Lippia alba

Scientific name: Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E. Br.

Botanical family: VERBENACEAE

Vernacular names

(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)

Martinique:

brisée
lamerik

Venezuela:

malojillo extranjero
poleo
Santa María
toronjil

Panama:

mastranto

Puerto Rico:

poleo

Saint Martin:

ti bouch

Other vernacular names

Cuba:

anís de españa
Menta americana
Quitadolor

Martinique:

brizé, brisée

Haiti:

Feblès ou melis

Nicaragua:

Orozul

Venezuela:

Santa María, Toronjil

Geographical distribution

Tropical and subtropical America.

Botanical description

Aromatic shrub, 1 to 2 m high, long wicker branches, decumbent and rooting, densely puberulent or strigose.

Opposite or ternate leaves, briefly petiolate, 2-6 (rarely 9) cm in length and 1.2-4.5 cm wide, oblong, wrinkled, scalloped, covered with short, small hairs and prominent venation. Inflorescences in globular axillary heads, cylindrical in fructification. Bracts ovate, acuminate, lower bracts mucronate. Zygomorphic flowers, calyx 1.5-1.7 mm long and accrescent at maturity; purple corolla with yellow and white jaws, pink or white 4 to 5 mm long. 3 mm wide obovoid fruit.

Voucher(s)

Gimenez,34,VEN

FLORPAN,1933,PMA

Longuefosse&Nossin,65,HAVPM

Ocrisse,2,UAG

flu

fresh leaf, decoction, orally¹

cold

fresh leaf, decoction, orally³

flu

fresh aerial parts, decoction, orally^2,22

For tiredness:
prepare an infusion by adding 2 cups (1⁄2 litre) of boiling water to 15 grams of fresh leaves. Cover the container, leave to stand for 5 minutes, strain (filter) and drink 1 cup 3 to 4 times a day¹.

For flu and colds:
prepare a decoction with 15 grams of fresh aerial parts or leaves in 2 cups (1⁄2 litre) of water, boil for 5 minutes in a closed vessel. Cool, strain (filter) and drink 1 cup 3 times a day for 3 to 7 days.

Preparations must never be stored for more than 24 hours, even if refrigerated.

According to the information available:

The use for tiredness is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys and the toxicity studies.

If deterioration is observed in the patient or the tiredness symptoms persist for more than 7 days, seek medical attention.

The use for flu and colds is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys, the toxicity studies and the scientific information published.

If deterioration is observed in the patient or the flu or cold symptoms persist for more than 7 days, seek medical attention.

Not for use during pregnancy, breastfeeding or in children under 8 years.

Contraindicated in people with antidepressant, anxiolytic or sedative treatments.

TRAMIL Work¹⁹
The freeze-dried aqueous extract (decoction) from fresh leaves (5 g/kg/animal/5 days), was administered orally in NGP mice (5 males and 5 females), the control was carried out with distilled water (0.5 ml) in another 10 mice of the same strain and characteristics. There was an additional 7-day observation period at the end of the administration of the treatment and the control. No mortality or signs of toxicity occurred in the parameters evaluated.

TRAMIL Works^20-21
The freeze-dried aqueous extracts (decoction, 312.5 mg/ml) from aerial parts of Lippia alba and L. alba var. dulce (5 g/kg/day during 5 days) were administered orally in Hsd:ICR mice (5 males and 5 females).

The control was performed with distilled and deionised water (0.4 ml) in another 10 mice of the same strain and characteristics, according to the OECD 423 protocol, LEBi modification, with an observation period of 12 days, there was no mortality, no signs of toxicity, no changes were observed in body weights more than normal in the growth curve.

The aqueous extract (infusion) from dried leaves (12.5 g/kg), orally for 5 consecutive days in rats, did not cause gastric irritation²².

The hydroalcoholic leaf extract (50%), intraperitoneally in mice, showed an LD₅₀ > 1 g/kg²³.

The aqueous extract (12-20 g/l decoction) from fresh leaves, 120-240 ml of the preparation, up to a maximum of 720 ml/day for 15 days, orally, did not produce signs of clinically observable adverse effects, in 1000 patients undergoing phytotherapy treatment²⁴.

Contact with the plant can cause allergic dermatitis in humans²³.

The leaves contain lantadenes, which are photosensitising²³.

The species of the genus Lippia spp. are generally recognised as safe (GRAS) substances by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)²⁵.

