(Acanthaceae) Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl

Common Name(s): ເງືອກ ປາ ໝໍ (ngeuak pah moh)

Medicinal use(s): Cough, shoots are edible; flavor enhancer.

Part(s) used: stem

Field Characters: Shrub; leaf blade dark green, stiff, deeply lobed with sharp spines at each lobe's tip.

Locality: Champasak Province; Pakse District; Lak Meuang Village.

Habitat: Cultivated in garden, full sun.

Altitude: 100 m asl 

Collector(s): O. Souliya, S. Nheunphonsavath, B. Elkington

Collection number(s): BGE 96

Collection Date: August 9, 2007

Additional information:  

Voucher specimen is in deposit at the Field Museum (F) Herbarium, Chicago, USA under accession no. 2284996.

Synonyms, images, taxonomic description: 

Plants of the World onlineFlora of China Vol. 19 Page 379GBIF Global Biodiversity Information Facility

Useful references:

Khamwut A, Jevapatarakul D, Reamtong O, T-Thienprasert NP. In vitro evaluation of anti-epidermoid cancer activity of Acanthus ebracteatus protein hydrolysate and their effects on apoptosis and cellular proteins. Oncol Lett. 2019 Sep;18(3):3128-3136. doi: 10.3892/ol.2019.10647. Epub 2019 Jul 22. PubMed PMID: 31452790; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6704294.
Mahasiripanth T, Hokputsa S, Niruthisard S, Bhattarakosol P, Patumraj S. Effects of Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl on tumor angiogenesis and on tumor growth in nude mice implanted with cervical cancer. Cancer Manag Res. 2012;4:269-79. doi: 10.2147/CMAR.S33596. Epub 2012 Aug 23. PubMed PMID: 22977311; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3437799.
Prasansuklab A, Tencomnao T. Acanthus ebracteatus leaf extract provides neuronal cell protection against oxidative stress injury induced by glutamate. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2018 Oct 16;18(1):278. doi: 10.1186/s12906-018-2340-4. PubMed PMID: 30326896; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6192065.
Somchaichana J, Bunaprasert T, Patumraj S. Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. ethanol extract enhancement of the efficacy of the collagen scaffold in wound closure: a study in a full-thickness-wound mouse model. J Biomed Biotechnol. 2012;2012:754527. doi: 10.1155/2012/754527. Epub 2012 Oct 2. PubMed PMID: 23093862; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3471030.