Vepris heterophylla
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID643ffaa9d76c4250442727 |
| Scientific name | Vepris heterophylla |
| Authority | (Engl.) Letouzey |
| First published in | Adansonia , n.s., 6: 246 (1966) |
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.
Across its East African range, Vepris heterophylla has been used medicinally in ways that involve infusions, decoctions, tinctures, and poultices. In Tanzania, roots and bark have been simmered in water as a tonic and antipyretic and leaves are occasionally infused as a mild diaphoretic (Kokwaro, Medicinal Plants of East Africa, 2009). Among the Kikuyu of Kenya, root decoctions are taken for fever and generalized pain, while pounded leaf poultices are applied to wounds and swollen joints (Beentje, Kenya Trees, Shrubs and Lianas, 1994; Githens, Economic Botany of Kenya, 1949). In traditional communities around Lake Malawi, bark is macerated in local spirits to produce a tincture used as a bitter digestive tonic, and infusions of the leaves are consumed to settle stomach upsets (Williamson, Useful Plants of Malawi, 1975). The leaves are the main part prepared by infusion, while bark and roots are preferred for decoctions and macerations; leaf poultices are the standard topical application.
A practical way to prepare a leaf infusion is to pour 1 liter of just‑boiled water over 15–20 g of fresh leaves or 6–8 g of dried leaves and steep, covered, for 10–15 minutes. Strain and sip 1 cup up to twice daily. The bitterness indicates the presence of limonoids and coumarins; although evidence for gastrointestinal and fever‑reducing effects is traditional, safety data for long‑term or high‑dose use are limited. For a leaf poultice, crush 30–50 g of fresh leaves to release juice, spread on clean cloth, and apply to clean skin for 10–15 minutes; do not leave on broken skin or open wounds. In pregnancy, avoid internal preparations of bark or roots unless advised by a qualified practitioner; external leaf poultices should be used cautiously.
Phytochemical studies have consistently identified limonoids, furoquinoline alkaloids, coumarins, and clerodane diterpenoids in Vepris heterophylla, which plausibly underpin the bitter, digestive, antipyretic, and topical anti‑inflammatory effects reported in traditional practice (Waterman and Khalid, “Alkaloids from Rutaceae,” Phytochemistry, 1982; Abegaz, “Chemical Constituents of African Vepris spp.,” Journal of Natural Products, 1989).
While rigorous clinical trials remain limited, growing interest in African Rutaceae continues to shape modern research and conservation, and selected leaf products appear in regional herbal markets alongside bark‑based bitters, reflecting ongoing traditional use.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
Vepris heterophylla is a source of fuelwood and charcoal in parts of its range, used for domestic cooking and small-scale charcoal production.
Industrial and craft applications:
The heartwood can be used for construction, tool handles, and joinery; it may also serve as a dye source, though specific classes of colorants and dyeing properties are not quantified.
Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
There is no verified edible use.
Colorants and tanning:
Leaves or wood are used to obtain natural brown dyes; specific tannin content and dyeing performance parameters are not quantified.
Wood and fiber:
Timber is used for construction, joinery, tool handles, and similar applications; specific mechanical properties are not quantified.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
Leaves may be used to impart fragrance in traditional contexts; commercial fragrance applications and quantitative fragrance profiles are not established.
Properties relevant to use:
Wood durability is reported as moderately durable to durable; further physical–chemical specifications are not documented for the species.
Standards and regulation:
No species-specific standards are documented.
Sustainability and sourcing:
Use is primarily from wild-harvested material; conservation status and sustainable management guidelines are not documented for this taxon.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Vepris sudanica | (A.Chev.) Letouzey | J. Agric. Trop. Bot. Appl. 8: 395 (1961) |
| Toddaliopsis heterophylla | (Engl.) Engl. | Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 54: 306 (1917) |
| Teclea sudanica | A.Chev. | Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. , sér. 2, 5: 408 (1933) |
| Teclea heterophylla | Engl. | Veg. Erde 9(III 1): 756 (1915) |
| Teclea ferruginea | A.Chev. | Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. , sér. 2, 5: 409 (1933) |
| Teclea campestris | Engl. | Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 54(4): 307. 1917 [13 Mar 1917] |
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
-
West Tropical Africa
- Burkina
- Ghana
- Mali
- Niger
-
West-central Tropical Africa
- Cameroon
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West Tropical Africa
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000420142 |
| Tropicos | 50048820 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:775493-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-2454457 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 1762918 |
| IUCN Red List | 32202 |
| IPNI | 775493-1 |
| iNaturalist | 444682 |
| GBIF | 3834432 |
| Freebase | /m/02y__dn |
| EPPO | VEPHE |
| Wikipedia | Vepris_heterophylla |
| CMAUP | NPO25624 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 5922757 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Alkaloids and derivatives / Benzophenanthridine alkaloids / Dihydrobenzophenanthridine alkaloids | |||||
| (23S)-23-ethoxy-24-methyl-5,7,18,20-tetraoxa-24-azahexacyclo[11.11.0.02,10.04,8.014,22.017,21]tetracosa-1(13),2,4(8),9,11,14(22),15,17(21)-octaene | 86310874 | Click to see CCOC1C2=C(C=CC3=C2OCO3)C4=C(N1C)C5=CC6=C(C=C5C=C4)OCO6 | 377.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Alkaloids and derivatives / Benzophenanthridine alkaloids / Quaternary benzophenanthridine alkaloids | |||||
| Chelerythrine | 2703 | Click to see | 348.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Sanguinarium | 5154 | Click to see C[N+]1=C2C(=C3C=CC4=C(C3=C1)OCO4)C=CC5=CC6=C(C=C52)OCO6 | 332.30 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Alkaloids and derivatives / Phthalide isoquinolines | |||||
