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Alchemica

Coleus - can we use it medicinally beyond psychoactivity?

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I've been in Lamiaceae land quite a bit lately, find they're really good healing plants. I'm actually happy if my potted colours are not blatantly psychoactive but instead provide the healing components I seek, flavonoids/rosmarinic acid etc.

 

There's one overgrowing awaiting relationship, it's probably one of the fastest growing ones I've got. If I can use it for a good flavonoid/rosmarinic acid + source, even if it's not particularly psychonautic active, I'm happy. There are very mixed reports from people looking for mind-bending effect. I'm looking in another direction, it being medicinally beneficial...

Anyone used it as a health tonic?

 

Coleus blumei is an edible of flowering perennial plant in the family of Lamiaceae used for healing and shamanically.

For centuries, the Mazatec Indians of southwestern Mexico have known and used El Ahijado in their religious healing ceremonies. In traditional Mazatec communities, Coleus blumei is considered ‘the male’ (El Ahijado)

 

Sterol and triterpenoid compounds, including abietane type diterpenes, are found in the leaves of Coleus blumei Benth. Flavonoid compounds were also detected in high levels, along with rosmarinic acid. Another analysis found Coleus leaves consisted of flavonoid, steroid, tannin and saponin.

 

Traditional healers use it for diarrhoea as an oral infusion. Coleus blumei has been used to treat many common ailments. Most commonly, the Mazatec used this magical herb to treat stomach pains, digestive problems, dysentery, and even elephantiasis. In other parts of the world the plant is used to treat headaches and ulcers and as a contraceptive to prevent pregnancy (Voogelbreinder 2009, 135)

 

I just like high healing flavonoid etc plants, Coleus grows well and I have an abundance.

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Edited by Alchemica
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Such an incredible looking plant, im sure it has some healing properties just looking at it (Unhelpful answer, i know)

I was unsure it was even psychoactive, people seemed to think not or that it was a placebo from what i researched some time ago

 

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I've always been very sceptical of the reports of traditional use in South America "for centuries" because of the fact the plant originates from SE Asia.

I believe it was from R. Gordon Wasson or maybe in Plants of the Gods that the whole myth originated, and I think it was found that the plant was actually bought by the shaman's daughter at the market because she liked the looks of it and it was a novelty in the area at the time.

 

Quote

Leander Valdez III has stated informally that the Coleus spp. is inactive and any percieved effects are the result of a placebo effect. He has tested the leaves for the presence of potentially psychoactive diterpenes and found nothing. Speaking of the Mazatec curandero Don Alejandro in his 1983 paper from the Journal of Ethnopharmacology entitled "Ethnopharmacology of Ska María Pastora", Valdez says "The curandero also had several horticultural specimens of Coleus spp. growing near his house. Wasson has noted that the Mazatecs believe Coleus to be a medicinal or hallucinogenic herb related to S. divinorum (Wasson, 1962). However, Don Alejandro said the plants were not medicinal and his daughter had bought them at the market because they were pretty."

 

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First time making a salad with Coleus. Hard work in the gardens requires a Basil, Brahmi, Spinach, Coleus and Mansoa salad. I ate a few leaves the other day, different taste, no psychoactivity noted, wasn't after that.

 

Coleus blumei with purple leaves were shown to be significantly higher in the flavonoid content compared to the other species of Lamiaceae.

 

The flavour is interesting, a bit acquired alone. Coleus plants are not poisonous, and while eating or touching them is unlikely to cause illness, they can in very rare cases cause a reaction in sensitive people so caution is advised. That said, they're a rich interesting flavonoid source and contain rosmarinic acid. Hybrid coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides), also called painted nettle, can rarely cause minor skin irritation. According to sources, it is 'edible'

 

The amount of flavonoid in dried leaves ranged from 0.18 - 15.21 mg QE (quercetin equivalents) g−1 dried samples. The highest amounts of flavonoid was in Coleus blumei – purple leaves followed by Coleus blumei – red leaves

 

It has been recommended that Coleus Blumei leaves be used as ingredients in medicines, including for helping to prevent cancer, cardiovascular diseases and inflammation or for improving the immune system. The beneficial effects likely extend to the CNS.

 

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Very nice, I like the idea of adding some to salad. It should make any old salad nice and colorful if anything. I've got this all purple variety called "Black Dragon" I started from seed, maybe I'll try to revisit this plant once it gets larger.

 

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Very cool, thanks for sharing and your previous comment @MeanGreen, have a wonderful weekend. Looks like that purple variety could be top notch flavonoidy, I have a mix so I used a few different ones tonight.

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Played a bit around with a strongly purple Coleus, just nibbling bits, nothing too extreme, not a therapeutic dose - those really purple Coleus may theoretically have the highest level of some healthy constituents but that purple colour seemingly stains your mouth quite a bit, particularly your tongue... if you don't want to freak people out, be careful of the purple Coleus.

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