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Corn Cockle
  • Professionals
  • Natural Products (Pro)

Corn Cockle

Scientific Name(s): Agrostemma githago L.
Common Name(s): Cockle, Corn campion, Corn cockle, Corn rose, Corn-pink, Crown-of-the-field, Purple cockle

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jan 24, 2022.

Clinical Overview

Use

Corn cockle has been used in folk medicine; however, toxicity concern limits its therapeutic applications and clinical trials are lacking. Use of seed constituents for antiviral activity and in cancer are being investigated.

Dosing

No recent clinical studies of corn cockle provide a basis for dosage recommendations due to toxicity concerns.

Contraindications

Information is lacking; however, plant extracts, especially the seeds, are toxic.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Avoid use. Documented embryotoxic effects.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

Information is lacking; however, plant extracts, especially the seeds, are toxic.

Toxicology

Corn cockle may produce long- or short-term poisoning that could be potentially fatal.

Scientific Family

  • Caryophyllaceae

Botany

A. githago is an annual herb with a few erect branches covered with fine, soft hairs. The leaves are linear lanceolate and the red flowers grow up to 5 cm wide. The plant bears small (5 mm), brown seeds. It was originally native to Europe, but has long been naturalized in the United States to the extent that it is a troublesome weed in winter wheat fields and is considered a noxious weed in many areas.Osol 1955, USDA.2014

History

In European folklore, the seeds have been used for treating cancers, hard tumors, warts, and apostemes (hard swellings in the uterus). In Turkish traditional medicine, the seeds of the plant are used as a diuretic, expectorant, and antihelminthic. Seeds have also been put into the conjunctival sac to induce keratoconjunctivitis. Its saponins are irritating and have been claimed to have local anesthetic effects.Avci 2006, Duke 2002, Koz 2010

Chemistry

Saponin content has been described, including githagin, agrostemmic acid, sapotoxin A, prosapogenin githagin, and aglycone githagenin. The ripe seeds contain a number of aromatic amino acids, including 2,4–dihydroxy-6–methylphenylalanine, L(+)-citrullin, sugar, oil, fat, and starch. The seedlings possess allantoin and allantoic acid. The roots are reported to contain up to 2% lactosin starch; sprouts contain allantoin. The oil contains 41% unsaturated fatty acids and a high portion (3.4%) of unsaponifiable lipids that yield 8.3% mixed alkanes from C19 to C33. The unsaponifiable lipids were found to have 45% crystalline alpha-spinasterol, as well as small quantities of a triterpene ester and a di- or triterpene-like unsaturated acyclic ketone.Duke 1996, Hebestreit 2003, Jankov 1970, Siepmann 1998

Uses and Pharmacology

Cytotoxic effects

Animal data

The synergistic effect of agrostin and saponin is now considered the likely mechanism of cytotoxicity. Saponins are known to alter cell membrane permeability, while agrostin has been determined to be a ribosome-inactivating protein. The combined effect of these 2 constituents has been shown to inhibit proliferation of human leukemic cells and tumor cells in mouse models.Chiu 2001, Heisler 205, Koz 2010 Activity against viruses, including the HIV virus, has also been attributed to this effect.