Cuscuta

Description

Cuscuta is the name of a group of plants in the morning glory family, of which the species Cuscuta epithymum is most commonly used in healing. A member of the Cuscutaceae family, species of cuscuta are found almost everywhere in the world, although cuscuta is more often called dodder in English-speaking countries. Other names include hellweed, devil's gut, beggarweed, strangle tare, scaldweed, dodder of thyme, greater dodder, and lesser dodder. In Chinese, cuscuta seeds are called tu si zi.

Cuscuta is a parasitic plant. It has no chlorophyll and cannot make its own food by photosynthesis. Instead, it grows on other plants, using their nutrients for its growth and weakening the host plant. Agriculturalists consider cuscuta a destructive weed and attempt to eradicate it. It parasitizes wild and cultivated plants, and is especially destructive to such commercially valuable crops as flax, alfalfa, beans, and potatoes. It also grows on such common ornamentals as English ivy, petunias, dahlias, and chrysanthemums. For medicinal purposes, herbalists prefer C. epithymum that grows on thyme.

Cuscuta is a leafless plant with branching stems ranging in thickness from thread-like filaments to heavy cords. The seeds germinate like other seeds. The stems begin to grow and attach themselves to nearby host plants. Once they are firmly attached to a host, the cuscuta root withers away. The mature plant lives its entire life without attachment to the ground. The stems of cuscuta are used in Western herbalism and the seeds are used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

General Use

Despite the fact that cuscuta is unpopular with farmers, it has a long history of folk use. In Western herbalism, cuscuta was traditionally used to treat liver, spleen, and gallbladder disorders such as jaundice ; and to support liver function. It is still used, although rarely, in that way by modern herbalists. It is also a mild laxative. Other traditional Western claims for cuscuta are that it is a mild diuretic, and that it can be used to treat sciatica and scurvy. Externally, it can be gathered fresh and applied to the skin to treat scrofuladerma. Extracts of the herb have a very bitter taste.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the seeds of cuscuta, called tu si zi, have been used for thousands of years. In the Chinese understanding of health, yin aspects inside the person and outside in the environment must be kept in balance with yang aspects. Ill health occurs when the energies and elements of the body are out of balance or in disharmony with nature. Health is restored by taking herbs and treatments that restore internal and external balance.

According to traditional Chinese healers, cuscuta seeds have a neutral nature and a pungent, sweet taste. They are associated with the liver and kidneys and are used in formulas that help both yin and yang deficiencies, depending on the patient's condition and the other herbs in the formula. Cuscuta was considered both an aphrodisiac and a longevity herb because it slowed down the loss of fluids from the body.

Contemporary Chinese herbalists use cuscuta in formulas to treat a range of conditions, including:

• impotence
• premature ejaculation
• sperm leakage
• frequent urination
• ringing in the ears
• lower back pain
• sore knees
• white discharge from the vagina (leucorrhea)
• dry eyes
• blurred vision
• tired eyes

Cuscuta is one of nine herbs included in the manufacture of Equiguard, a Chinese herbal medicine recommended for kidney and prostate disorders. Research performed at New York Medical College indicates that the combination of ingredients in Equiguard may well be effective in the treatment of prostate cancer. The preparation inhibited the growth of cancer cells, increased the rate of self-destruction (apoptosis) of cancer cells, and prevented the surviving cells from forming colonies.

Cuscuta is also used in the Indian system of Ayurvedic healing to treat jaundice, muscle pain, coughs, and problems with urination.

Little scientific research has been done in the West on cuscuta. A purgative compound has been isolated from the herb, however, that supports its traditional use as a liver and gallbladder tonic. Other research done at Asian universities indicates that cuscuta seeds contain a complex carbohydrate that stimulates the immune system and has some antioxidant properties as well.

Preparations

In Western herbalism, the entire thread-like stems of cuscuta are used. They are boiled in water along with such herbs as ginger and allspice to make a decoction. In Chinese herbalism, only the seeds are used. They are almost always used in combination with other herbs, as in concha marguerita and ligastrum formulas.

Precautions

No special precautions are necessary when cuscuta is used in the doses normally prescribed by herbalists.

Side Effects

No side effects have been reported when cuscuta is used in doses prescribed by herbalists.

Interactions

Cuscuta has been used for centuries with other Chinese herbs without any reported interactions. Studies of interactions between cuscuta and Western pharmaceuticals have not yet been performed.

Resources

Books

Chevallier, Andrew. Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 1996.

Molony, David. Complete Guide to Chinese Herbal Medicine. New York: Berkeley Books, 1998.

PDR for Herbal Medicines. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, 1998.

Teegaurden, Ron. The Ancient Wisdom of the Chinese Tonic Herbs. New York: Warner Books, 1998.

