Condorlian is the name given to a medicinal plant that originates from South America. Its bark is suitable for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders.
Occurrence and cultivation of condor liana
Condorlian is the name given to a medicinal plant that originates from South America. Its bark is suitable for the treatment of gastrointestinal complaints. Condorlian (Marsdenia condurango) is a climbing plant. It is also known as condurango, condurango shrub or vulture plant. The plant has hairy shoots and heart-shaped leaves that are arranged cross-opposite. The small shrub flowers are greenish-white in color and have a bell-shaped corolla. They are arranged in umbel-shaped inflorescences. Furthermore, the condor liana produces bellow fruits, which have seeds in their hairy head. In total, about 250 species belong to the Marsdenia genus. The condor liana is native to South American tropical regions. The medicinal plant grows mainly in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. The drug, which consists of tubular pieces of the plant’s bark about five millimeters thick, is exported from these countries. From the outside, a gray layer coats the bark. Sometimes bark or transverse bark pores can also be found on it. Another characteristic of the condor liana is its pleasant sweet scent, which is due to vanillin, which is contained in the plant.
Effect and application
Condor liana’s ingredients include between one and three percent condurangin. This is a complex mixture of condurangosides, condurangoglycosides and steroid saponins, which form the main active ingredients of the medicinal plant. The ingredients of condorlians also bear the name of bitter substances with saponin character. If the outside temperature rises, this leads to a decrease in the solubility of the substances described. Other substances contained in the condurango are flavonoids, vanillin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and various coumarin derivatives. The most important therapeutic part of the condorlian ingredients are the condurangoglycosides, which have a bitter taste. Their application allows to stimulate the secretion of gastric juice, which in turn stimulates the appetite. Condurangoglycosides are better dissolved in cold water than in hot water. Therefore, the plant extract is filtered only after it has cooled. For the treatment of intestinal diseases and loss of appetite, condurango bark is used in the form of ready-made medicinal preparations or as medicinal wine. It is also possible to mix a tea from the bark. For this purpose, half a teaspoon of previously cut and powdered condurango bark is mixed with about 150 milliliters of water and boiled. It is recommended to take the tea of condor liana about 30 minutes before eating. To prepare the wine, the user needs between 50 and 100 grams of the crushed bark, which he mixes with about one liter of wine. This mixture is poured around and left for a few days. Just like the tea, the wine of Condurango bark is taken about 30 minutes before eating. In this case, the dosage is one liqueur glass. Condurango bark is also a component of various finished medicines, which belong to the phytotherapeutic gastrointestinal preparations. In addition, a diluted tincture of the bark can be used for wound healing of chapped lips and corners of the mouth.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
Of importance for health is the condor liana, respectively its bark for the treatment of digestive problems, loss of appetite, abdominal pain and stomach pain. Here, the main focus of treatment is on loss of appetite. The drug, which consists of condurango bark, is one of the bitter agents. Thus, the ingredients of condurliane have a stimulating effect on the secretion of gastric juice and saliva. The increased secretion of digestive juices in turn stimulates the appetite. Other uses include glandular weaknesses in the liver, pancreas or lymphatic system, low heat balance, tuberculosis and senility. To support the stomach function, the condor liana has been traditionally used for a long time. Thus, it was already used in South American folk medicine to stimulate the appetite as well as to promote digestion. Condurango bark is also said to have a positive effect on stomach cancer. However, this effect could not be proven by scientific studies.Another medical application of the condor liana is homeopathy. Under the name Condurango or Condurango tree, the medicinal plant is used there for the therapy of gastrointestinal inflammations, leanness and mouth corner rhagades (cracked mouth corners). In this case, the leanness is caused by stomach problems. The most common potencies of the rather rarely administered homeopathic include D2 to D12. Due to the lack of clinical studies, the pharmacological properties of condorliane could not be sufficiently researched so far. However, the positive effect of condurango bark on stimulating appetite and digestion has been proven. In animal experiments with mice, anti-tumor activities have also been found. There are also some contraindications to the use of condurangor bark. Thus, the drug must not be used if the patient has hypersensitivity to the substances of condurango. The same applies in case of latex allergy. Thus, severe allergic reactions such as life-threatening anaphylactic shock occurred in latex allergic patients after the condurango bark was administered. In animals, condurango bark has a toxic effect when it reaches a certain dose. The lethal dose for dogs and cats is designated LD50 and is reached at a body weight between 40 and 50 mg/kg. Half of the affected test animals did not survive this concentration. It is important to store condurango bark in a dry place and protect it from light. Side effects are rarely to be feared from condurangor bark. In case of overdose, there is a risk of vomiting and diarrhea. If anaphylactic shock is suspected, an emergency physician must be alerted immediately.
