This slow growing shrub is also known as bodine, boldu and boldo folium.
Boldo is a shrub with leathery, aromatic leaves and bears scented
flowers.
It is an evergreen plant and mostly used for its medicinal purposes. It
comes from the leaves and bark of the boldo tree, peumus boldus.
It has been used since long times for its medicinal uses, as the leaves of
this herb used to make tea which helps in digestion and other bodily
ailments.
This herb is also found in more than a dozen other or shrubs in the
laurel, magnolia and monimia families.
It is an active agent used in more than 60 cuisines in South America and
Europe.
Boldo is a native to the central region of Chile and Peru. This small
shrub is also naturalized to the Mediterranean region.
Boldo is an evergreen tropical shrub cultivated in Mediterranean region,
which grows to the height of 6-8 meters and produces small berry like
fruit.
This plant bears scented flowers which are either male or female, as only
one sex is found on one plant.
Boldo is slightly bitter and aromatic herb, and has diuretic and
antiseptic properties.
This herb is found in Andean region of Chile and Peru, and also in
indigenous parts of morocco. It is also cultivated in Italy, Brazil and
North Africa to meet the medicinal demand in European and Canadian market.
It is a nutritious plant though not well known; the fruits appear in
December and February, are small green edible berries which contain lot of
sugar.
Leaves
It contains a lot of alkaloids, flavonoids, ascaridole, camphor, linalool, limonene, b-pinene, resin and tannin. Boldo leaves also contain some volatile oil
Boldo is used extensively for its medicinal uses. Boldo is helpful in curing.
In Latin America and Spain boldo leaves are excessively used to relieve
stomach pain, and particularly to support gallbladder.
Boldo is also thought to be an affective herbal medicine for gallstones.
The leaves of this herb are made into tincture or infusions or made into
tablets and capsules to be taken as medicine.
Boldo is a good liver protective agent, as it protects liver from damage
from drugs and toxins; apart from this it detoxify liver.
Boldo is also an affective agent against parasites and worms, and has been
used to treat malaria.