Ceratophyllum demersum a Free-floating Aquatic Plant: A Review

Ceratophyllum demersum is a submerged perennial macrophyte normally grow with the base of its stem buried in sandy or silty substrates. It is typically found floating in stagnant and slow moving water. It is a fragile free-floating underwater rootless, but densely leafy, once a year or continuing freshwater aromatic plant, with leaves so crowded at the apices as to give the impression of a bushy animal tail, reproducing vegetatively and by seed. Hornwort flourishes in shaded, warm and gently flowing (1 cm per second) waters at a pH between 7.6 to 8.8, but does not tolerate turbidity or salinity. This plant oxygenates the water, provides food for aquatic herbivores, and rarely causes problems. The volatile oil, whole plant dry extract analysis by GC-MS, 78 components were detected. The major constituents extracted were hexahydro Acacia acetone content accounted for 16.9%, aldehydes and ketones accounted for 21.44%, terpenes accounted for 11.54%, ester hydrocarbons accounted for 20.06% and the other category accounted for 7.21%. Ceratophyllum demersum chemical composition systems pre-test tube method, found that the plant contains: flavonoids and glycosides, lactones, coumarin glycosides, steroids, terpenoids, sugars, tannins, amino acids, peptides, proteins volatile oil; may contain phenolic compounds, alkaloids; without cardiac glycosides. Decoction of leaf is used as a cardiotonic and to regulate bile secretion. Leaf juice is used to stop vomiting, as cooling agent. It is also used as antitoxic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, astringent, antiulcer, etc.