No data are available to recommend their medicinal use during pregnancy, breastfeeding or in children.

The essential oil of the leaf contains monoterpenes: 1-8 cineol, citronellol acetate, p-cymene, limonene, linalool, linalool acetate, myrcene, α- and β-pinene, piperitone, sabinene, α-terpineol⁶, camphor, (+/-)dihydrocarvone, citral, (-)limonene, lipion, (+) α-pinene, (-)piperitone⁷, sesquiterpenes: caryophyllene⁶, alkanes: methyl decyl ketone, methyl octyl ketone⁷.

The composition of the essential oil varies greatly and is related to the ecological conditions in which the species grows⁸. At least 9 chemotypes have been described according to the composition of the essential oil in relation to the presence of citral, (+)-linalool, myrcene, limonene, carvone, eucalyptol, γ-terpinene, d-piperitone⁹, bicyclosesquiphellandrene, geraniol¹⁰, neral and geranial, the last two being main components^11-13.

Phytochemical screening of the leaf showed: alkaloids¹⁴.

The freeze-dried aqueous extract (20% infusion) from powdered leaves and stems showed in vitro effect against type A influenza viruses¹⁵.

The hydroalcoholic leaf extract (50 g of plant material in 500 ml of ethanol at 88%), in vitro, in doses 50 μl/filter paper disc, showed an effect against Streptococcus pneumoniae¹⁶.

The hydroalcoholic extract (50%) from fresh leaves (1 g extract/kg), orally in mice, contortion and tail flick models, induced statistically significant analgesia¹⁷.

The essential oils from the leaves, of three different chemotypes, collected at the same time (100 and 200 mg/kg), intraperitoneally, decreased the rectal temperature of male Swiss mice with a dose-dependent relationship¹⁸.

Pharmacopoeia

Ed.3

References

1 OCRISSE G, 2008
Enquête TRAMIL auprès de 211 familles du canton Est de la partie francophone de St Martin. Biologie végétale, UAG, Guadeloupe (FWI),

2 LONGUEFOSSE JL, NOSSIN E, 1990-95
Enquête TRAMIL. Association pour la valorisation des plantes médicinales de la Caraïbe AVPMC, Fort de France, Martinique.

3 DELENS M, 1992
Encuesta TRAMIL en los Estados Lara y Sucre de Venezuela. Centro al Servicio de la Acción Popular CESAP, Caracas, Venezuela.

4 BENEDETTI MD, MEJIA A, ACOSTA D, 1994
Encuesta TRAMIL. Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

5 SOLIS P, CORREA M, GUPTA M, 1995
Encuesta TRAMIL (Comunidades afro-caribeñas). Centro de Investigaciones Farmacognósticas de la Flora Panameña CIFLORPAN, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Panamá, Panamá, Panamá.

6 CATALAN CAN, MEREP DJ, RETAMAR JA, 1977
The essential oil of Lippia alba from the Tucuman province. Riv Ital Essenze Profumi Piante Offic Aromi Saponi Cosmet Aer 59:513-518.

7 FESTER G, MARTINUZZI E, RETAMAR J, RICCIARDI A, 1955
Some volatile essential oils. VII. Rev Fac Ing Quim 24:37-55.

8 CASTRO DM, MING LC, MARQUES MO, TANAKA FA, 2000
Anatomic characterization and chemical composition of essential oils of different leaves of Lippia alba (Mill.) stem axis. 1er Congreso Peruano de Plantas Medicinales y Fitoterapía, 27-30 Septiembre 2000, Lima, Perú:112-114.

9 BANDONI A, 2003
Los recursos vegetales aromáticos en Latinoamérica: su aprovechamiento industrial para la producción de aromas y sabores. Buenos Aires, Argentina: CYTED, 2 ed.,
CDROM, ISBN:987-43-6072-0.

10 LÓPEZ MA, STASHENKO EE, FUENTES JL, 2011
Chemical composition and antigenotoxic properties of Lippia alba essential oils. Genet Mol Biol 34(3):479-488.

11 VERAS HN, CAMPOS AR, RODRIGUES FF, BOTELHO MA, COUTINHO HD, MENEZES IR, DA COSTA JG, 2011
Enhancement of the antibiotic activity of erythromycin by volatile compounds of Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E. Brown against Staphylococcus aureus. Pharmacogn Mag 7(28):334-337.

