Boldo - Plectranthus barbatus

The medicinal plant Boldo - Plectranthus barbatus

The medicinal plant Plectranthus barbatus

Boldo (Plectranthus barbatus)

Scientific name:

Plectranthus barbatus Andrews

Synonyme:

Coleus barbatus (Andrews) Benth.
Coleus forskohlii (Willd.) Briq.
Plectranthus forskohlii Willd.

Family:

Lamiaceae (mints)

Denomination or Common name:

Alumã (Portuguese, Brazil), Alumã e sete-dores (Portuguese, Brazil), Boldo, Boldo brasileiro (Portuguese, Brazil), Boldo chileno (Portuguese, Brazil), Boldo da terra (Portuguese, Brazil), Boldo de jardim (Portuguese, Brazil), Boldo do brasil (Portuguese, Brazil), Boldo do chile (Portuguese, Brazil), Boldo do reino (Portuguese, Brazil), Boldo falso (Portuguese, Brazil), Boldo nacional (Portuguese, Brazil), Boldo silvestre (Portuguese, Brazil), Brasilianischer Boldo (Deutsch), Cóleo (Spanish), Coleus (English), Coléus (French), Coléus à Forskoline (French), Coléus De L´inde (French), Coleus Forskohlii (English), Erva cidreira (Portuguese, Brazil), False Boldo (English), Falso boldo (Portuguese, Brazil), Forskohlii (English), Garmar (Gujarati), Gurmal, Gandira, Indian Coleus (English), Malva amarga(Portuguese, Brazil), Malva santa(Portuguese, Brazil), Makandi (Hindi), Plectranthus (English), Pashan Bhedi (Hindi), Patharchur (Hindi), Koreusu Foresukori (Japanese), Karpooravalli (Tamil), Karpuravalli (Tamil), Pashanbheda (Tamil), Patharchur (Tamil), Sete dores (Portuguese, Brazil), Sete sangrias (Portuguese, Brazil), Tapete de oxalá (Portuguese, Brazil)

Properties:

Boldo is an interesting medicinal plant from the genus spurflowers (Plectranthus) which is mainly used in phytomedicine and folk medicine. The aromatic-smelling plant Plectranthus barbatus contains a number of drugs and essential oil in leaves and roots. Most important is the active ingredient forskolin, which acts as a stimulator of enzymes (adenylyl cyclases).

Used parts of the plant:

Fresh leaves, roots

Applications in phytotherapy:

Liver diseases (hepatitis, colic, constipation), fever, stomach disorders, indigestion, bloating, constipation, listlessness, gallstones, insomnia, hangovers, rheumatism, amoebae, heart problems

Preparation:

Boldo is in Brazil in popular medicine used both fresh as well as alcoholic approach. For internal use a tea with 2 leaves and boiling water is prepared, is to drink two times a day. For external use 20 grams of fresh plant in 100 mL of ethanol to be resolved. From this tincture 20-40 drops 3 times daily administered externally.