PDR for Herbal Medicines

HERBAL MONOGRAPHS

Ribes nigrum

See Black Currant

Ribes rubrum

See Red Currant

Rice

Oryza sativa "•

DESCRIPTION

Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts of the plant are the

seeds.

Flower and Fruit: The panicle is up to 30 cm long. The husk

is 7 to 9 mm long with 5 clearly protruding veins. They have

8 cm long, light or dark red awns, or no awns at all. The seed

is tightly covered by the layers of the husk and is compressed

from the side.

Leaves, Stem and Root: Rice is an annual. The stem is

hollow, leafy and erect. The leaves are clasping and sheath-

like at the base and grow up to 1 m in length. The leaf

surface is up to 60 cm long and 1.5 cm wide. The leaves

have bristly ciliate spikelets at the base.

Habitat: Rice is probably native to China and India. Today it

is cultivated widely in wet areas in the tropics and sub-

tropics.

Production: Rice is the seed of Oryza sativa.

Other Names: Nivara

ACTIONS AND PHARMACOLOGY

COMPOUNDS

Starch (70%)

Proteins: including prolamines, glutelins, globulins,

albumins

Fatty oil (1,0-1.8% in the entire fruit, 7—12 % in the germ):

chief fatty acid linoleic acid (45%)

Polysaccharides, soluble: galactoarabinoxylan

Monosaccharides, oligosaccharides: glucose, fructose,

saccharose

Flavonoids: including tricine, tricine-7-O-glucoside,
tricinine

Steroids: sterols, including beta-sitosterol, gamma-sitosterol,
campesterol

RICINUS COMMUNIS / 643

Diterpenes: momilactone A, momilactone B

Trigonelline

Trypsin inhibitors

Lectins

Vitamins of the B-group

EFFECTS

Rice has been shown to be effective for pain relief and

sedation of the digestive tract.

INDICATIONS AND USAGE

Unproven Uses: Rice is used during recovery from disorders

of the gastrointestinal tract, illnesses of the gastrointestinal

tract and diarrhea.

Chinese Medicine: Among uses in Chinese medicine are

diabetes, spontaneous perspiration, diarrhea and debility.

Indian Medicine: Rice is used for pneumonia, diarrhea and

diseases of the colon.

PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS

No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction

with the proper administration of designated therapeutic

dosages.

DOSAGE

Preparation: Rice seeds are boiled in water before ingestion.

LITERATURE

Belitz HD, Grosch W, Lehrbuch der Lebensmittelchemie, 4.

Aufl., Springer Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg, New York 1992.

Huesing JE, Murdock LL, Shade RE, Rice and stinging nettle

lectins - insecticidal activity similar to wheat germ agglutinin.

In: PH 30:3565. 1991.

Kern W, List PH, Horhammer L (Hrsg.), Hagers Handbuch der

Pharmazeutischen Praxis, 4. Aufl., Bde. 1-8, Springer Verlag

Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 1969.

Swaminathan S, Rice, This member of the grass family is one

of three on which the human species largely subsists. In:

Scientific American 250(1 ):80. 1984.

Vignols F, Wigger M, Garcia-Garrido JM, Grellet F, Kader JC,

Delseny M, Rice lipid transfer protein (LTP) genes belong to a

complex multigene family and are differentially regulated. Gene,

195:177-86, Aug 22, 1997.

Ricinus communis

See Castor Oil