A Study of the Botanical Origin and Essential Oil Components of the Herb Phak Chee La

Abstract

Phak chee la is a crude drug commonly used in Thai traditional herbal remedies. Fruits of phak chee la are used as an antiflatulent, mineral supplement, thirst quencher, anti-nausea/vomiting and treatment for sore eye. Despite its availability in Thai herbal drugstores, the botanical identity and the official scientific
name of phak chee la is still unclear. There is also no obvious definition of the name “phak chee la” and there are several plants called “phak chee” in Thailand, such as phak chee Lao, phak chee loom, and phak chee jean. To reveal its botanical origin, the crude drug was traced back from herbal dispensaries in Bangkok to its natural habitats in combination with the information gathered from interviews with traditional healers and the data from intensive literature reviews. Fruits of phak chee la were purchased from several herbal dispensaries in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Evaluation of crude drugs was conducted according to Thai Herbal Pharmacopeia guidelines as well as the determination of the chemical content of essential oils made from phak chee la fruits. According to the studies, the content of foreign matter, acid-insoluble ash, total ash and moisture was determined; the amounts were as follows: 0.07 ± 0.01, 0.003 ± 0.001, 7.25 ± 0.40 and 1.93 ± 0.28%, whereas the ethanol-soluble extractive, and water-soluble extractive were determined to be 4.42 ± 0.03, 3.28 ±
0.22%, respectively. The major components in the oil extracted from the fruits of phak chee la were linalool, camphor, gamma-terpinene and alpha-pinene. The overall chemistry study in combination with the information obtained in the interviews and literature reviews supported the botanical origin of the crude drug phak che la to be Coriandrum sativum L. However, further studies on such aspects as plant genetics and chemistry are necessary for confirmation.