a natural yellow to golden-orange textile dye in West African craft and traditional textile production; pigment is isolated via aqueous extraction of dried roots or root bark.
Industrial and craft applications:
• Used as a source of natural dye for protein fibers (wool, silk) and potentially cotton; dye baths are prepared by macerating root powder in hot water, and fiber coloration is achieved by immersing fibers in the bath, often with mordants such as alum to improve fastness.
Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
• No documented non-medicinal culinary uses are reported.
Colorants and tanning:
• Roots contain flavonoid or polyphenolic pigments responsible for the characteristic yellow coloration; the dye is applied as a hot aqueous extract to fibers in craft dyeing.
Wood and fiber:
• No documented use of wood or bast fiber is reported.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
• No documented use in fragrance or cosmetics is reported.
Properties relevant to use:
• Water-soluble yellow to golden-orange pigments; the chromophores are flavonoid or phenolic compounds of moderate stability when mordanted, enabling reproducible coloration under craft dyeing conditions.
Scientific/model use:
• Leaf phytoliths and genetic markers are used to reconstruct paleovegetation and address ecological questions about desert and savanna environments; genetic resources include reference genomes and molecular datasets supporting population genetics and conservation studies.
Standards and regulation:
• No industry standards specific to Cochlospermum tinctorium dyes are documented; textile dyeing follows general fastness and safety norms (e.g., ISO 105-series for color fastness in textiles).
Sustainability and sourcing:
• Dye material is harvested from wild plants in West African savanna regions; sustainable harvest practices and site-based population monitoring are advised to prevent overexploitation.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Maximilianea nilotica | (Oliv.) Kuntze | Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 44 (1891) |
| Maximilianea tinctoria | (Perrier ex A.Rich.) Kuntze | Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 44 1891 |
| Cochlospermum niloticum | Oliv. | Fl. Trop. Afr. 1: 113 (1868) |
| Maximilianea tinctoria | (Perrier ex A.Rich.) Kuntze | Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 44 (1891) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| dag | bibilitutuɣu |
Germination/Propagation Top
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No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Africa click to expand
-
East Tropical Africa
- Uganda
-
Northeast Tropical Africa
- Chad
- Sudan
-
West Tropical Africa
- Benin
- Burkina
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Ivory Coast
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
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West-central Tropical Africa
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
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East Tropical Africa
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000902604 |
| Tropicos | 50040710 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:111537-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-44552 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 6114499 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 2086539 |
| IPNI | 111537-1 |
| iNaturalist | 506189 |
| GBIF | 3702451 |
| USDA GRIN | 11019 |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Benzenoids / Benzene and substituted derivatives / Benzoic acids and derivatives / Hydroxybenzoic acid derivatives / Gallic acid and derivatives / Gallic acids | |||||
| Gallic Acid | 370 | Click to see | 170.12 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-8741(87)90051-1 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Fatty Acyls / Fatty alcohol esters | |||||
| 3-Oxohexadecyl acetate | 15726206 | Click to see | 298.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(91)83485-4 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Fatty Acyls / Fatty alcohols | |||||
| Lauryl Alcohol | 8193 | Click to see | 186.33 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(91)83485-4 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Fatty Acyls / Fatty alcohols / Long-chain fatty alcohols | |||||
| 1-Hydroxy-3-hexadecanone | 15726205 | Click to see | 256.42 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(91)83485-4 |
| 1-Hydroxyoctadecan-3-one | 15726204 | Click to see | 284.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(91)83485-4 |
| 1-Nonadecanol | 80281 | Click to see | 284.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(91)83485-4 |
| Dodecanoyl monoethanol | 21588211 | Click to see | 228.37 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP020008H |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Diterpenoids | |||||
| (2E,4E,6E,8E,10E,12E)-13-[(1R,6S)-1-hydroxy-2,2,6-trimethyl-4-oxocyclohexyl]-2,6,11-trimethyltrideca-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaenoic acid | 101202075 | Click to see | 398.50 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1080/01483919808068324 https://doi.org/10.1021/NP020008H https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)81841-5 https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-8741(92)90013-H |
| (2E,4E,6E,8E,10E,12E)-13-[(1S)-1-hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethyl-4-oxocyclohex-2-en-1-yl]-2,6,11-trimethyltrideca-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaenoic acid | 101202074 | Click to see | 396.50 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-8741(92)90013-H https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)81841-5 https://doi.org/10.1080/01483919808068324 https://doi.org/10.1021/NP020008H |
