Enigmatic Mayana (Coleus blumei): Ornamental plant and folkloric medicine

LIVING WITH NATURE CENTER
San Vicente Botanical Garden Series
San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

Enigmatic Mayana (Coleus blumei):

Ornamental plant and folkloric medicine 

“There’s a popular saying among doctors: There’s no such thing as alternative medicine; if it works, it’s just called medicine.” ― Ed Yong, I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life

Dr Abe V Rotor

  

     

Three common cultivars of mayana planted in gardens, backyards and flower pots. Mayana is one of the easiest ornamental plants  to grow.  It is reproduced by seeds, cuttings and runners. It requires fairly good soil, occasional watering, and of course, a "green thumb". 

Mayana - Coleus blumei (now Solenostemon scutellarioides) comes in various designs and colors as if hand painted, thus it is called painted Coleus. Garden enthusiasts take pride in grouping  different cultivars into a kaleidoscopic collection, which steal the view of the garden for some time.

Mayana by its nature as an herb, requires replanting by cuttings to replenish its original stand. But the main reason to replant the spent plot is to get rid of the effect of allelopathy * among the cultivars. In a research conducted in the Graduate School of the University of Santo Tomas, this phenomenon is normally observed in many plant species, which include mayana and its cultivars closely planted . 

(*Chemical inhibition of one plant (or other organism) by another, due to the release into the environment of substances acting as germination or growth inhibitors.)

Those that cannot tolerate the root toxin succumb and give way to the resistant cultivars which soon dominate the stand, a practical example  of "natural selection," reminiscent of Darwinian theory of "survival of the fittest.  It is no wonder that from a number of cultivars planted together perhaps only one or two survive and dominate the plot or original planted area.  Aware of this, gardeners usually move to a new area or widely separate the cultivars to reduce the effects of allelopathy. 

As folkloric medicine, mayana is mainly used for pain, sore, swelling, and cut, delayed menstruation and diarrhea.  Researchers at the Uni versity of the Philippines isolated sterols  and terterpenes which are effective as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-allergy and anti-oxidant.  

Mayana has been determined to reduce cancer risk, assists in weight loss, and supports good health in general. Caution: The use of mayana as home remedy may be practical for minor ailments,  but as a general rule, medical advice is recommended. 

In rural areas where medical service is not readily available, old folks led by the herbolario would pound the leaves and apply the poultice on the temple and nape for headaches; apply it with bandage on bruises and sprains, and for minor wounds, fresh extract from young leaves is applied.  Other reported uses include treatment of asthma, angina, bronchitis, epilepsy, insomnia and digestive problems. Cases purporting its having psychoactive properties like tobacco is highly controversial, so with its reported use for abortion and contraceptive. 

Researches and studies on the medicinal properties of mayana include phytoremediation (absorption of toxic metals by the plant), as pesticide (larvicide against mosquito wrigglers),  erectile dysfunction, anti-tumor, among others. All these pose a challenge and opportunity to the youth to pursue a career related to alternative medicine* introduced by the late Senator Juan Flavier.  

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* RA 8423 - AN ACT CREATING THE PHILIPPINE INSTITUTE OF TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE (PITAHC) TO ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE IN THE PHILIPPINES, PROVIDING FOR A TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE DEVELOPMENT FUND AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Acknowledgement: Philippine Medicinal Plants (Internet)