Xantho Health Dictionary

(Plural: xanthomata.) A deposit of fatty material in the skin, subcutaneous fat and tendons. The presence of a xanthoma may be the ?rst sign that a person has primary or secondary HYPERLIPIDAEMIA – a raised concentration of lipids (see LIPID) in the blood. This can lead to ATHEROMA, and appropriate clinical and laboratory examinations should be done to determine the diagnosis and treatment.

When fatty deposits occur in various parts of the body – skin, brain, cornea, internal organs and tendons – the condition is called xanthomatosis. Treatment is of the underlying conditions, an important aim being to lower the concentrations of fats in the body.

Xanthomata have a variety of manifestations which may point to the underlying cause. These include:

Eruptive Eruptive yellow papules on the buttocks.

Plane Yellow plaques or macules in the skin.

Tuberous Nodules on the elbows or knees.

Tendinous Subcutaneous nodules ?xed to tendons, particularly those on the back of the ?ngers and the ACHILLES TENDON.... xanthoma

A condition in which deposits of yellowish, fatty material develop in various parts of the body, particularly in the skin, internal organs, corneas of the eyes, brain, and tendons. The deposits may occur only in the eyelids (see xanthelasma). A key feature of xanthomatosis is the tendency for fatty material to be deposited in the linings of blood vessels, leading to generalized atherosclerosis. Xanthomatosis is often associated with hyperlipidaemias.

Treatment aims to lower the levels of fats in the blood by means of a diet that is low in cholesterol and high in polyunsaturated fat, and by drug treatment.... xanthomatosis

Hook. f. ex T. And.

Synonym: G. tinctoria (DC.) W. F. Wt.

Family: Guttiferae; Clusiaceae.

Habitat: The lower hill forests of Eastern Himalayas, Peninsular India, Orissa, Maharashtra and the Andamans.

English: Egg tree.

Ayurvedic: Tamaal (var.), Vrk- shaamla (var.).

Siddha/Tamil: Kulavi, Malaippachai, Mukki, Tamalam

Folk: Amsul (Maharashtra).

Action: Fruit—anthelmintic, improves appetite. Also used as a car- diotonic. Fruit gave xanthochymol and isoxanthymol (polyprenylat- ed benzophenone derivatives), flavones and xanthones.... garcinia xanthochymus

S. & W.

Synonym: S. surattense Burm.f. S. virginianum Linn. S. maccanni Sant.

Family: Solanaceae.

Habitat: Throughout India.

English: Wild Eggplant, Yellow- Berried Nightshade.

Ayurvedic: Kantakaari, Kan- takaarikaa, Vyaaghri, Nidigdhikaa, Nidigdhaa, Duhsparshaa, Dhaa- vani, Kshudraa, Keteri (Smallar var.), Bhatakataiyaa. Used as Lakshmanaa.

Unani: Kataai Khurd, Hadaq.

Action: Stimulant, expectorant, diuretic, laxative, febrifuge. Used in the treatment of cough, bronchitis, asthma, for dislodging tenacious phlegm; also used against rheumatism, enlargement of liver and spleen, vomiting, difficult urination, bladder stones, skin diseases. Fruit—used as an adjuvant for promoting conception.

Fruits gave solasonine, solamargine, beta-solamargine and solasodine; petals yielded apigenin; stamens gave quercetin diglycoside and sitosterol. The glycoalkaloid content of fruits collected from Jammu and Kashmir is reported to be 3.5% (total alkaloids, 1.1%). The presence of diosgenin in the plant has been reported.

Both glycoalkaloid and fatty acid fractions of the plants extracts cause liberation of histamine from chopped lung tissue. The beneficial effect of the drug on bronchial asthma may be attributed to the depletion of histamine from bronchial and lung tissue.

Dosage: Whole plant—20-30 g for decoction. (API, Vol. I.)... solanum xanthocarpum

n. yellow discoloration, such as may affect the skin (for example, in jaundice) or the cerebrospinal fluid (when it contains the breakdown products of haemoglobin from red blood cells that have entered it).... xanthochromia

n. a member of a class of yellow carotenoid pigments found in green leaves. Examples of xanthophylls are *lutein, zeaxanthin, and *mesozeaxanthin.... xanthophyll

n. yellow vision: the condition in which all objects appear to have a yellowish tinge. It is sometimes experienced in digitalis poisoning.... xanthopsia