Fern leaf lavender as an anti inflammatory

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Date: December 15, 2005 Re: Anti-inflammatory Acitivity of Fern-leaf Lavender Sosa S, Altinier G, Politi M, Braca A, Morelli I, Della Loggia R. Extracts and constituents of Lavandula multifida with topical anti-inflammatory activity. Phytomed. 2005;12:271-277. Lavender belongs to the Lavandula genus, which consists of about 20 species of small aromatic shrubs. Commercially, the Lavandula genus provides several important essential oils to the fragrance industry. Some of these oils are rich in monoterpenes and may be used for cosmetic purposes and to treat burns. Lavandula multifida is a small shrub native to South-Western Europe and North Africa. In American horticulture, it is known as fern-leaf lavender. Its leaves and stems are used in Moroccan folk medicine for the treatment of

rheumatoid arthritis (an inflammatory disease) and digestive problems. In consideration of its traditional use, the purpose of this study was to verify the anti-inflammatory activity of L. multifida.Water and ethanol extracts of L. multifida were evaluated for the ability to inhibit ear edema that was experimentally induced in mice. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated in comparison to that of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin. Aerial parts of L. multifida were collected in South Morocco and were extracted. The water and ethanol extracts were applied to the mouse ear and the anti-inflammatory activity was expressed as percent edema reduction in treated mice compared with the controls. Both extracts demonstrated a dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effect, with the ethanol extract being the more active. The ethanol extract was further separated into fractions that were found to have anti-inflammatory activity. From these active fractions, 11

pure compounds were obtained and tested as well. Each compound was found to have some level of anti-inflammatory activity. Three of the compounds, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, and a diterpene were found to significantly inhibit edema by 74%, 45%, and 41% respectively (P<0.05). As a reference, indomethacin inhibited edema by 58%.In conclusion, the results from this study demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties of L. multifida. The authors state that these results support the traditional use of the plant as a remedy against inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, the results revealed several active compounds that may be extracted from L. multifida. — S. Oliff, PhD Suzi What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. health/ http://suziesgoats.wholefoodfarmacy.com/

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