Magnolia officinalis

Magnolia officinalis (commonly called houpu magnolia or magnolia-bark) is a species of Magnolia native to the mountains and valleys of China at altitudes of 300–1500 m.

Magnolia officinalis
Magnolia officinalis[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Magnoliaceae
Genus: Magnolia
Subgenus: Magnolia subg. Magnolia
Section: Magnolia sect. Rhytidospermum
Subsection: Magnolia subsect. Rhytidospermum
Species:
M. officinalis
Binomial name
Magnolia officinalis
Rehder & Wilson

Identification

It is a deciduous tree growing to 20 m in height. The bark is thick and brown, but does not fissure. The leaves are broad, ovate, 20–40 cm long, and 11–20 cm broad. The flowers are fragrant and 10–15 cm wide, with 9–12 (rarely to 17) white tepals, and appear from May to June.

The two varieties are:

  • Magnolia officinalis var. officinalis has leaves with an acute apex.
  • Magnolia officinalis var. biloba has leaves with a notch at the apex. This variety does not appear in the wild, and is only known in cultivation. It is possibly not a true variety at all, but actually a cultigen instead, though this has yet to be determined.

M. officinalis differs very little from Magnolia obovata; the only difference consistently observed between the two is that the fruit aggregate of M. officinalis has a rounded base, while that of M. obovata has an acute base. Further research may or may not eventually determine if M. officinalis should be treated as a subspecies of M. obovata.[3]

Uses

The highly aromatic bark is stripped from the stems, branches, and roots and used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is known as hou po (厚朴; thus the common name). The traditional use indications are to eliminate damp and phlegm, and relieve distension.[4]

Today, the bulk of bark used for commercial and domestic use is supplied by plants in cultivation.

Pharmaceutical potential

The bark contains magnolol and honokiol, two polyphenolic compounds that have been demonstrated as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) agonists and GABAA modulators. Preclinical studies have evaluated their various potential applications including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antimicrobial properties.[5]

  • Bud
gollark: Apparently old pacemakers ran on small RTGs, but people are too uncool to do that nowadays I think.
gollark: > I wonder if it would be possible to engineer a contagious bacteria with rapid reproductive rates to produce a fast acting psychoactive compound when undergoing cellular division, similar to how cholera produces cholera toxin. It would be an interesting non lethal bio weapon that could incapacitate enemy forces in a few hoursIt seems like it's getting cheaper and easier for people to genetically engineer bacteria and stuff, so I worry that within a few decades it will be easy enough that people will just do this sort of thing for funlolz.
gollark: I think I remember this being discussed before? Spirit complained about it.
gollark: Talking about where to get them might be, or at least might cause them to complain.
gollark: Based on advanced "ctrl+F" technology, there's nothing specifically about drugs or whatever (would be weird if there was) but just "no doing illegal things". *Talking* about drugs is not illegal.

References
  1. Cirrus Digital: Houpu Magnolia – Magnolia officinalis
  2. Rivers, M.C. (2015). "Magnolia officinalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T34963A2857694. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T34963A2857694.en.
  3. Hunt, D. (ed). (1998). Magnolias and their allies. International Dendrology Society and Magnolia Society. ISBN 0-9517234-8-0
  4. Wang L, Waltenberger B, Pferschy-Wenzig EM, et al. (November 2014). "Natural product agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ): a review". Biochemical Pharmacology. 92 (1): 73–89. doi:10.1016/j.bcp.2014.07.018. PMC 4212005. PMID 25083916.
  5. "Honokiol and magnolol as multifunctional antioxidative molecules for dermatologic disorders". Molecules. 15: 6452–65. Sep 16, 2010. doi:10.3390/molecules15096452. PMC 6257695. PMID 20877235.
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