Group # 3

Team Leader: Nicole Vasquez

Members: Audrey Cruz
Regalado Jose
Kirsten Merritt
HW #4: 17 Medicinal Plants

I. Introduction (?)

II. List of the 17 medicinal plant species

1. Plant species: Lagundi (Vitex negundo)
Lagundi, or the five-leaved chaste tree, belongs to the family Lamiaceae. Lagundi is
indigenous to the Philippines, and it also occurs in tropical East Africa, Madagascar, India and
Japan. Lagundi is an erect shrub whose height ranges from 2 to 5 meters. Its leaves are 5foliate and in a palmate arrangement. The leaflets are lanceolate, entire, 4 to 10 centimeters
long, and sharp at both ends. The flowers are blue to lavender in color and borne in terminal
panicles. The fruit is a succulent globose drupe that turns black when ripe (StuartXChange,
n.d.).
Lagundi is known to have the medicinal properties: anti-inflammatory, astringent,
antibacterial, antifungal, analgesic, alterant, depurative, rejuvenating, and stomachic. Recently,
Lagundi has been prepared as a cough syrup and has been considered as a replacement for
dextromethorphan in the public health system (StuartXChange, n.d.).

2. Plant species: Sambong (Blumea balsamifera)

Sambong, or blumea camphor in English, belongs to the Asteraceae family. Sambong is
indigenous to the Philippines, China, Hainan, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia,
Thailand, and Vietnam. Sambong is a woody, densely hairy shrub that measures 1 to 4 meters
high. It is also strongly aromatic. Its leaves are simple, alternate, elliptic to oblong-lanceolate,
toothed at the margins, and narrowing to a short appendaged petiole. Its flowers are stalked,
yellow, and borne on branches of a terminal leafy panicle. Its fruits are dry, 1-seeded achenes
that are hairy at the top (StuartXChange, n.d.).
Sambong is discovered to have the following medicinal properties: antihelminthic,
antidiarrheal, antigastralgic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, emmenagogue,
expectorant, stomachic, and vulnerary. Recently, Sambong was also discovered to dissolve
renal stones. Aside from its medicinal benefits, Sambong leaves are used as a flavouring
ingredient, and its roots and leaves as natural pesticides against storage pests (StuartXChange,
n.d.).

3. Plant species: Ampalaya (Momordica charantia)

Ampalaya, or the bitter melon, belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. Ampalaya is
generally distributed throughout the tropical regions, where in the Philippines, it is mainly
harvested for its fruit. Ampalaya is a tender perennial tropical vine. Its roots are relatively
developed, with many lateral roots (MDidea Extracts Professional, 2013). Its stem has five
edges, and is dark green, hairy, and prostrate. Its leaves are simple, and are alternately
arranged. The edge of the leaf blade has teeth or lobes. Its flowers are radially symmetrical, and
consist of five petals, sepals, or tepals which are fused into a cup or tube. Its fruit is fleshy (New
England Wild Flower Society, n.d.).
Ampalaya is considered to have the following properties: astringent, antidiabetic,
abortifacient, antirheumatic, contraceptive, galactagogue, parasiticide, and antihelminthic
among others. As of late, the herb is used in the Philippines to treat diabetes mellitus
(StuartXChange, n.d.)

(https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/momordica/charantia/)
(http://www.mdidea.com/products/herbextract/bittermelon/data02.html)

4. Plant species: Garlic (Allium sativum)

Garlic belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. The cultivation of garlic can be traced to
have originated from central Asia, but now is universally used in cooking. Garlic is a bulbous
perennial herb of the onion family. Its leaves are alternately arranged, and grow only at the base
of the plant. The color of its flower petals may be green to brown, pink to red, and white, and its
inflorescence type is an umbel. Its flowers are sterile and produce bulbils instead of seeds. Its
specific fruit type is a capsule (New England Wild Flower Society, n.d.). Its bulbs consist of
separate flesh sections called cloves, each covered with a papery tunic (Encyclopedia of Life,
n.d.).
Garlic generally has the following medicinal properties: diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant,
and stimulant. Garlic was also used as an antiseptic in the past wars, where its raw juice is
diluted with water, and is applied onto Sphagnum moss, and then administered to the wound
(Botanical.com, n.d.)
https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/allium/sativum/
http://eol.org/pages/1084926/details

5. Plant species: Guava (Psidium guajava)

Guava belongs to the Myrtaceae family. The origin of guava is believed to be an area
extending from southern Mexico through Central America. It generally occurs throughout tropical
areas. Guava is an evergreen fruit tree that measures 3 to 6 meters high. Its stem is thick and
gives rise to several branches, which creates an outline of an open crown. Its leaves are simple,
with short petioles, and oblong or elliptical. Also, the leaves have entire margins, and oil-bearing
glands that release a pleasant fragrance. The inflorescences are cymes or solitary flowers that
grow in the leaf axils, while the flowers are large, stalked, showy, and possess white petals. Its
fruits are globose berries that are aromatic and bittersweet (Botanical-Online, n.d.).
The roots, bark, leaves, and immature fruits of guava are commonly used to treat
gastroenteritis, diarrhea, and dysentery. Also, crushed leaves are applied on wounds, ulcers,
and rheumatic places (Purdue Agriculture, n.d.)
http://www.botanical-online.com/english/guava_characteristics.htm
https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/guava.html

References:
Allium sativum. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from
https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/allium/sativum/
Ampalaya. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://www.stuartxchange.com/Ampalaya
Descriptions and articles about the Garlic (Allium sativum) - Encyclopedia of Life. (n.d.).
Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://eol.org/pages/1084926/details
Guava plant (Psidium guajava). (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://www.botanicalonline.com/english/guava_characteristics.htm

Lagundi / Vitex negundo / Five-leaved chaste tree: Herbal Medicinal Plants / Alternative
Medicine in the Philippines. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015.
Morton, J. (n.d.). Guava. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from
https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/guava.html
Sambong. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2015.