Tinkturenpresse

Galega officinalis L. - syn.Galega bicolor Boiss. & Hausskn. ex Regel; Galega patula Steven - Fabaceae - galega, goat's rue, Echte Geißraute

Erect perennial, up to 150 cm tall, Europe, West Asia (Turkey, Pakistan), naturalized and cultivated; leaves pinnate, leaflets 9-21, up to 5cm long, elliptic to lanceolate; inflorescence a 25-50-flowered raceme; flowers white to purple; fruit 20-50cm long, c.2-3mm broad, 2-10-seeded.
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=220005407

„Galegine was isolated as an active anti-hyperglycemic agent from the plant Galega officinalis L. This plant was used ethnomedically for the treatment of diabetes. Galegine provided the template for the synthesis of metformin and opened up interest in the synthesis of other biguanidine-type antidiabetic drugs.“
[The value of plants used in traditional medicine for drug discovery., Fabricant, D.S., Farnsworth, N.R., Environmental health perspectives, 109(Suppl 1), 2001, 69] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1240543/pdf/ehp109s-000069.pdf

galegine

„A fraction isolated from crude aqueous extract of Galega officinalis L. and purified by column chromatography inhibit platelet aggregation in platelet-rich plasma. The active fraction of the extract, molecular weight of 100–140 kDa, appeared to be polysaccharide-protein complex. Aggregation of platelets initiated by 25 μM ADP was inhibited 50 percent by 11.2 μg/ml of the fraction. Aggregation of platelets initiated by 100 μg/ml collagen and 0.8 U/ml thrombin was completely inhibited by 16 μg/ml and 18.3 μg/ml, respectively.“
[Antiplatelet aggregation activity of a fraction isolated from Galega officinalis L., Atanasov, A.T., Tchorbanov, B., Journal of herbs, spices & medicinal plants, 10(2), 2003, 63-71]

The dried aerial parts (Galega herba) are used traditionally as diuretic and especially as antidiabetic. „Is is still widely used in folk medicine, also to treat skin ulcers… The main active compound is galegine (up to 0.5%), a guanidine derivative that occurs together with 4-hydroxygalegine and quinoline alkaloids (up to 0.35%) such as geanine (vasicine) and vasicinone… The drug inhibits platelet aggregation, and exhibits hypoglycaemic and lactagogue activities.“
[Medicinal Plants of the World. Ben-Erik Van Wyk and Michael Wink, Pretoria 2004, 150]

„…acute and subchronic toxicity of aerial parts of Galega officinalis in Wistar rats have been evaluated. For the acute toxicity study, the animals received orally four different single dose of plant suspension and were kept under observation for 14 days. The results indicated that LD50 of Galega officinalis is higher than 5 g/kg. In the subchronic study, … an increase in serum levels of cholesterol, creatine phosphokinase, lactate dehydrogenase and total and conjugated bilirubin was observed. Some parameters such as calcium, albumin, albumin/globulin ratio, hematocrit, WBC and platelet counts were decreased. In microscopic examination, sinusoidal congestion in liver and alveolar hemorrhage was observed. Other parameters showed non-significant difference between treatment and control groups. Present data suggest that liver and lung could serve as target organs in oral toxicity of this plant.“
[Acute and subchronic oral toxicity of Galega officinalis in rats., Rasekh, H.R., Nazari, P., Kamli-Nejad, M., Hosseinzadeh, L., Journal of ethnopharmacology, 116(1), 2008, 21-26]

Thomé, O.W., Flora von Deutschland Österreich und der Schweiz, Tafeln, vol.3 t.437 (1885)
http://plantgenera.org/species.php?id_species=449226

Galega officinalis, Lainzer Tiergarten (Wien)
© Rolf Marschner (2017), www.botanische-spaziergaenge.at