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The lantana genus is found in all the tropical or sub-tropical regions of the world.

Both species LANTANA CAMARA, LANTANA INVOLUCRATA, VERBENACEAE are probably native to the West Indies and South America and have been intentionally or accidentally spread throughout the tropics.

They are bushy thorny shrubs (L.camara) or unarmed (L.involucrata), very resistant to the climatic conditions of hot countries, withstanding long periods of drought in full sun but also heavy rains.

They are decorative plants, their discreet inflorescence is of varied color (white, pink, mauve, yellow, red) but in the temperate countries, they are annual or are kept in the shelter during winter.

By their ability to spread (fruits are consumed by birds and small seeds are very quickly spread), the fact that their leaves are not edible for animals, they are often considered as plant pests, especially in the high islands of the Pacific where they can grow into impenetrable bushes choking the native plants.

LANTANA FEVER FLU MEDICINAL BATH RHEUMATIC PAINS TOXIC FRUIT

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

The leaves of both lantana species contain an essential oil , with a pleasant, slightly minty or camphor scent. un peu mentholée.

The essential oil that comes from their distillation is variable in its composition, but there are terpenes and terpenoids: pinene, terpinene, various caryophyllenes.

The fruit of L. camara contains tri terpenic acids (lantadenes) which are TOXIC to humans and livestock.

• The disorders caused are initially digestive (vomiting and diarrhea) sometimes hepatic (toxic hepatitis=jaundice) and are accompanied by photosensitization phenomena (skin problems).
• In humans and especially children (attracted by this small fruit that looks like a big blackberry), the symptoms are sometimes serious with neurovegetative disorders of the poisoning symptoms of a parasympathicolytic drug ( analog to atropine).

The aqueous extracts of the whole plants have antibiotic activity on gram + bacteria.

USES

The Creole or Indian populations of the Antilles and South America drink the infusion of leaves as antipyretic tea , in case of « flu like » fever, and respiratory virus infections.

Some people consider this infusion as a substitute for quinine, the febrile fall being very fast.

The terpenes present in the leaf are also antidyspeptic and the decoction of the leaves is suppose to be anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic.

A warm bath in a diluted infusion of leaf is tonic, febrifuge , very used by the Indians of South America to calm the children fever and also to treat scabies or skin infections due to ectoparasites and the bites of insects ( antiseptic and antibiotic effect)

BUSHY LIPPIA, LIPPIA ALBA, VERBENACEAE

Lippia alba is related to species of the genus Lantana, but its fruit is dry and not fleshy, the flowers are born in compact clusters in the axils of the leaves along the stem .

The flowers most often have a purple corolla with a yellow and white heart.

The branches are long flexible without thorns, they take root easily.

The whole plant is aromatic, the crumpled leaves usually give off a lemony smell.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

This ornamental plant contains:

• essential oil whose composition varies according to the cultivar: piperitone and eucalyptol (like certain eucalyptus), citral and geranial (lemony smell), carvone (smell of cumin, dill and mint) caryophyllene (slightly peppery smell), camphor, limonene (orange smell). Most often the lemony smell dominates.
• flavonoids and anti-inflammatory phenolic compounds.

The varied properties attributed to this plant are mainly due to its essential oil:

• calming and sedative promoting the onset of sleep,
• digestive,
• useful for treating the effects of seasonal viral infections: fever, body aches, colds.

USES

It is used in the form:

• soothing fresh plant herbal tea (the dried plant gradually loses its aromatic components),
• aromatic baths (especially to calm children),
• it is added to green or fruit salads or in certain sauces.

It is used throughout the (tropical) world as a soothing plant, analgesic and to treat flu-like illnesses.

GROWING LIPPIA ALBA

It is a very easy plant to grow in regions with warm climates, or temperate ones with mild winters.

Lippia alba is a decorative and useful plant, undemanding to the quality of the soil; drought-tolerant, propagated by cuttings, easily pruned, not thorny or toxic.

ABSTRACT

Pretty flowers that calm fever

Lantanas are very common in hot regions but they can also be grown
in temperate countries by protecting them.
The infusion of leaves is anti-influenza and calms rheumatic pains.
Attention the FRUIT of this shrub is TOXIC.
Lippia alba is close to lantana, it is a soothing plant, sedative to lower fever and non-toxic

Copyright 2023 : Dr Jean-Michel Hurtel

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