PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Tallo, hojas.

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA= Pharmacological action: Balsámico, anticefalálgico, carminativo.

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: Um estudo químico com esta planta mostrou que seus tecidos contém ácido ursólico

ZONA GEOGRÁFICA= Geografical zone: Brasil y NE de Argentina. 

DIVERSIDAD GENÉTICA Y MEJORAMIENTO DE PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants and improvement of medicinal herbs:

The dihydric phenolics from the leaves of 365 specimens representing 355 species and varieties of 110 genera of Lamiaceae (Labiatae) have been examd. as semiquinones by ESR spectroscopy.  Of these 89 genera comprising 194 species belong to the Lamiaceae, whereas 21 genera comprising 161 species have been transferred from the Verbenaceae in the most recent classification.  Two chem. characters give strong support to the subfamily division of the Lamiaceae as recognize by G. Erdtman (1945) and others.  Rosmarinic acid was obsd. in 110 species out of 127 studied and confined to the subfamily Nepetoideae sensu Erdtman.  These species produce tricolpate pollen grains.  3,4-Dihydroxyphenylethanoid glycosides were obsd. in 111 species all confined to Lamioideae sensu Erdtman with hexacolpate pollen grains.  The acid and the phenylethanoid glycosides were found to be mutually exclusive, apart from one species, Teucrium scorodonia.  A compd. tentatively assigned as a  beta-hydroxy-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethanoid glycoside, was obsd. in 49 species, solely confined to subfamily Lamioideae.  Furthermore, rosmarinic acid was obsd. in Aegiphila mollis and in Hymenopyramis brachiata, both belonging to Lamioideae.  No phenylethanoid glycosides were obsd. from any of 5 Hymenopyramis or from any of 30 species of Vitex.  The latter result questions the transfer of the genus to Lamiaceae, but strengthens its isolated position.  Chlorogenic acid was obsd. in 34 species and protochatechuic acid in 16 species.  Hydroquinone is scattered in the family (4 species) and thymohydroquinone was obsd. in 7 species, all belong to the Nepetoideae.  

1) TOURSARKISSIAN, Martin. Plantas medicinales de Argentina : sus nombres botánicos, vulgares, usos y distribución geográfica. Buenos Aires : Hemisferio Sur,1980, p.64.

2) LORENZI, Harri; MATOS, José de Abreu. Plantas medicinais no brasil: nativas e exóticas. Nova Odessa, SP: Instituto Plantarum, 2002. p. 256.

3) PEDERSEN, Jens A. Distribution and taxonomic implications of some phenolics in the family Lamiaceae determined by ESR spectroscopy. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 2000, vol.28, nº3, p.229-253.