Periodicals

Bao, X., Z. Wang, J. Fang, et al. "Structural Features of an Immunostimulating and Antioxidant Acidic Polysaccharide from the Seeds of Cuscuta chinensis."Planta Medica 68 (March 2002): 237-243.

Hsieh, T. C., X. Lu, J. Guo et al. "Effects of Herbal Preparation Equiguard on Hormone-Responsive and Hormone-Refractory Prostate Carcinoma Cells: Mechanistic Studies."International Journal of Oncology 20 (April 2002): 681-689.

Organizations

American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM). 433 Front Street, Catasauqua, PA 18032. (610) 266-2433.

Other

"Cuscuta epithymum." Plants for a Future. .

[Article by: Tish Davidson; Rebecca J. Frey, PhD]

A genus of parasitic plants in the family Convolvulaceae; an unidentified toxin causes nervousness, staggering vomiting, diarrhea. Includes C. campestris, C. epithymium, C. europea, C. trifolii. Called also dodder.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: genus of twining leafless parasitic herbs lacking chlorophyll: dodder
  Synonym: genus Cuscuta

This article is about the plant. For the waterway, see River Dodder.

Cuscuta
Cuscuta europaea on Sambucus ebulus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Convolvulaceae
Genus:	Cuscuta L.
Species
About 100-170 species, including: Cuscuta approximata Cuscuta californica Cuscuta epithymum Cuscuta europaea Cuscuta pentagona Cuscuta salina

Cuscuta (Dodder) is a genus of about 100-170 species of yellow, orange or red (rarely green) parasitic plants. Formerly treated as the only genus in the family Cuscutaceae, recent genetic research by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has shown that it is correctly placed in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. The genus is found throughout the temperate to tropical regions of the world, with the greatest species diversity in subtropical and tropical regions; the genus becomes rare in cool temperate climates, with only four species native to northern Europe.

Old folk names include devil's guts, devil's hair, devil's ringlet, goldthread, hailweed, hairweed, hellbine, love vine, pull-down, strangleweed, angel hair, and witch's hair. ^[1]

Contents 1 Appearance 2 Parasitism 3 Host finding 4 Prevention and treatment 5 Selected species 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links

Appearance

Dodder can be identified by its thin stems appearing leafless, with the leaves reduced to minute scales. It has very low levels of chlorophyll; some species such as Cuscuta reflexa can photosynthesize slightly, while others such as C. europaea are entirely dependent on the host plants for nutrition ^[2].

Cuscuta europaea in flower

Dodder flowers range in color from white to pink to yellow to cream. Some flower in the early summer, others later, depending on the species. The seeds are minute and produced in large quantities. They have a hard coating, and can survive in the soil for 5–10 years or more.

Dodder seeds sprout at or near the surface of the soil. While dodder germination can occur without a host, it has to reach a green plant quickly; dodder grows toward the smell of nearby plants. ^[1] If a plant is not reached within 5 to 10 days of germination, the dodder seedling will die. Before a host plant is reached, the dodder, as other plants, relies on food reserves in the embryo; the cotyledons, though present, are vestigial ^[3].

Cuscuta on acacia tree in Punjab Pakistan

Parasitism

After a dodder attaches itself to a plant, it wraps itself around it. If the host contains food beneficial to dodder, the dodder produces haustoria that insert themselves into the vascular system of the host. The original root of the dodder in the soil then dies. The dodder can grow and attach itself to multiple plants. In tropical areas it can grow more or less continuously, and may reach high into the canopy of shrubs and trees; in temperate regions it is an annual plant and is restricted to relatively low vegetation that can be reached by new seedlings each spring.

Dodder is parasitic on a very wide variety of plants, including a number of agricultural and horticultural crop species, such as alfalfa, lespedeza, flax, clover, potatoes, chrysanthemum, dahlia, helenium, trumpet vine, ivy and petunias, among others.

Dodder ranges in severity based on its species and the species of the host, the time of attack, and whether any viruses are also present in the host plant. By debilitating the host plant, dodder decreases the ability of plants to resist virus diseases, and dodder can also spread plant diseases from one host to another if it is attached to more than one plant.

Host finding

A report published in Science (Vol 313; Sept. 29, 2006) by Runyon, Mescher, and De Moraes, researchers at Penn State University, demonstrates that dodder use airborne (volatile) chemical cues to locate their host plants. Seedlings of Cuscuta pentagona exhibit positive growth responses to volatiles released by tomato and other species of host plants. When given a choice between volatiles released by the preferred host tomato and the non-host wheat, the parasite exhibited preferential growth toward the former. Further experiments demonstrated attraction to a number of individual compounds released by host plants and repellance by one compound released by wheat. These results do not rule out the possibility that other cues (e.g., light) may also play a role in host location. "Parasitic weed seems to smell its prey" [1]

Prevention and treatment

This dodder is engulfing a sage in the Mojave Desert.

