Lippia [genus] (1,261)
L. adoensis (1,355)
L. alba (5,517)
Synonyms: Lippia geminata HBK
L. callicarpaefolia (1,118)
Synonyms: Lippia bicolor Kunth
L. carviodora (207)
L. fastigiata (762)
Synonyms: Burroughsia fastigiata
L. graveolens (5,626)
Synonyms: Lippia berlandieri Schauer
L. helleri (293)
L. hypoleia (560)
L. integrifolia (233)
L. libertensis (249)
L. macromera (257)
L. micromera (1,995)
L. myriocephala (823)
L. oatesii (336)
L. oaxacana (651)
L. origanoides (967)
L. palmeri (901)
L. plicata (236)
L. pseudo-thea (325)
L. rehmannii (454)
L. sp. (455)
L. stoechadifolia (1,205)
L. substrigosa (773)
L. turbinata (232)
L. umbellata (1,178)
VERBENACEAE Lippia adoensis
Lippia adoensis Hochst. VERBENACEAE
Common names: Gambian Tea Bush (Dalziel)
Range not given. Dried lvs. aromatic, infuse like tea. Appreciated by Europeans as well as the people, called a bush tea. Widely used as a sudorific, febrifuge and laxative for colic, much the same as Ocimum [Lamiaceae]. A common children’s remedy for fever, constipation, accompanied by a light purge, also for common colds, chest complaints. Lvs. sometimes mixed with those of Sesamum [Pedaliaceae], cooked with other foods, to prod. the same effects. A common ingredient in prescriptions for venereal disease. Gold Coast, lvs. boiled with palm-nuts, given to women in parturition to assist in delivery of the after-birth. Fr. Guinea, decoction of lvs. also in fumigation & as a bath. A hot application for ear troubles. In Gambia beehives are fumed with smoke from this herb to attract bees (Dalziel 1948:455) In the Congo source of the popular Gambia bush tea (Morton 1976:41) Name not in GRIN (GRIN 2007)
VERBENACEAE Lippia alba
Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E.Brown VERBENACEAE
Synonyms: Lippia geminata HBK
Common names: Mirto, White-Flowered Lippia (Latorre) Oregano (Morton) Salvia trepadora (Bandoni)
L. geminata: W TX, Sin. to Tmps., Ver., Oax., W Indies, Cent. & S Am. Shrub to 1 m high. Lvs. short-petiolate, ovate to 6 cm long, over 2 cm wide, decurrent at base, scabrous above, crenate, thick, pubescent beneath with spreading hairs. Heads somewhat elongate in fruit, 7 mm thick, peduncles as long as petioles, 1-2 at each node; bracts irreg. imbricate in several ranks, not accrescent in fruit. Fls. pink or purple. Plant said to have sudorific, anti-spasmodic, stomachic & emmenagogue props. (Standley 1924:1248) Brushy hillsides, along roads, rivers, to 1,800 m. Shrubs to 2 m, few branches, densely puberulent. Corolla to 6 mm long. Often grown in herb gardens through cent. Am. A favorite domestic remedy for intestinal & respiratory disturbances (Flora of Guatemala 1970:208) Tzeltal know this sp. only in cult.; it is v. similar to Lantana trifolia. Erect shrubs, densely branched. Lvs. obovate. Fls. lavender, spikes oblong, drooping at maturity. Fruit dry, small. Grown about houses in the lowland parajes. Seeds are v. important, used to re-dry ground tobacco after it has begun to rot. Leaves sometimes also to make tea (Berlin, Breedlove and Raven 1974:313) Kickapoo Indians of Coah. make a hot tea from this aromatic shrub; now largely replaced by tea, coffee (Latorre and Latorre 1977:345) Locally known as oregano, esteemed in cookery & as a medicinal herb. Popular in India as well as the Am. tropics. Fresh lvs. have a delightful lemongrass odor. Prized for flavoring soup, meats, fish, and for making a pleasing tea (Morton 1976:41) L. geminata: The alcohol infusion is administered in a liniment rub for colds (Martínez 1959:Medicinales p. 489) L. geminata: Aerial parts gathered in Tulcingo, Pue., dried, sent to distant markets, used as a digestive. The plant was packaged, so ID is not certain (Hersch-Martínez 1997) Rio Grande, Mexico, Cent Am. to Peru, Argentina; W Indies. Often cult. in gardens. Aromatic shrub to 2 m, bushy, long straggling drooping branches, minutely downy. Lvs. in whorls of 2-3, ovate, to 8 cm long, 2 cm wide, crinkled, covered with v. short fine hairs on both surfaces; veins prominent beneath. Fls. purple, lavender or white, tubular, to 5 mm long, in rounded or oblong heads to 12 mm long, usually in pairs on short stalks in leaf axils. Surinam, 30 lvs. boiled in 0.5 liter water, decoction drunk for