Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC.

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 24-25

Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC.

Names.

Myanmar: bonmathane-payoke, hpon-mathein, phon-ma-thein. English: dog bush, nagi camphor, shan camphor.

Range.

South and southeastern Asia, China, and Taiwan. Widespread in Myanmar.

Uses.

Leaf: Used as an expectorant, stomachic, antispasmodic, and antiseptic. Used to treat infantile illnesses. Bathing the body with water in which the leaves have been soaked gets rid of edema. Apply an ointment made by mixing the leaves with alcohol, rose water and lime juice to alleviate and cure muscles spasms and tics, paralysis of limbs, heaviness of limbs due to poor circulation of blood, and aches and pains in the body. Sap: Used in curing toothaches. Root: Used in treating colds.

Notes.

Medicinal uses of this species in China are discussed in Duke and Ayensu (1985) as follows: The whole plant is used as a stomachic, sudorific, tonic, expectorant, diaphoretic, anticatarrhal; also considered a potential antifertility plant. Juice from fresh leaves, or decocted dry leaves, is used for itch, sores, and wounds. In India a decoction of the whole plant is used as an expectorant; a warm infusion as a sudorific ( Jain and DeFilipps 1991).

The reported chemical composition includes cineole and limonene; also palmitic acid, myristic acid, sesquiterpemne alcohol, dimethly ether, and pyrocaechic tannin ( Perry 1980). Herbal extracts are phototoxic to Saccharomyces cerevisiae . "The aqueous extract is said to be efficacious as a vasodilator, sedative and hypotensive. Since it inhibits the sympatheric nervous system, it is used to relieve excitement and insomnia." It is thought that the essential oil may be nearly pure borneol, or 75% camphor and 25% borneol ( Duke and Ayensu 1985).

References.

Nordal (1963), Agricultural Corporation (1980).