Lantana camara is a perennial flowering plant native to the tropical regions of Africa and America. When bruised the lantana camara gives a spicy pungent smell and its leaves and stems are covered in rough hair. This plant grows to a height of between 1t 3 metres and it can spread to about 2.5 meters in width. Its leaves are 3-8 cm long by 3-6 cm in wide and are pointed at the tips. Its aromatic flowers exist in clusters and are red, blue yellow and sometimes white. There are a lot of health benefits that come with the use of lantana camara.
- Treatment of diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which there is an increase in the levels of the blood sugar either due to absolute insulin deficiency or an increased resistance of the body’s cells to the action of insulin. In its management, the reduction of the blood glucose levels to the normal ranges is key. With the lantana camara you can hit good milestones in keeping your blood glucose levels within the normal range. The menthol extracts from this plant is anti-hyperglycemic there by regulating the blood glucose levels.
- Wound healing
The aqueous extract from the leaves of the lantana camara have been proven to aid in faster wound healing. It speeds up the synthesis of collagen. Topical application of the extract enhances the shrinking of wounds. It also helps in prevention of mycobacterial infections which would otherwise slow down the process of healing.
- Antifilarial activity
The antifilarial activity of the crude extracts of Lantana Camara stem makes it a good remedy in the treatment of filariasis. Its chloroform fraction has a strong activity against these organisms.
- Anticancer activity
A lot of people suffer from cancer from different parts of the globe and its treatment is always herculean. Some cancers are very preventable and rather than waiting to treat it would be better to prevent these group of diseases. The leaves of the Lantana Camara has exhibited a high level of toxicity against a number of cancers and this makes it an important herb in the prevention and management of cancer.
- Mosquito control
Mosquitos are small but dangerous animals that could pose great anger to human beings since they transmit malaria. This therefore means that they should be killed or kept way to reduce the cases of malaria infection. With the lantana camara, you can effectively keep mosquitoes at bay. The menthol extract from the lantana camara leaves possess strong adulticidal activity against several species of mosquito.
- Treatment headaches
There are several causes of headaches and the lantana camara can prove to be an awesome natural remedy to this. The solution from this plant possess a high inflammatory activity that helps in relieving several types of pain including headaches.
- Treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers
Gastric and duodenal ulcers are currently on the rise affecting quite a good number of people globally. If looking for a natural remedy towards ulcers then the lantana camara helps you with this. It helps in protecting the gastric mucosa from the injurious agents.
