Sida rhombifolia

Scientific name: Sida rhombifolia L.

Synonym: Malva rhombifolia (L.) Krause

Botanical family: MALVACEAE

Vernacular names

(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)

Haiti:

balé

Dominica:

balè onz euw
balier savanne

Guatemala:

escobillo

Belize:

maluba

Other vernacular names

Haiti:

Balè

Dominica:

Broom

Geographical distribution

Tropical and subtropical regions.

Botanical description

Erect subshrub, with ascending branches, puberulent stems with tiny stellate trichomes. Alternate leaves, varying from rhombic-oblong to ovate cuneate or oblanceolate, obtuse to rounded or subacute at the apex, cuneate or rounded at the base. Single pedicels in the axils and more or less scattered along the stem; yellow or yellow-orange corolla. Fruits glabrous, carpels without thorns or with one or two; seeds, brown in colour,
glabrous, except for the hilum.

Voucher(s)

Girón,259,CFEH
Arvigo,92120,JBSD
Robineau,41411,JBSD

twist

aerial parts, cataplasm, applied locally¹

conjunctivitis

leaf, aqueous maceration, ocular bath²¹

conjunctivitis

macerated leaf on the head³

For conjunctivitis:
wash and chop 20-30 grams of leaves and add them to 1 litre of boiled water, leave to stand for 12 hours, filter and wash or bathe the eye area, with direct application or by letting the solution run from the previously washed forehead to the eyes.

For pain or burning sensation when urinating:
prepare a decoction with 30 grams of leaves in 4 cups (1 litre) of water, boil for 5 minutes in a covered vessel. Leave to cool, strain (filter) and drink 1 cup 3 times a day for 3 to 5 days.

For twists:
wash the aerial parts (3-4 stems with leaves and flowers), crush them, apply a sufficient amount to cover the affected area. Cover with a dressing or clean cloth and repeat 3 or 4 times a day.

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

According to the information available:

The use for conjunctivitis, pain and burning sensation when urinating is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys, the toxicity studies and the scientific information published.

In cases of conjunctivitis, there is a risk of increasing the irritation by application of the macerated leaves in a bath or on the head.

All applications in the eyes must follow the strictest hygiene measures, in order to prevent contamination or additional infection and to avoid contact with substances that can irritate to the conjunctiva.

Due to the health risk of conjunctivitis and pain and burning sensation when urinating, an initial medical assessment is recommended. The use of this resource must be considered complementary to medical treatment, unless contraindicated.
The use for twists 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 conjunctivitis, pain and burning sensation when urinating, or the twist (inflammation or pain) persist for more than 6 days, seek medical attention.

Not for use during pregnancy, breastfeeding or in children under 12 years.

TRAMIL Work¹⁷
The LD₅₀ of the aqueous leaf extract (decoction), orally in albino Swiss UniValle mice of both sexes, observed for 14 days, was greater than 25 g/kg. Intraperitoneally the LD50 was 0.45 ± 0.007 g/kg; the dose is expressed in grams of dry plant.

TRAMIL Work¹⁸
The fresh aerial parts (0.5 ml from a preparation of 1000 mg/ml of plant material over 5 cm²) were applied topically in the model of dermal irritation in healthy skin in 3 New Zealand rabbits for 5 consecutive days. No alteration or irritation was caused during the 11-day observation period.

TRAMIL Work¹⁹
The fresh leaves (macerated, 0.5 g/ml of water) topically (100 μl) in the conjunctival sac of the right eyes of 3 New Zealand rabbits in the ocular irritation model, did not cause any alteration or irritation during the observation period after 24, 48 and 72 hours.

There is no information available documenting the safety of use in children, during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

The aerial parts contain alkaloids: choline, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, β-phenethylamine and derivatives, vasicine and derivatives⁵ and cryptolepine⁶ ; sterols: 22-dihydro-campesterol, cholesterol, 24-methylene-cholesterol, β-sitosterol, spinasterol, 22-dihydro-spinasterol, stigmasterol and derivatives⁷.

The leaves are rich in saponins⁸ and mucilage⁹.

Proximate analysis of 100 g of fresh leaves¹⁰: calories: 63; water: 80.2%; protein: 7.4%; fat: 1.4%; carbohydrates: 9.4%; fibre: 3.3%; ash: 1.6%; calcium: 466 mg; phosphorus: 58 mg; iron: 5 mg; carotene: 6050 μg; thiamine: 0.22 mg; riboflavin: 0.47 mg; niacin: 2.10 mg; ascorbic acid: 90 mg.

TRAMIL Work¹¹
The aqueous extract (liquidised) from aerial parts (500 mg/ml/ear in a volume of 10 μl) was applied topically on both sides of the right ear, in a model of inflammation induced by the application of tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA) (0.125 mg/ml) for 4 hours in Hsd:ICR mice (6 females and 6 males). The negative control received acetone (10 μl/ear) and the positive control group was treated with indomethacin (25 mg/ml). No statistically significant inhibition of the inflammation was observed in any of the groups treated with this extract.