12 MAYNARD LG, SANTOS KC, CUNHA PS, BARRETO AS, PEIXOTO MG, ARRIGONIBLANK F, BLANK AF, ALVES PB, BONJARDIN LR, SANTOS MR, 2011
Chemical composition and vasorelaxant effect induced by the essential oil of Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E. Brown. (Verbenaceae) in rat mesenteric artery. Indian J Pharmacol
43(6):694-698.

13 CONDE R, CORRÊA VS, CARMONA F, CONTINI SH, PEREIRA AM, 2011
Chemical composition and therapeutic effects of Lippia alba (Mill.) N. E. Brown leaves hydro-alcoholic extract in patients with migraine. Phytomedicine 18(14):1197-1201.

14 BANDONI AL, MENDIONDO ME, RONDINA RVD, COUSSIO JD, 1976
Survey of Argentine medicinal plants. Folklore and phytochemical screening. II. Econ Bot 30(2):161-185.

15 RUFFA MJ, WAGNER ML, SURIANO M, VICENTE C, NADINIC J, PAMPURO S, SALOMON H, CAMPOS RH, CAVALLARO L, 2004
Inhibitory effect of medicinal herbs against RNA and DNA viruses. Antivir Chem Chemother 15(3):153-159.

16 CACERES A, ALVAREZ AV, OVANDO AE, SAMAYOA BE, 1991
Plants used in Guatemala for the treatment of respiratory diseases. 1. Screening of 68 plants against gram-positive bacteria. J Ethnopharmacol 31(2):193-208.

17 COSTA M, DI STASI L, KIRIZAWA M, MENDACOLLI S, GOMES C, TROLIN G, 1989
Screening in mice of some medicinal plants used for analgesic purposes in the state of Sao Paulo. J Ethnopharmacol 27(1/2):25-33.

18 VALE TG, MATOS FJA, DE LIMA TCM, VIANA GSB, 1999
Behavioral effects of essential oils from Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E. Brown chemotypes. J Ethnopharmacol 67(2):127-133.

19 GARCIA GM, COTO MT, GONZALEZ CS, OCAMPO R, PAZOS L, 2001
Toxicidad aguda en ratones, del extracto acuoso de hoja fresca de Lippia alba. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Ensayos Biológicos LEBi, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.

20 PAZOS L, COTO T, GONZALEZ S, 2003
Toxicidad oral, aguda en ratón, del extracto acuoso de partes aéreas de Lippia alba var. dulce. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Ensayos Biológicos LEBi, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.

21 PAZOS L, COTO T, GONZALEZ S, QUIROS S, 2004
Toxicidad oral, aguda en ratón, dosis repetidas, del extracto acuoso de partes aéreas de Lippia alba. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Ensayos Biológicos LEBi, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.

22 PASCUAL ME, SLOWING K, CARRETERO ME, VILLAR A, 2001
Antiulcerogenic activity of Lippia alba (Mill.) N. E. Brown (Verbenaceae). Farmaco 56(5-7):501-504.

23 BHAKUNI D, DHAR M, DHAR M, DHAWAN B, GUPTA B, SRIMALI R, 1971
Screening of Indian plants for biological activity. Part III. Indian J Exp Biol 9:91.

24 CARBALLO A, 1994
Plantas medicinales del Escambray Cubano. Apuntes científicos.

25 Code of Federal Regulations, 2004
Food and drugs. Chapter I - Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human services. Part 182 - Substances generally recognized as safe. Sec. 182.10.
Spices and other natural seasonings and flavorings. U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access, USA. 21(3):451-452. Nov.13,2004, URL: www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/FCF182.html

Disclaimer

The information provided is for educational purposes only for the benefit of the general public and health professionals. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. Since some parts of plants could be toxic, might induce side effects, or might have interactions with certain drugs, anyone intending to use them or their products must first consult with a physician or another qualified health care professional. TRAMIL has no responsibility whatsoever towards the user for any decision, action or omission made in relation to the information contained in this Pharmacopoeia.

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Lippia alba

Vernacular names

Martinique:

Venezuela:

Panama:

Puerto Rico:

Saint Martin:

Cuba:

Martinique:

Haiti:

Nicaragua:

Venezuela:

Geographical distribution

Botanical description

Voucher(s)

Pharmacopoeia

References

Disclaimer