fever. Curaçao, bundles of fresh or dried leafy & flowering stems sold by herb vendors; an extremely popular tea. Drunk as a beverage night & morning as a stomachic, febrifuge, also for liver complaints, dysentery, abdominal cramps, colds. Sometimes boiled with Gossypium hirsutum [Malvaceae] branches. N Venezuela, decoction of leafy stems much esteemed for colds, grippe (e). Decoction with Plantago [Plantaginaceae] & Lactuca [Compositae] taken to induce a good night’s sleep. Much the same ‘bush tea’ is used throughout trop. Am. A great favorite, with a pleasant lemon-like fragrance. Also applied externally for fever in many areas. In Aruba grown only by people who have brought it from Curaçao, who drink it as a stomachic. At one time used to treat syphilis. In Curaçao lvs. used as a seasoning, put under roasting meat, and always added to fish soup. Plant contains 1.2% volatile oil, which is 34% geraniol, 23% nerol, 6% caryophyllene, 5.8% methylheptinone, 5.2% citronellol, and many other components (Morton 1981:Vol. 2 page 745) In Trinidad, decoction of lvs. for flu, fever, cold in chest. Crushed lvs. inhaled to promote sleep (Wong 1976:135) Widespread in Argentina. Used externally against hemorrhage. Leaf is used as a digestive, diaphoretic, expectorant (Bandoni, Mendiondo, Rondina, et al. 1976:180) In Guatemala Steyermark 1942: Used to treat coughs. In Puerto Rico Neves & Stimson 1965: Natives believe this plant to be medicinal, it is used by them in baths (von Reis and Lipp 1982:252). In Nicaragua Creoles use it for asthma, fever, pain (e), evil eye, vomiting (Barrett 1994) Valid species, synonym not in GRIN (GRIN 2007)
Lippia alba var. globiflora
In Peru da Silva 1942: Tea of leaves taken to counteract effects of purgative. In Bolivia Steinbach 1966: taken in infusion by the natives to purify the blood and as a stimulating beverage (von Reis and Lipp 1982:252). Taxon not in GRIN (GRIN 2007)
VERBENACEAE Lippia callicarpaefolia
Lippia callicarpaefolia HBK VERBENACEAE
Synonyms: Lippia bicolor Kunth
Common names: Rosa de castilla (Martínez)
Mex., Mor., Pue. Shrub to 4.5 m, branches short-hirsute. Lvs. short-petiolate, ovate, to 10.5 cm long, acute, abruptly decurrent, crenate, rugose & scabrous above, canescent-tomentose beneath. Fls. in short v. dense heads, purple, 2 cm broad, peduncles v. slender, numerous, longer than heads at anthesis, bracts purple, broad-ovate, irreg. imbricate in several ranks, broad, accrescent in fruit, becoming membranous and pinnately veined, the outer ones involucre-like. Calyx hirtellous (Standley 1924:1246) Also Gro. Decoction of fls. used for inflammation. The Farmacopea Mexicana says the infusion of lvs. and fls. at 1% has stimulant props. This sp. should not be confused with Rosa centifolia [Rosaceae], which is cult. for ornament under the same common name (Martínez 1959:Medicinales page 486) Name & synonym not in GRIN (GRIN 2007)
VERBENACEAE Lippia carviodora
Lippia carviodora Meikle VERBENACEAE
NE Africa. Dioecious, rare in family (Mabberley 1997:414) Name not in GRIN (GRIN 2007)
VERBENACEAE Lippia fastigiata
Lippia fastigiata T.S.Brandeg. VERBENACEAE
Synonyms: Burroughsia fastigiata
Common names: Damiana (von Reis)
Baja. Densely branched shrub to 60 cm high, cinereus-puberulent. Lvs. oblong, coarsely dentate, sessile, revolute, to 5 cm long. Heads long-pedunculate, sol. at nodes. Bracts not accrescent in fruit, irreg. imbricate in several ranks, heads not elongate in fruit. Fls. pink or purple. Lvs. much used as a subst. for Chinese tea (Standley 1924:1247) In Mexico Gentry 1947: Decoction as a tea; reputed to have aphrodisiac properties (von Reis and Lipp 1982:250). Name & synonym not in GRIN (GRIN 2007)
VERBENACEAE Lippia graveolens
Lippia graveolens HBK VERBENACEAE
Synonyms: Lippia berlandieri Schauer
Common names: Mexican Oregano (Griffiths) Orégano (Ford)
