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Moses-in-the-cradle

Tradescantia spathacea

Summary 3

Tradescantia spathacea, the boatlily or Moses-in-the-Cradle, is a herb in the Commelinaceae first described in 1788. It is native to Belize, Guatemala, and southern Mexico (Chiapas, Tabasco, and the Yucatán Peninsula) but widely cultivated as an ornamental and naturalized in parts of Florida, Texas, Hawaii, and various oceanic islands.

Contributor 4

Kadry Samuels

Interesting Facts 4

Vo QH, Nguyen PH, Zhao BT, Ali MY, Choi JS, Min BS, Nguyen TH, Woo MH. 2015. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitory constituents from the aerial parts of tradescantia spathacea sw. Fitoterapia 103:113-21.

The Tradescantia spathacea, which is more commonly known as Moses-in-the-Cradle, is a perennial herbaceous plant species that is categorized into the Commelinaceae family and is native to the tropical regions, such as Belize and Guatemala. Type-2 Diabetes arises through the human body becoming resistant the production of insulin, which is chemical that is produced by the pancreas that can be negatively impacted by protein tyrosine phosphatases. (Vo et al. 2015) Moses-in-the-Cradle, as an herbal plant, has been most widely used for domestic purposes, such as in medicinal diets in Vietnam for fighting against illnesses like coughs and other symptoms that are associated with bleeding. (Vo et al. 2015) Markedly, the leaves of the Tradescantia sequesters several different chemicals that include epigallocatechin, rhoeonin, and runin that have been examined for the effect on inhibiting the resistance to insulin for lower blood glucose level. (Vo et al. 2015) As such, Moses-in-the-Cradle, through production of a variety of chemical substances in the leaves, has the capacity to inhibit the effect of the protein tyrosine phosphatases that lead to the development of Diabetes Type-2.

Fontes e Créditos

  1. (c) Ahmad Fuad Morad, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/adaduitokla/6073088416/
  2. (c) Kadry Samuels, todos os direitos reservados, uploaded by Kadry Samuels
  3. Adaptado por Kadry Samuels de uma obra de (c) Wikipedia, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia_spathacea
  4. (c) Kadry Samuels, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA)

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