The 70% ethanolic extract from leaves dried and subsequently diluted in 10% ethanol (concentration of 0.5 mg/ml), applied at a dose of 20 μl, inhibited (54%) the in vitro biosynthesis of prostaglandin catalysed by cyclooxygenase-1. The same extract had no anti-inflammatory activity in vivo, administered topically, on ethyl phenylpropiolate-induced oedema in rat ears¹².

The tincture of dried leaves (10 g in 100 ml of ethanol) in vitro (30 μl/disc), was inactive against strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae¹³ and Candida albicans¹⁴.

The methanolic leaf extract (1 g/ml) in vitro was inactive against Staphylococcus aureus, S. cerevisiae and Escherichia coli¹⁵.

The sterol fraction of the whole fresh plant in vitro showed activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus albus, S. aureus (0.5 mg/ml), against Klebsiella spp and Pseudomonas pyocyanae (1 mg/ml)¹⁶.

Pharmacopoeia

Ed.3

References

1 WENIGER B, ROUZIER M, 1986
Enquête TRAMIL. Service Oecuménique d’Entraide SOE, Port au Prince, Haïti.
2 HENDERSON C, KRISHNARAYAN V, CASTILLO J, 1996
TRAMIL survey. Belize Enterprise for Sustainable Technology BEST, Belmopan, Belize.
3 GIRON L, 1988
Encuesta TRAMIL (Costa atlántica). Centro Mesoamericano de Tecnología CEMAT, Guatemala, Guatemala.
4 CHARLES C, 1988
TRAMIL survey. Movement for Cultural Awareness MCA, Roseau, Dominica.
5 PRAKASH A, VARMA RK, GHOSAL S, 1981
Chemical constituents of the Malvaceae. Part III. Alkaloidal constituents of Sida acuta, S. humilis, S. rhombifolia and S. spinosa. Planta Med 43(12):384-388.
6 GUNATILAKA AA, SOTHEESWARAN S, BALASUBRAMANIAM S, CHANDRASEKARA AI, BADRA
SRIYANI HT, 1980
Studies on medicinal plants of Sri Lanka. III. Pharmacologically important alkaloids of some Sida species. Planta Med 39(1):66-72.
7 GOYAL MM, RANI KK, 1989
Neutral constituents of the aerial parts of Sida rhombifolia var. rhomboidea. Fitoterapia 60(2):163-164.
8 FRIESE FW, 1934
Plantas medicinais brasileiras. Sao Paulo, Brazil: Inst Agro do Estado. p252-494.
9 ALTSCHUL SR, 1973
Drugs and food from little-known plants: Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Cambridge, USA: Harvard Univ. Press.
10 DUKE JA, ATCHLEY AA, 1986
Handbook of proximate analysis tables of higher plants. Boca Raton, USA: CRC Press. p149.
11 PAZOS L, COTO T, CAIZA F, 2010
Antiinflamatorio tópico, en ratones, del extracto acuoso de las partes aéreas frescas de Sida rhombifolia. Informe
TRAMIL, Laboratorio de Ensayos Biológicos, LEBi, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.
12 DUNSTAN CA, NOREEN Y, SERRANO G, COX PA, PERERA P, BOHLIN L, 1997
Evaluation of some Samoan and Peruvian medicinal plants by prostaglandin biosynthesis and rat ear oedema assays. J Ethnopharmacol 57(1):35-56.
13 CACERES A, MENENDEZ H, MENDEZ E, COHOBON E, SAMAYAO BE, JAUREGUI E, PERALTA E,
CARRILLO G, 1992
Antigonorrhoeal activity of plants used in Guatemala for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia, Universidad de San Carlos, Guatemala, Guatemala.
14 FIGUEROA SL, 1992
Inhibición in vitro de Candida albicans por las plantas: Argemone mexicana, Bixa orellana, Lantana camara, Lippia alba, Sedum praealtum, Vicia fava, Chrysanthemum leucanthemum y Sida rhombifolia (Tesis). Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia, Universidad de San Carlos, Guatemala, Guatemala.
15 BORTOLOZZI MAM, BITTENCOURT CF, CARDOSO SG, BORTOLOZZI, AV, 1988
Avaliacâo da atividade antibacteriana de Sida rhombifolia L.(Malvaceae). X Simpósio de Plantas Medicinais do Brasil, Panel 7/9. Abstr. No. 26. Sao Paulo, Brasil.
16 GOYAL MM, RANI KK, 1988
Effects of natural products isolated from three species of Sida on some Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. J Indian Chem Soc 65(1):74-76.
17 HERRERA J, 1992
Determinación de parámetros farmacológicos usados en medicina tradicional popular en la Cuenca del Caribe. Informe TRAMIL. Dep. de Farmacología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.
18 PAZOS L, COTO T, CAIZA F, 2010
Irritación dérmica en piel sana de conejos, de las partes aéreas frescas de Sida rhombifolia. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Ensayos Biológicos, LEBi, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.
19 PAZOS L, COTO T, CAIZA F, 2010
Irritación ocular, en conejos, del macerado de hojas frescas de Sida rhombifolia. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio de Ensayos Biológicos, LEBi, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.

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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Sida rhombifolia

Vernacular names

Haiti:

Dominica:

Guatemala:

Belize:

Haiti:

Dominica:

Geographical distribution

Botanical description

Voucher(s)

Pharmacopoeia

References

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