Wild Dagga~Leonotus Leonurus~Lions Ear
Wild Dagga-Leonotus Leonurus or Umunyane in Zulu is a highly prized medicinal plant used in African traditional medicine.
This attractive and elegant looking plant bears thin elongated lance like leaves – which differentiates it from klip dagga (Leonotus ocymifolia) that has more round circular shaped leaves- and has beautiful orange tubular flowers that grow in whorls or clusters around the stem. These often attract sun-birds for their delicious nectar and is primarily bird pollinated. The stems are velvety and woody at the base and distinctively square in cross section. The plant is common and widespread throughout South Africa where it grows amongst rocks and in grassland and loves the mountainous areas in KZN I have visited.
Medicinal properties.
It is in the attractive flowers and the leaves that the healing properties can be found. It has numerous uses in Traditional African Medicine including the following:
Skin problems: Having done research on the plant it was found that numerous active substances in the leaves have wound and skin healing properties. It can thus be boiled as a decoction (strong boiled concentrated tea) and made into a lotion or made into a cream. The plant extracts has good antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that lends evidence to its uses for skin problems. Numerous uses of the leaf and stem exist for skin infections that include for treating; boils, eczema, skin diseases and itching-insect bites.
Infections: For lung infections, one can make a strong tea; 2tsps to 1 cup boiling water, drink a third of a cup three times a day for the duration of the cold or flu. It can mix well with Wormwood as a tea.
Heart & blood pressure medicine: The plant can help regulate heart rate functioning and is used traditionally for hypertension. Dosages are individual specific. DO NOT USE the plant without supervision of a herbalist if you have heart issues or are on heart medications.
Blood sugar lowering and detoxing effects: An array of pharmacological studies based on traditional claims reported antidiabetic activities and hypoglycemic properties of L. leonurus.
Psychoactive: Smoked it could find use as an anti-convulsant having mild relaxing effects. “Early dwellers present in South Africa such as the Hottentot tribe or Khoikhoi, smoked the dry leaves and flowers which were said to have narcotic properties bringing on a calm sensation or euphoric feeling when smoked, hence the vernacular name wilde dagga meaning wild dagga” – PlantzAfrica.
Anti-parasite remedy: A strong decoction-long boiled tea of 20grams leaf to 1 litre water, can be used to rid the body of parasites. Drink half a cup three times a day for 5 days.
Phytochemistry: The isolated 37 phytochemicals are largely constituted by flavanoids, labdane type diterpenoids and other phenolics detected in acetone and methanol extracts. The plant contains significant amounts of nutrients and minerals. The essential oils have high content of monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids showing significant antimicrobial activities.
DO NOT USE the tea made from stems, leaves and flowers during pregnancy.
Taken together, Wild dagga is a powerful medicinal plant that can be used to kill infections in the chest, for blood sugar problems like Diabetes, as a detoxer or parasite remover, as a skin healer to disinfect, to heal wounds (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial effects) and to lower blood pressure!
A tonic for sure!
Propagation: it is grown by seed sown in spring and germinates easily and can be down outdoors direct into beds. It likes bright sunny conditions.
Whether it has any relation to Lions, it has the Lions power to strengthen your system, a little at a time!
Note: The author indemnifies himself from any harm that may or may not result from the use of Leonotus leonurus. The article is solely for educational purposes.
For more about South African medicinal plants; see Jean-Francois’ work here: http://phytoalchemy.co.za/faq/