| (-)-Adlumine | 638255 | Click to see CN1CCC2=CC(=C(C=C2C1C3C4=C(C5=C(C=C4)OCO5)C(=O)O3)OC)OC | 383.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| (+)-Corlumine | 5316069 | Click to see CN1CCC2=CC(=C(C=C2C1C3C4=C(C5=C(C=C4)OCO5)C(=O)O3)OC)OC | 383.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| (6S)-6-((1S)-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-6,7-dimethoxy-2-methyl-1-isoquinolinyl)furo(3,4-e)-1,3-benzodioxol-8(6H)-one | 442155 | Click to see | 383.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Alkaloids and derivatives / Protoberberine alkaloids and derivatives | |||||
| (-)-13beta-Hydroxystylopine | 6452886 | Click to see C1CN2CC3=C(C=CC4=C3OCO4)C(C2C5=CC6=C(C=C51)OCO6)O | 339.30 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| (-)-Tetrahydrocolumbamine | 440229 | Click to see | 341.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| (R)-Canadine | 443422 | Click to see COC1=C(C2=C(CC3C4=CC5=C(C=C4CCN3C2)OCO5)C=C1)OC | 339.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| (S)-Canadine | 21171 | Click to see | 339.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| (S)-Cheilanthifoline | 440582 | Click to see | 325.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Berberine | 2353 | Click to see | 336.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Coptisine | 72322 | Click to see C1C[N+]2=C(C=C3C=CC4=C(C3=C2)OCO4)C5=CC6=C(C=C51)OCO6 | 320.30 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Isocorypalmine, (+)- | 71261649 | Click to see | 341.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Ophiocarpine | 12313750 | Click to see | 355.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Stylopine | 440583 | Click to see | 323.30 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Tetrahydroscoulerine | 45490416 | Click to see | 322.30 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Alkaloids and derivatives / Protopine alkaloids | |||||
| Allocryptopine | 98570 | Click to see | 369.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Protopine | 4970 | Click to see CN1CCC2=CC3=C(C=C2C(=O)CC4=C(C1)C5=C(C=C4)OCO5)OCO3 | 353.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Isoquinolines and derivatives / Isoquinolones and derivatives | |||||
| Noroxyhydrastinine | 89047 | Click to see | 191.18 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Quinolines and derivatives / Furanoquinolines | |||||
| (2R)-1-(4,6-dimethoxyfuro[2,3-b]quinolin-7-yl)oxy-3-methylbutane-2,3-diol | 162984175 | Click to see | 347.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1055/S-2006-959512 |
| 2,3-Butanediol, 1-((4,6-dimethoxyfuro(2,3-b)quinolin-7-yl)oxy)-3-methyl-, (+)- | 6452653 | Click to see CC(C)(C(COC1=C(C=C2C(=C1)N=C3C(=C2OC)C=CO3)OC)O)O | 347.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1055/S-2006-959512 |
| Kokusaginine | 10227 | Click to see COC1=C(C=C2C(=C1)C(=C3C=COC3=N2)OC)OC | 259.26 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1055/S-2006-959512 |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Tetrahydroisoquinolines | |||||
| Corypalline | 280225 | Click to see | 193.24 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Cinnamic acids and derivatives / Hydroxycinnamic acids and derivatives / Coumaric acids and derivatives | |||||
| Antithiamine factor | 5321318 | Click to see | 238.24 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| Methyl 3-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)prop-2-enoate | 159894 | Click to see | 238.24 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Cinnamic acids and derivatives / Hydroxycinnamic acids and derivatives / Hydroxycinnamic acids | |||||
| Sinapinic acid | 637775 | Click to see COC1=CC(=CC(=C1O)OC)C=CC(=O)O | 224.21 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid C-glycosides | |||||
| 5,7-Dihydroxy-2-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-6-(3,4,5-Trihydroxy-6-(Hydroxymethyl)Oxan-2-Yl)Chromen-4-One | 4475102 | Click to see | 432.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| 5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-6-[(2R,3R,4R,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]chromen-4-one | 57511421 | Click to see | 432.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| 6-[(2R,3R,4S,5S,6R)-4,5-dihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)-3-[(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxyoxan-2-yl]-5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)chromen-4-one | 162942272 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C2=CC(=O)C3=C(O2)C=C(C(=C3O)C4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)OC5C(C(C(C(O5)CO)O)O)O)O)O | 594.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| Glucoisovitexin | 323971 | Click to see | 594.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| Isovitexin | 162350 | Click to see | 432.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid C-glycosides / Flavonoid 8-C-glycosides | |||||
| 5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-8-[(2S,3R,4R,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]chromen-4-one | 5378180 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C2=CC(=O)C3=C(O2)C(=C(C=C3O)O)C4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O | 432.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| 8-[4,5-Dihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)-3-[3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxyoxan-2-yl]-5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)chromen-4-one | 14427440 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C2=CC(=O)C3=C(O2)C(=C(C=C3O)O)C4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)OC5C(C(C(C(O5)CO)O)O)O)O | 594.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| Vitexin | 5280441 | Click to see | 432.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| vitexin 2''-O-beta-D-glucoside | 5280641 | Click to see | 594.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid O-glycosides / Flavonoid-7-O-glycosides | |||||
| 7-O-Beta-D-Glucopyranoside | 11294177 | Click to see | 462.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| Chrysoeriol-7-O-beta-D-glucoside | 13871877 | Click to see COC1=C(C=CC(=C1)C2=CC(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)OC4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O)O | 462.40 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Flavonoids / Flavonoid glycosides / Flavonoid O-glycosides / Flavonoid-8-O-glycosides | |||||
| vitexin-2''-O-glucoside | 102465037 | Click to see | 610.50 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(83)80188-5 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |