Cornus officinalis


Cornus officinalis is a species of dogwood known also as Japanese cornel or Japanese cornelian cherry or Cornelian cherries, not to be confused with C. mas, which is also known as the Cornelian cherry. The correct term would be Korean cornel dogwood or Chinese cornel dogwood since the flower originated from Korea and China. These plants are not closely related to the true cherries of the genus Prunus.

Description

It is a large, strongly-growing deciduous shrub with rough flaky bark. Umbels of acid yellow flowers appear in early spring before the oval leaves. The red berries, which are edible, appear later in the summer, and the leaves turn shades of red before falling in the autumn.

Etymology

In Korean it is known as sansuyu, in Chinese as shān zhū yú and in Japanese as sanshuyu.
The Latin specific epithet officinalis refers to plants which have some medicinal or culinary use - in this case the edible berries.

Cultivation

The plant is valued in cultivation for providing year-round interest in the garden. It is, however, quite a substantial shrub, typically growing to tall and broad. The cultivar 'Kintoki', with larger and more abundant flowers, has won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Traditional medicine

It occurs in China, Japan and Korea where it is used as a food plant and as a medicinal plant.

Chemical constituents

The plant contains oleanolic acid and ursolic acid. Ursolic acid has shown in vitro protective effects on auditory cells.
Ethanolic extracts of the fruit of C. officinalis has been shown to prevent hepatic injuries associated with acetaminophen-induced liver injury-induced hepatotoxicity by preventing or alleviating oxidative stress.
The chemical constituents isolated from the fruit have protective effects on beta cells in vitro, and may control postprandial hyperglycemia by alpha-glucosidase inhibition.
Cornel iridoid glycoside, a chemical extracted from Cornus officinalis, promoted neurogenesis and angiogenesis and improved neurological function after ischemia in rats.
A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study found that a Chinese herbal formula that mainly consisted of Cornus officinalis was not only effective at improving erectile function, but it was also safe for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. A chemical substance isolated from Cornus officinalis also may enhance the motility of human sperm.
Cell cultures of C. officinalis contain gallotannins in the forms of tri-, tetra- and pentagalloylglucoses. The main tannins are 1,2,3,6-tetragalloylglucose, 1,2,6-trigalloyl-glucose, 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloyl-glucose and 6-digalloyl-1,2,3-trigalloyl-glucose.

Nutrition

Cornelian cherry juices are rich in potassium, calcium, sodium, iron, zinc, manganese, and copper. Compared to other juices obtained from plum, pear, and apple, Cornelian cherry juice contained higher levels of dietary minerals.

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