Many nations have laws prohibiting import of dodder seed, requiring crop seeds to be free of dodder seed contamination. Before planting, all clothes should be inspected for dodder seed when moving from an infested area to a non-infested crop. When dealing with an infested area, swift action is necessary. Recommendations include planting a non-host crop for several years after the infestation, pulling up host crops immediately, particularly before the dodder produces seed, and use of preemergent herbicides like Dacthal in the spring. Examples of non-host crops include grasses and many other monocotyledons. If dodder is found before it chokes a host plant, it may be simply removed from the soil. If choking has begun, the host plant must be pruned significantly lower than the dodder, as dodder is versatile and can grow back if present from haustoria.

Selected species

Cuscuta americana Cuscuta applanata Cuscuta approximata Bab. - Alfalfa dodder (Eurasia, Africa) Cuscuta attenuata Cuscuta australis Cuscuta boldinghii Cuscuta brachycalyx Cuscuta californica Hook. & Arn. - California dodder (western North America) Cuscuta campestris Cuscuta cassytoides Cuscuta ceanothi Cuscuta cephalanthi Cuscuta chinensis Cuscuta compacta Cuscuta coryli Cuscuta corylii Cuscuta cuspidata Cuscuta decipiens Cuscuta dentatasquamata Cuscuta denticulata Cuscuta epilinum Cuscuta epithymum - Clover dodder (Eurasia, Africa) Cuscuta erosa Cuscuta europaea - Greater Dodder (Europe) Cuscuta exaltata Cuscuta fasciculata Cuscuta gigantea Cuscuta globulosa Cuscuta glomerata Cuscuta gronovii

Cuscuta harperi Cuscuta howelliana Cuscuta indecora Cuscuta indesora Cuscuta japonica Cuscuta jepsoni Cuscuta leptantha Cuscuta lupuliformis Cuscuta macrolepis Cuscuta megalocarpa Cuscuta monogyna Cuscuta mitriformis Cuscuta obtusiflora Cuscuta odontolepis Cuscuta pentagona - Golden Dodder (United States) Cuscuta plattensis Cuscuta polygonorum Cuscuta potosina Cuscuta potosona Cuscuta reflexa Cuscuta rostrata Cuscuta runyonii Cuscuta salina Engelm. - Salt marsh dodder (western North America) Cuscuta sandwichiana Choisy- Kaunaʻoa (Hawaiʻi)[4][5] Cuscuta squamata Cuscuta suaveolens Cuscuta suksdorfii Cuscuta tuberculata Cuscuta umbellata Cuscuta vivipara Cuscuta warneri

Cuscuta spec., Garden of the Gods Wilderness, Shawnee National Forest, South Illinois, USA, 2000

Cuscuta spec., Garden of the Gods Wilderness, Shawnee National Forest, South Illinois, USA, 2000

Cuscuta spec., Garden of the Gods Wilderness, Shawnee National Forest, South Illinois, USA, 2000

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Devious Dodder Vine Sniffs Out Its Victims". National Public Radio. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6160709. Retrieved 2007-07-21. "Some flowers release a pleasing fragrance. Other plants smell. And then there's the parasitic dodder vine, which has the remarkable ability to sniff out its victims. Farmers have placed the dodder –- aka "Strangleweed," "Devil Guts," and "Witches Shoelaces" -– on a ten most-wanted list of weeds." 
2. ^ Machado, M.A. & Zetsche, K. (1990) A structural, functional and molecular analysis of plastids of the holoparasites Cuscuta reflexa and Cuscuta europaea. Planta 181: 91-96.
3. ^ Macpherson, G.E. (1921) Comparison of development in dodder and morning glory. Botanical Gazette 71: 392-398.
4. ^ "kaunaʻoa, kaunaʻoa kahakai, kaunaʻoa lei, kaunoʻa, pololo, kaunoʻa pehu, kaunoʻa uli". Hawaii Ethnobotany Online Database. Bernice P. Bishop Museum. http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/resultsdetailed.asp?search=kaunaoa. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
5. ^ "Cuscuta sandwichiana". Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Database. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. http://www2.hawaii.edu/~eherring/hawnprop/cus-sand.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 

Further reading

• Everitt, J.H.; Lonard, R.L., Little, C.R. (2007). Weeds in South Texas and Northern Mexico. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press.  ISBN 0-89672-614-2

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cuscuta

• Costea, M. 2007-onwards. Digital Atlas of Cuscuta (Convolvulaceae)
• Cuscuta on National Public Radio
• Flora of China: Cuscuta
• Lanini, W. T., et al. Dodder. Pest Notes Jan 2002: 1-3. 15 July 2005. Online (pdf file).
• Swift, C. E. Cuscuta and Grammica species - Dodder: A Plant Parasite. Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. Online.
• Dodder (Cuscuta species). Weed Listings. 2005. Online.
• Medicinal uses of Cuscuta in Armenia
• "Parasitic weed seems to smell its prey"

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