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Peumus boldus

Common name:	Boldu	Family:	Monimiaceae
Author:	Molina.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Boldu boldus
Known Hazards:	The leaves contain a toxic alkaloid[4].
Range:	S. America - Chile.
Habitat:	Dry sunny slopes in lightly wooded country[165].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Boldea fragrans[G] Boldoa fragrans[H] P. fragrans[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Boldo [H,P,E], Boldu [H], Boldus [H],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Laurales. Monimia family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Chile; Mexico; Turkey

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 6m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf all year, in flower from August to September. The scented flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Condiment; Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked[1, 2, 166]. Sweet and aromatic with an agreeable flavour[2, 183]. The fruit is up to 2cm in diameter[2].
The leaves and bark are used as a condiment[177].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic; Antiseptic; Bitter; Cholagogue; Diuretic; Stimulant; Tonic.

Boldu is a traditional remedy used by the Araucanian Indians of Chile as a tonic. The plant stimulates liver activity and bile flow and is chiefly valued as a remedy for gallstones and liver or gallbladder pain[254]. It is normally taken for only a few weeks at a time, either as an infusion or as a tincture[254]. It is often combined with other herbs such as Berberis vulgaris or Chionanthus virginicus in the treatment of gallstones[254].
The leaves are analgesic, antiseptic (urinary), bitter, cholagogue, diuretic, stimulant and tonic[4, 46, 165, 235]. They are considered a valuable cure for gonorrhoea in S. America[4]. The plant is taken internally in the treatment of liver disease (though the bark is more effective here), gallstones, urinary tract infections, intestinal parasites and rheumatism[238]. It has been used in the past as a substitute for quinine in the treatment of malaria[238]. The leaves are harvested during the growing season and are dried for later use[238]. Some caution is advised, the plant should not be used by pregnant women[254]. See also the notes above on toxicity.
A volatile oil obtained from the plant destroys internal parasites[238].
Alkaloids contained in the bark are a stimulant for the liver[238].

We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.

Other Uses

Beads; Charcoal; Dye; Essential; Repellent; Tannin.

The bark is a source of tannin and is also used as a dye[1, 4, 238].
A deliciously fragrant essential oil is obtained from the leaves[245]. The dried and powdered leaves are scattered amongst clothes to sweeten them and repel insects[245].
The small fruits are dried and used as beads in necklaces[245]. When warmed by the body or the sun they release the scent of cinnamon[245].
The wood is used for making charcoal[4].

Cultivation details

Dislikes soils that are too moist[166]. Prefers a well-drained acid sandy soil in full sun[166, 200, 238].
Hardy in climatic zone 9 (tolerating occasional light frosts), this plant normally requires greenhouse protection in Britain but is capable of withstanding light frosts and might succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of the country, especially if grown against a sunny wall[166, 200]. One report says that the plant succeeds outdoors at Kew Gardens in London, where it often flowers all year round[245].
All parts of the plant are sweetly aromatic[245]. The leaves have a lemon-camphor aroma[238].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if fruit and seed is required[238].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a warm greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer and give them some protection from winter cold for at least their first winter or two outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[200]. Grow the cuttings on in the frame or greenhouse for at least their first winter.

Scent

Plant: Fresh Crushed Dried: The leaves have a lemon-camphor aroma.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[R] Rainforest medicinal Data (common names, medicinal uses, images) from the Rain-Tree.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.