S US, Mexico to Nicaragua, Honduras. Aromatic shrub to 2 m, branches shortly pilose. Lvs. to 6 cm, elliptic, obtuse, pilose above, glandular & pilose beneath. Infl. with 206 peduncles, to 1.2 cm, corolla white, tube strigulose, to 3 mm (Griffiths 1994:680) Coah. to Tmps., Ver., Yuc., Oax, Sin. Shrub to 2.5 m; in Yuc. sometimes a tree to 9 m; pubescence of the branches usually spreading. Lvs. to 5 cm long, petiolate, oblong, rounded at apex & base, crenate, pubescent and sometimes glandular beneath. Fls. in heads with long peduncles, heads to 1.2 cm long, somewhat elongate in fruit, 4-6 at each node; fls. white. Lvs. used to season food. Plant used in domestic medicine as a stimulant, emmenagogue, demulcent (Standley 1924:1245) Rocky slopes, damp thickets, to 350 m. Dry lvs. often sold in markets (Flora of Guatemala 1970:211) Small aromatic shrub. Lvs. oblong, crenate, puberulent, glandular. Fl. spikes small, 4-6 at each node, the bracts 4-ranked. Plant used in domestic medicine as a stimulant, tonic, expectorant, esp. for cholera morbus, fevers, bronchitis, catarrh. Also used to flavor food (Standley 1930:402) L. berlandieri: An imp. quilite in the western canyons of Chih. Tarahumar boil the lvs., drain them, eat with beans (Pennington 1963) L. berlandieri: Pulverized dried lvs. to season food in Chih. The Tarahumar add lvs. to mush for flavoring, boil lvs. & add to beans. For colds drink a decoction (Ford 1975) Kickapoo Indians in Coah. make a hot tea from this aromatic herb. Formerly much used, now largely replaced by tea [Camellia, Theaceae] & coffee [Coffea, Rubiaceae] (Latorre and Latorre 1977) L. berlandieri: Generally used as a condiment esp. for pozole. In Gro. the decoction is used for pain in the stomach & for diarrhea. The alcohol infusion in liniment against apoplexy/ stroke (Martínez 1959:Medicinales page 465) L. berlandieri: Do not confuse with Eu. oregano, Oreganum [Lamiaceae], which is a small herb usually grown in gardens. Our oreganos are wild shrubs with aromatic lvs. much used as a condiment. Several spp., all with opp. lvs. wrinkled and crenate, fls. white in small heads: incl. L. palmeri in the NW and L. alba. Indispensable condiments in pozole and other stews. Also in popular medicine for colic & as a diuretic & stimulant, taking the lvs. in decoction (Martínez 1959:Utiles page 440) L. berlandieri: Lvs. sold in Mercado Juárez, Toluca. Infusion to treat diarrhea, to stimulate menstrual flow and as a demulcent (Ugent 2000:436) Baja & S TX to Nicaragua. V. aromatic shrub, suggesting cinnamon-mint or thyme, to 3 m tall, rarely a tree to 9 m. Slender straggling stem, brittle branches coated with fine short white hairs; shredding bark. Lvs. opp. on downy petiole to 2 cm long, oblong, to 7 cm long 3.5 cm wide, velvety on both surfaces. Fls. fragrant, like mint, white to yellow, tubular, to 6 mm long in compound nearly round or oblong spikes to 1.2 cm long, usually in groups of 4-6 in leaf axils. Seed small, dry, enclosed in the hairy calyx. Rocky clay soils, roadsides, brushy hillsides. Commonly cult. Yuc., vendors sell plastic bags of the dried lvs., decoction said to be effective for diabetes. Yuc., leaf decoction taken, 2 large spoonfuls every 2 hours, to halt dysentery & as an intestinal antiseptic. Also decoction of 2-3 g lvs. in 100 cc water drunk on an empty stomach 2-3 days before a woman’s monthly period to regulate menstruation. If taken during pregnancy it may cause abortion. Syrup of the dried lvs. taken for coughs, colds. Elsewhere in Mexico the decoction is also used as a febrifuge. Martinez, 1959, alcohol infusion as an antispasmodic rub. This is the principal sp. furnishing the ‘Mexican Oregano’ exported to the US (Morton 1981:Vol. 2 page 747) Common in local gardens, lvs. much used to flavor fish, sausages, other foods esp. pozole, which is pork & hominy. Also for tea. Dried lvs. exported to US as oregano, not distinguished in trade from the oregano of Eu., used in the same ways (Morton 1976:41) In Baja lvs. & small stems cooked into a tea taken for coughs & colds, used as a disinfectant for washing wounds, burns, skin irritations. Lvs. finely ground, mixed into a healing salve with lard or tallow for livestock. Also as a spice in cooking (Hicks 1966) In Pue. to fire pottery, make a bed of hard wood with high specific heat, such as this sp. or Acacia [Leguminosae]. The pots are put on the bed, covered with soft wood with lower calorific value, such as Agave [Agavaceae] or Stenocereus, Cactaceae (Casas, Pickersgill, Caballero, et al. 1997:286) Valid species; synonym not in GRIN (GRIN 2007)
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