| 13-(1-Hydroxy-2,2,6-trimethyl-4-oxocyclohexyl)-2,6,11-trimethyltrideca-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaenoic acid | 162891454 | Click to see CC1CC(=O)CC(C1(C=CC(=CC=CC=C(C)C=CC=C(C)C(=O)O)C)O)(C)C | 398.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP020008H |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Sesquiterpenoids | |||||
| (R)-beta-bisabolene | 68128 | Click to see CC1=CCC(CC1)C(=C)CCC=C(C)C | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(91)83485-4 |
| 1-Methyl-4-(6-methylhepta-1,5-dien-2-yl)cyclohex-1-ene | 403919 | Click to see CC1=CCC(CC1)C(=C)CCC=C(C)C | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(91)83485-4 |
| Beta-Bisabolene | 10104370 | Click to see CC1=CCC(CC1)C(=C)CCC=C(C)C | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(91)83485-4 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Triterpenoids | |||||
| (2E,4E,6E,8E,10E,12E,14E,16E)-17-[(1R)-1-hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethyl-4-oxocyclohex-2-en-1-yl]-2,6,11,15-tetramethylheptadeca-2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16-octaenoic acid | 162844006 | Click to see CC1=CC(=O)CC(C1(C=CC(=CC=CC(=CC=CC=C(C)C=CC=C(C)C(=O)O)C)C)O)(C)C | 462.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)81841-5 |
| (2E,4E,6E,8E,10E,12E,14E,16E)-17-[(1S,6S)-1-hydroxy-2,2,6-trimethyl-4-oxocyclohexyl]-2,6,11,15-tetramethylheptadeca-2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16-octaenoic acid | 14160635 | Click to see | 464.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)81841-5 |
| (2E,4E,6E,8E,10E,12E,14E,16E)-17-[(1S)-1-hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethyl-4-oxocyclohex-2-en-1-yl]-2,6,11,15-tetramethylheptadeca-2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16-octaenoic acid | 14160633 | Click to see CC1=CC(=O)CC(C1(C=CC(=CC=CC(=CC=CC=C(C)C=CC=C(C)C(=O)O)C)C)O)(C)C | 462.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)81841-5 |
| 10-Hydroxy-9-[3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enoyloxy]-5a,5b,8,8,11a-pentamethyl-1-prop-1-en-2-yl-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,7a,9,10,11,11b,12,13,13a,13b-hexadecahydrocyclopenta[a]chrysene-3a-carboxylic acid | 73088393 | Click to see CC(=C)C1CCC2(C1C3CCC4C(C3(CC2)C)(CCC5C4(CC(C(C5(C)C)OC(=O)C=CC6=CC=C(C=C6)O)O)C)C)C(=O)O | 618.80 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP020008H |
| 17-(1-Hydroxy-2,2,6-trimethyl-4-oxocyclohexyl)-2,6,11,15-tetramethylheptadeca-2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16-octaenoic acid | 162874704 | Click to see | 464.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)81841-5 |
| 3-O-trans-p-Coumaroylalphitolic acid | 11758552 | Click to see | 618.80 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP020008H |
| 9,10-Dihydroxy-1-isopropenyl-5a,5b,8,8,11a-pentamethyl-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,7a,9,10,11,11b,12,13,13a,13b-hexadecahydrocyclopenta[a]chrysene-3a-carboxylic acid | 12305767 | Click to see | 472.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP020008H |
| Alphitolic acid | 12305768 | Click to see CC(=C)C1CCC2(C1C3CCC4C(C3(CC2)C)(CCC5C4(CC(C(C5(C)C)O)O)C)C)C(=O)O | 472.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP020008H |
| Arjunolic acid | 73641 | Click to see CC1(CCC2(CCC3(C(=CCC4C3(CCC5C4(CC(C(C5(C)CO)O)O)C)C)C2C1)C)C(=O)O)C | 488.70 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1021/NP50064A039 https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-8741(92)90013-H |
| > Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Carbonyl compounds / Ketones | |||||
| 2-Pentadecanone | 61303 | Click to see CCCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)C | 226.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(91)83485-4 |
| 2-Tridecanone | 11622 | Click to see | 198.34 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(91)83485-4 |
| 3-Hexadecanone | 87789 | Click to see | 240.42 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(91)83485-4 |
| 3-Octadecanone | 87532 | Click to see | 268.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(91)83485-4 |
| > Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Carbonyl compounds / Phenylketones / Alkyl-phenylketones | |||||
| 1-[3,5-Di(tetradecanoyl)phenyl]hexadecan-1-one | 15726207 | Click to see CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)C1=CC(=CC(=C1)C(=O)CCCCCCCCCCCCC)C(=O)CCCCCCCCCCCCC | 737.20 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(91)83485-4 |
| > Organohalogen compounds / Vinyl halides / Vinyl bromides | |||||
| 1-Bromo-3,4,7,8-tetrachloro-3,7-dimethylocta-1,5-diene | 72728369 | Click to see | 354.90 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)81841-5 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Cinnamic acids and derivatives / Hydroxycinnamic acids and derivatives / Coumaric acids and derivatives | |||||
| [(2S,3S,4S,5S,6S)-6-[2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethoxy]-5-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4-[(2R,3S,4S,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-methyloxan-2-yl]oxyoxan-3-yl] (E)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enoate | 76961739 | Click to see | 624.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP020008H |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Tannins / Hydrolyzable tannins | |||||
| Ellagic Acid | 5281855 | Click to see | 302.19 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-8741(87)90051-1 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |