Bignay

Bignay (Antidesma bunius): A Comprehensive Reference

1. Identity and Botanical Description

Taxonomic Classification and Nomenclature

Antidesma bunius (Family Euphorbiaceae), also popularly known in the Philippines as bignay, is found in several Asian countries. The species has also been reclassified by some authorities under the family Phyllanthaceae, reflecting updated phylogenetic work. Bignay or Antidesma bunius is a small tropical bushy tree that is usually 3–6 m tall but can reach 15–30 m high. It is also known as Chinese laurel, currant tree, and buni.

Antidesma bunius is also known as bignai in the Philippines; buni or berunai in Malaya and India; wooni or hooni in Indonesia; ma mao luang in Thailand; kho lien tu in Laos; choi moi in Vietnam; and moi-kin and chunka by the aborigines in Queensland. Additional synonyms recorded in botanical literature include Stilago bunius L. It is a plant used in Vietnamese traditional medicine, where it is referred to in the context of rheumatoid arthritis.

Geographic Distribution

The native range of wild trees of Antidesma bunius extends from parts of South Asia (Sri Lanka and the lower Himalayan regions of India, as well as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands), to Southeast Asia (the Philippines, parts of Indonesia, and Mainland Southeast Asia), Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and northern Australia. It is absent in Peninsular Malaysia and rare in Borneo. It is cultivated in South Asia, southern China, Southeast Asia, Polynesia, Cuba, Honduras, and Florida.

Botanical Description

It is a small tree on open sites, typically 5 to 10 m (15 to 30 ft) tall, with a single trunk supporting a densely branched rounded crown. The leaves are oblong, up to 15 cm (6 in) long, dark glossy green and alternately arranged along the ends of the branches. They remain on the tree throughout the year. It is a dioecious plant — meaning male and female flowers are borne on separate trees. The flowers are green-yellow, small and inconspicuous, and either female or male. They come into bloom in spring, borne on slender flower spikes at the tips of the branches. Flower spikes on female trees appear to have some bisexual flowers, as they bear fruit profusely even when no male trees are nearby.

Clusters of 20–30 fruits contain a single seed in each berry. The skin is thin but tough, yellow-green when unripe, turning red and then blueish-violet when mature. Each berry is juicy and sweet when fully ripe, and contains a single straw-colored, flat, hard seed. It grows in rainforests and semi-evergreen tropical forests.

Common Forms and Preparations

Bignay fruit is edible, usually eaten raw or cooked and used in jam, jellies, and preserves. It is round in shape, small, juicy, and sweet. Young leaves are also edible and commonly eaten raw in salads or steamed as a side dish. The tree produces clusters of red to black fruits that are often used in juices, jams, and wines due to their sweet-tart flavor. Bignay wine is particularly well-known in the Philippines, where it is enjoyed as a traditional beverage.

As a dietary supplement or medicinal preparation, bignay is encountered in the following forms, as documented across the research literature:

• Ethanolic fruit extract (most commonly investigated in pharmacological studies)
• Methanolic leaf, stem bark, and root extracts
• Anthocyanin-enriched fractions of fruit extract
• Fresh fruit juice and fermented fruit juice
• Fruit wine
• Leaf decoctions and teas
• In West Java (Indonesia), the fruits are used for rujak (a spiced fruit salad called rujak buni), and have been processed into syrup, jelly, sauce, and wine.

---

2. Traditional and Historical Use

Overview of Ethnomedical Use Across Cultures

In traditional medicine, various plant parts — root, bark, leaves, and fruits — have been used in the traditional system of medicine for a long time, for the treatment of various diseases due to their cytotoxic, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, antiradical, thrombolytic, antiplatelet, anticoagulant, anti-dysenteric, antimicrobial, antihypertensive, anticancer, and sudorific activity.

Philippines

Commonly known as bignay after its native name in the Philippines, the fruits are commonly used for making bignay wine and jams. Bignay wine has long been a part of Filipino domestic food culture, and the fruit has been used informally for its perceived health-promoting properties. The entire plant is of medicinal value, acting as antioxidant, anticancer, and antidiabetic. It is also a complementary and popular Thai herbal medicine for the treatment of diabetes.

India and Sri Lanka

In Asia, the dark green, long, narrow, and shiny leaves are commonly used for treating snakebites. The leaves and roots are used for traumatic injury. Traditional uses documented in India include the use of leaves to treat snake bites.

Thailand

Antidesma bunius (L.) Spreng (Mamao) is widely distributed in Northeastern Thailand. In Thailand, the fruit is known locally as ma mao luang or Mao Luang, and it is a complementary and popular Thai herbal medicine for the treatment of diabetes. Ripe fruits have also traditionally been used to treat gastric intestinal upsets, while leaf extracts have been found to possess antioxidant, liver-protective, and anti-diabetic properties.

Vietnam

Antidesma bunius is a plant used in Vietnamese traditional medicine against rheumatoid arthritis.

Indonesia

Antidesma bunius has been long used as food and traditional medicine by various local communities in Indonesia. Bunches of ripe fruits are commonly sold in Indonesia from trees grown in rural villages.

Broad Traditional Indications

In traditional medicine, bignay is a good remedy for snakebite, coughs, flatulence, and intestinal colic. The leaves are sometimes used in their native range as a culinary herb to add flavour to cooked dishes, especially rice. The bark yields a fibre, which has traditional use for weaving into rope. The bark contains a toxic alkaloid, which has implications discussed in the safety section below.

---

3. Phytochemistry: Key Constituents and Active Compounds

Overview of Chemical Diversity

A total number of 236 compounds have been encountered from the different species of Antidesma. These compounds belong to different chemical groups such as alkaloids, flavonoids, fatty acids, lignans, sterols, terpenoids, coumarins, and others. From 1980 to 2021, phytochemical investigations on different species from the Antidesma genus resulted in the purification and structural elucidation of a total of 141 compounds with a high diversity of structures. These can be classified into nitrogen-containing compounds, phenolics, and terpenoids.

Thus far, about 237 chemicals have been described from the genus, and "UpSet plot" analysis revealed that a total of 65 compounds have been reported independently from A. bunius (L.) Spreng.

Phenolic Compounds and Anthocyanins

Phytochemical analysis of Antidesma bunius has confirmed the presence of different kinds of flavonoids, terpenes, sugars, saponins, tannins, toxic alkaloids, phenolic acids, procyanidin B1, procyanidin B2, and anthocyanins.

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) chromatogram revealed that the anthocyanin-enriched fraction of A. bunius fruit extract (ABE) contained phytochemical compounds such as cyanidin-3-glucoside, delphinidin-3-glucoside, ellagic acid, and myricetin-3-galactoside.

Ethanolic extract of A. bunius (Mao Luang) fruits is composed primarily of phenolics and anthocyanins as the major phytochemicals, among which gallic acid, catechin, anthocyanin-3-glucoside, and protocatechuic acid were initially identified.

A study investigating the aerial parts by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS and GC-MS methods identified a substantially broader spectrum of compounds. This study identified 50 volatile compounds using GC-MS and 109 compounds using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS.

Structural Classes Identified

Besides common backbones for natural products, such as simple phenolic, flavonoid, coumarin, lignan, and tannin, phytochemists have also identified the presence of aristolochic acids, cyclopeptides, coumarinolignans, and unusual triterpenoid backbones like tirucallane and friedelane. A structurally unique quinoline-type alkaloid with two α,β-unsaturated carbonyl groups and an alkyl side chain was isolated and trivially named antidesmone. Preliminary pharmacological studies revealed that the alkaloid exhibited potential anti-trypanosomal, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory activities.

Three compounds — antidesmone, amentoflavone, and β-sitosterol — were found to be possible chemotaxonomic markers for the genus Antidesma.

Thirty-three natural products were isolated from the aerial parts of Antidesma bunius. All compounds were reported for the first time for this species, and nine constituents were undescribed natural products, noticeably three coumarinolignans with 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolane moiety, two cyclopeptides, and two furofuran-type lignans connected with a phenylpropanoid moiety.

Nutrients in the Fruit

Bignay fruit is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin. It is high in antioxidants and anthocyanins, contributing to its purplish color. Bignay juice contains high amounts of total phenolic, anthocyanin, and vitamin C, with relatively high antioxidant activity, making it a natural source of antioxidants with potential for juice processing industries.

Ripening and Polyphenol Dynamics

Studies examining the influence of methanolic, total phenolic, and total anthocyanin extracts of Antidesma bunius showed changes in physicochemical properties and antiradical activity during development and ripening. The therapeutic property gradually decreased from the immature to the overripe stages. The total anthocyanin content (TA) showed the highest content at the overripe stage.

---

4. Mechanisms of Action

Antioxidant Activity

The principal mechanism underlying most documented pharmacological activities of bignay is its antioxidant capacity. A previous study described that 10 µM of cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) or delphinidin-3-glucoside (D3G) scavenged DPPH radicals with inhibition of 32% and 42%, respectively. The hydroxylation and methoxylation in the B ring of their structure impacts the ability of C3G and D3G for DPPH radical scavenging. The increased hydroxyl groups in the B ring could increase the radical scavenging activity, indicating that delphinidin decreases free radicals more effectively than cyanidin.

Enzyme Inhibition (Anti-diabetic Mechanism)

The inhibitory activity of the anthocyanin-enriched fraction of A. bunius fruit extract (ABE) was investigated against pancreatic α-amylase, intestinal α-glucosidase (maltase and sucrase), and protein glycation. LC-MS/MS revealed that ABE contained cyanidin-3-glucoside, delphinidin-3-glucoside, ellagic acid, and myricetin-3-galactoside. ABE inhibited intestinal maltase and sucrase activity with IC50 values of 0.76 ± 0.02 mg/mL and 1.33 ± 0.03 mg/mL, respectively.

Anti-Glycation Activity

Compounds from A. bunius aerial parts were analyzed for their inhibition of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) formation — metabolites involved in many diseases like Alzheimer's, joint diseases, and diabetes. With IC50 values below 0.2 mM, rutin and p-hydroxyphenethyl trans-ferulate showed moderate activity.

Lipase and Adipogenesis Inhibition (Anti-obesity Mechanism)

Inhibitory effects on oxidation in a DPPH assay, on lipase enzyme activity rather than amylase enzyme, and on adipocyte adipogenesis were demonstrated. A. bunius extract showed more activity on lipase enzyme than on amylase, with IC50 of 90.7 ± 4.1 µg/mL. The fruit was described as a natural source of anti-obesity agents accompanied with health-promoting benefits, evidenced by antioxidation, anti-lipase enzyme activity, and anti-adipogenicity at high concentrations.

Lipid and Hepatic Fat Metabolism

The mechanism that links A. bunius to fat metabolism may operate through down-regulation of the gene expression of key enzymes of lipid production, antioxidant activity, and anti-inflammatory properties of maoberry extracts, which contain high levels of phenolic and flavonoid compounds.

Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibition

An experiment was carried out to analyze the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of Antidesma bunius used to control diabetes. The plant was screened for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and the result was positive. Methanolic extract of leaves showed the highest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Phytochemical analysis of the ethyl acetate extract of A. bunius stem and barks displayed the presence of sugars, terpenes, and flavonoids, while methanolic extract of leaves contained sugars, saponins, flavonoids, and tannins.

---

5. Scientific Evidence by Area of Use

5.1 Antioxidant Activity

Evidence: In vitro and animal studies; no human clinical trials identified.

The antiradical activity (AA) of methanolic extracts from Antidesma bunius fruits during development and ripening was determined with DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assay. Antioxidant studies have used DPPH assay, ferric reducing power (FRAP), and hydrogen peroxide scavenging tests.

Several studies reported that bignay extract showed antibacterial, antidiabetic, and important antioxidant properties. Alpha-amylase inhibition peaked at 48 hours of fermentation, while α-glucosidase inhibition declined but remained significant. HPLC analysis showed that gallic acid and catechin were the specific bioactive compounds that significantly increased after fermentation. Chemometric analysis showed that gallic acid and catechins had the most positive effect in the improvement of biological activities, specifically α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition, and H2O2 scavenging activities. The study revealed that lactic acid fermentation of A. bunius fruit juice enhanced its physicochemical properties, polyphenolic content, and specific biological activities.

These results are preliminary; they are derived from in vitro assay systems. Translation to clinically relevant outcomes in humans has not been demonstrated.

5.2 Anti-diabetic Activity

Evidence: In vitro and animal studies; no human clinical trials identified.

Two principal lines of investigation have been pursued: enzyme inhibition in vitro and in vivo rodent models of diabetes.

In vitro enzyme inhibition: The antidiabetic and antiglycation activity of Antidesma bunius fruit extract was investigated. The inhibitory activity of an anthocyanin-enriched fraction was studied against pancreatic α-amylase, intestinal α-glucosidase (maltase and sucrase), protein glycation, and antioxidant activity.

Animal studies: This study was designed to determine hypoglycaemic and hypolipidemic effects of ethanol seed extract from A. bunius (ABSE). Antioxidant activity and also acute toxicity were conducted. The hypoglycaemic and hypolipidemic effects were studied by oral administration of ABSE at a dose of 250 mg/kg to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats daily for 6 weeks. The ethanol seed extract from A. bunius possesses hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects. The ABSE also recovered the pathology of haematology but may cause renal dysfunction in the diabetic rats. The hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects are likely due to antioxidant and insulin secretion activity.

Antiglycemic effects of bignay (Antidesma bunius) flavonoids were also studied in Sprague-Dawley rats.

All anti-diabetic findings are from animal models or in vitro cell-free systems. No human clinical trials have been published. The finding that ABSE may cause renal dysfunction in diabetic rats is a notable caution signal at preclinical level.

5.3 Anti-obesity and Lipid Metabolism

Evidence: In vitro and animal studies; no human clinical trials identified.

A study evaluated the effect of maoberry extract on fat metabolism in liver tissues of high-fat diet–induced rats. Five groups (n = 12) of male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were given a high-fat diet with no treatment, different dosages of maoberry extracts, or statin. NAFLD refers to the accumulation of fat in more than 5% of the liver without alcohol consumption. NAFLD is the most common liver disease and is rapidly becoming a global public health problem. Maoberry (Antidesma bunius) is a fruit rich in antioxidants, especially phenolic compounds, reported to have benefits for patients with NAFLD.

Five groups (n = 12) of male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into those given a high-fat diet with no treatment, different dosages of maoberry extracts (0.38 [ML], 0.76 [MM], and 1.52 [MH] g/kg body weight), and 10 mg/kg statin (STAT). The rats were fed a high-fat diet for 4 weeks to induce obesity and subsequently continued for 12 more weeks with treatments of maoberry extracts or statin. Levels of triglyceride, liver enzymes, oxidative stress and inflammation markers, triglyceride synthesis regulators, and pathology of the liver in high-fat diet-induced rats were investigated.

A separate study examined glucose metabolism and lipid profiles: Excessive consumption of a high-fat diet is associated with hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular disease. Dark purple maoberry (Antidesma bunius) fruit is a very good source of antioxidants. The effects of maoberry on immune function, lipid profiles, and oxidative stress in high-fat diet-induced hypercholesterolemia were investigated using 72 male Sprague-Dawley rats divided into a normal group fed standard diet; a HFD group; low, medium, and high dose maoberry extract groups; and a simvastatin group. Maoberry groups were given maoberry extract at concentrations of 0.38, 0.76, and 1.52 g/kg per day, while the simvastatin group received 10 mg/kg per day.

These dose figures (0.38–1.52 g/kg body weight in rodents) are animal study doses and do not translate directly to human dosages.

5.4 Antimicrobial Activity

Evidence: In vitro studies only.

In vitro antimicrobial activity of Antidesma bunius extracts on oral pathogenic bacteria was published in the Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. In the traditional medicine context, antimicrobial activity has been attributed to the plant based on in vitro studies. No controlled clinical trials of bignay for infectious diseases have been identified.

5.5 Anticancer and Cytotoxic Activity

Evidence: In vitro cell-line studies only.

Hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol leaf extracts of Antidesma bunius L. (Bignay) were screened for their anticancer and antioxidant properties. Extracts of each plant species were subjected to a clean-up procedure and were analyzed using the same tests as the crude. The growth inhibitory effect against A-549 human lung carcinoma cells was determined using the MTT assay, while the total antioxidant activity was determined using DPPH assay. All extracts exhibited both anticancer and antioxidant activity of varying degrees. The methanol crude extract of Antidesma bunius L. showed the highest total antioxidant activity.

Higher cytotoxic activity was observed in fruit extract and it was comparable to the positive control used. It is possible that Antidesma bunius contains compounds with potential cytotoxic activity.

These are in vitro findings in cell lines. They do not constitute evidence of clinical anti-cancer efficacy in humans.

5.6 Hepatoprotective Activity

Evidence: In vitro studies only.

A. bunius leaf extract possesses significant antioxidant activity in comparison with quercetin as a reference. The hepatotoxicity and hepatoprotective activities of A. bunius leaf extract and pure compounds were investigated. The hepatoprotective activities for A. bunius leaf extract and compounds 1 and 2 in comparison to Silymarin (50 µg/mL) were at 6.5, <12.5, and 12.5 µg/mL respectively, while compound 5 did not show hepatoprotective activity at the tested concentrations.

Preliminary evidence of hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and pesticidal activity has also been reported.

5.7 Anti-inflammatory and Cardiovascular Effects

Evidence: Primarily in vitro; some animal data; no clinical trials specific to bignay.

Antidesma bunius has been reported to contain anthocyanins, which possess antioxidant and antihypertensive actions. General evidence from the broader anthocyanin literature is relevant, since bignay's key pigments (cyanidin-3-glucoside and delphinidin-3-glucoside) are shared with other well-studied berry species. Current scientific evidence from epidemiological, observational, and intervention studies, randomized controlled trials, and mechanistic research is promising, revealing that anthocyanins represent an approach to control of atherosclerosis, cardiovascular risk, and cardiovascular aging through multiple mechanisms. Anthocyanins exert favorable effects on endothelial function and oxidative stress, inhibit COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes, and exert antiatherogenic, antihypertensive, antiglycation, antithrombotic, and anti-inflammatory activities. This general evidence cannot be specifically attributed to bignay-derived preparations in the absence of dedicated clinical trials.

5.8 Angiogenesis and Wound Healing

Evidence: Systematic review level, but still largely preclinical.

Antidesma bunius, commonly known as bignay, is a tropical fruit-bearing plant traditionally used for various medicinal purposes. While its antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anticancer properties have been documented, the specific role of A. bunius in angiogenesis and wound healing remains unclear. A systematic review following PRISMA 2020 guidelines was conducted to clarify this. The literature search was performed across Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Web of Science up to November 2025, using predefined keywords related to Antidesma bunius, angiogenesis, wound healing, and topical formulation.

---

6. Body Systems and Health Areas Associated with Bignay

Based on traditional use and available (primarily preclinical) scientific evidence, Antidesma bunius has been associated with the following body systems and health areas:

• Endocrine / Metabolic: Blood glucose regulation, α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibition, anti-glycation, insulin secretion support (all evidence preclinical)
• Hepatic (Liver): Fat metabolism in the context of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatoprotective effects of leaf extracts (preclinical)
• Cardiovascular: Antihypertensive (attributed to anthocyanin content), antithrombotic and antiplatelet activity (traditional and in vitro), lipid profile improvement in rodent models
• Immune and Anti-inflammatory: Reduction of oxidative stress markers, inhibition of COX-mediated inflammation pathways (in vitro)
• Gastrointestinal: Traditional use for dysentery, intestinal colic, flatulence; anti-dysenteric activity attributed to tannin and phenolic content
• Oncology (preclinical only): Cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects in cancer cell lines, antimutagenic activity in vitro
• Dermatological: Emerging research area involving angiogenesis and wound healing; currently without clinical evidence
• Toxicology/Envenomation: Traditional use of leaves as an antidote to snakebite, documented across India and Southeast Asia

---

7. Dosage Forms and Dosages Reported in Studies

No standardized human dosage for bignay extract has been established by any regulatory or pharmacopeial body. The following dosages appear in the preclinical and experimental literature:

• In the hypoglycemic/hypolipidemic rodent study, ABSE was administered at a dose of 250 mg/kg body weight orally, daily for 6 weeks, to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
• In the NAFLD rat study, different dosages of maoberry extracts were tested: 0.38 g/kg (low), 0.76 g/kg (medium), and 1.52 g/kg (high) body weight per day, compared to statin at 10 mg/kg.
• The acute oral toxicity study of ethanolic extracts in ICR mice used single doses ranging from 500 mg/kg to 2000 mg/kg, administered orally and monitored for 14 days, in accordance with OECD guideline 423.
• In the acute toxicity study, ABSE at doses of 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 mg/kg were employed.
• In the in vitro enzyme inhibition study, ABE inhibited intestinal maltase and sucrase activity with IC50 values of 0.76 ± 0.02 mg/mL and 1.33 ± 0.03 mg/mL, respectively.

All doses listed above are from animal or cell-based experiments. They are reported here strictly for scientific reference and cannot be extrapolated to human dosing without formal pharmacokinetic bridging studies.

---

8. Safety Considerations

Acute Toxicity: Animal Studies

The aim of one key study was to assess the acute oral toxicity of ethanolic extracts of Antidesma bunius (L.) Spreng in ICR mice in accordance with OECD guideline 423. Single doses of bignay fruit extracts ranging from 500 mg/kg to 2000 mg/kg, as well as a vehicle control, were given orally and monitored for 14 days. No mortality or adverse effects were observed, indicating bignay extracts are safe for use in laboratory animals. Behavioral, respiratory, and neurologic changes, as well as changes in body weight, food and water consumption, did not occur during the experimental period.

In treated mice, mortality during the 14-day experimental period was not observed. Bignay extract did not cause behavioral, respiratory, or neurologic changes. Liver, kidney, stomach, intestines, and esophagus remained intact post-bignay treatment.

In an acute toxicity study, the ethanolic extracts of A. bunius fruits showed relatively safe results for laboratory mice with no observed mortality or adverse reactions, as well as no changes in internal organs and neurological activities at a dose of 2000 mg/kg.

Potential Renal Effects in Diabetic Animals

The ethanol seed extract from A. bunius possesses hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects; however, ABSE also recovered the pathology of haematology but may cause renal dysfunction in the diabetic rats. This preclinical signal warrants attention but has not been studied in human populations.

Bark Toxicity

The bark contains a toxic alkaloid. This compounds the importance of distinguishing which plant part is being used in any traditional or supplemental preparation.

Aristolochic Acid Derivatives: A Critical Safety Concern

A significant phytochemical safety issue was identified in a published study of the aerial parts. Ten substances were isolated from the dichloromethane and methanol extract, including aristolochic acid II-8-O-β-D-glucoside and two new aristolochic acid derivatives (10-amino-5,7-dimethoxy-aristolic acid II and 5,7-dimethoxy-aristolochic acid II). Exposure to humans of some of these compounds is associated with a severe disease today known as aristolochic acid nephropathy. Therefore, the traditional usage of this plant has to be reconsidered carefully.

These aristolochic acids have been warned for their nephrotoxicity and carcinogenesis, which should be paid more attention for long-term uses in food and herbal medicine.

Aristolochic acid nephropathy is a well-characterized syndrome of progressive kidney fibrosis and increased risk of urothelial carcinoma, recognized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and flagged by regulatory bodies worldwide. The occurrence of aristolochic acid derivatives specifically in A. bunius aerial parts is a substantive finding that distinguishes this plant from typical food-grade berry sources.

Absence of Human Clinical Safety Data

Although Antidesma extracts and chemical compounds have been studied for a variety of pharmacological activities, a few studies have indicated their toxic effect; however, many have suggested that Antidesma extracts are low toxicity and relatively safe. This characterization is based entirely on short-term animal data. Long-term human safety studies — which would be necessary to evaluate cumulative nephrotoxic risk from aristolochic acid derivatives — have not been conducted.

Overall Evidence Base: Limitations

Data regarding the content of chemical compounds in the fruit are still limited. Research has only covered the characterization of phytochemical content, polyphenol compounds, and anthocyanin, but its chemical constituents remain incompletely investigated. No studies have examined the content of volatile compounds and essential oils in the fruit of Antidesma bunius.

Furthermore, only 16 species of the genus have been investigated in the context of phytochemistry and pharmacological activities so far. The entirety of the pharmacological evidence base for bignay rests on in vitro assays and rodent experiments. As of the time of writing, no peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials in human populations have been published for any indication.

---

References

• Islam MS, et al. "A review on phytochemical and pharmacological potentials of Antidesma bunius." Journal of Analytical & Pharmaceutical Research. 2018;7(5):602–604.
• Aksornchu P, et al. "Inhibitory Effect of Antidesma bunius Fruit Extract on Carbohydrate Digestive Enzymes Activity and Protein Glycation In Vitro." Antioxidants (Basel). 2020 Dec 30;10(1):32. PMC7824535.
• Hypoglycemic and Hypolipidemic Effects of Seed Extract from Antidesma bunius (L.) Spreng in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Rats. PubMed PMID: 29023025.
• Ngamlerst C, et al. "The potential of antioxidant-rich Maoberry (Antidesma bunius) extract on fat metabolism in liver tissues of rats fed a high-fat diet." BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. 2019. PMC6829826.
• Muñoz MNM, et al. "Acute oral toxicity assessment of ethanolic extracts of Antidesma bunius (L.) Spreng fruits in mice." Toxicology Reports. 2021. PMC8246092.
• Chemical constituents of Antidesma bunius aerial parts and the anti-AGEs activity of selected compounds. Phytochemistry. 2022. ScienceDirect.
• Chemical constituents of Antidesma bunius aerial parts and the anti-AGEs activity of selected compounds. PubMed PMID: 35798090.
• A comprehensive review on traditional uses, phytochemical, and pharmacological properties of the genus Antidesma L. Fitoterapia. 2024. ScienceDirect.
• Nguyen-Ngoc H, et al. "Phytochemical and Pharmacological Review of the Genus Antidesma." Natural Product Communications. 2024. SAGE Journals.
• Krongyut O, Sutthanut K. "Phenolic Profile, Antioxidant Activity, and Anti-obesogenic Bioactivity of Mao Luang Fruits (Antidesma bunius L.)." Molecules. 2019;24(22):4109.
• A comprehensive review on traditional uses, phytochemical, and pharmacological properties of the genus Antidesma L. ResearchGate. 2024.
• Antidesma bunius. Wikipedia.
• Antidesma bunius Bignay, Bignai. Plants For A Future (PFAF) Plant Database.
• Antidesma bunius. Useful Tropical Plants Database.
• Bignay – Antidesma bunius. Tucker Bush (Australia).
• Effects of Anthocyanins on Vascular Health. PMC8227852.
• Biomolecular Mechanism in Angiogenesis, Wound Healing and its Potential Use as Topical Formulation: A Systematic Review of Antidesma Bunius. Eduvest – Journal of Universal Studies. 2025.
• Identification of chemical constituents from fruit of Antidesma bunius by GC-MS and HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS. Academia.edu.