Some species of Plectranthus are difficult to identify because of a lack of clear-cut morphological criteria to discriminate not only among species within the genus but also among the closely related genera. This has resulted in numerous taxonomic problems in the naming of species with the result that species have often been placed in several closely related genera like Coleus, Solenostemon and Englerastrum. In addition, some species formally placed in Plectranthus, are now recognized as the more distantly related genus Isodon.
Because of these taxonomic issues, different names have often been used for the same species of Plectranthus and thus it has been difficult to collate information about the ethnobotanical uses of this genus. Furthermore, the most commonly used medicinal species of Plectranthus have a high degree of synonymy[].
This report is very much indebted to the work of C.W. Lukhoba et al. - Journal of Ethnopharmacology 103 (2006) 1-24[] in untangling much of this mess of names, and utilizes the on-line Kew database ‘World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (http://wcsp.science.kew.org/home.do) for determining currently accepted names and synonyms (as of 2018).

Common Name:

General Information

Plectranthus mollis is an erect, succulent annual plant growing 30 - 50cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and insect repellant

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.40 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked and eaten as a vegetable[].

Medicinal

The plant has a wide range of applications in traditional medicine. It is considered to be antidote, antirheumatic, astringent, cardiac, febrifuge, tonic and vasoconstrictor[, ]. It is used as a respiratory stimulant, cardiac depressant, to treat conditions such as haemorrhages, rheumatism, mental retardation, skin conditions and snakebites[]. The crushed leaves are used to stop bleeding and to cure fever[].

The plant is reported to exhibit relaxant activity on smooth and skeletal muscles[].
The plant has cytotoxic and anti-tumour promoting activity and can be used in the treatment of cancer[].
The leaves and flowering tops contain an essential oil (0.2 ml/100g.), the activity of 10 mg of the oil was found to be the same as that of 10 units of penicillin G sodium[]. The essential oil acts as a cardiac depressant and respiratory stimulant[].
The leaves and flowering tops contain resin and tannin[]
Hydrodistillation of the fresh plant leaves gave an essential oil with a yield of 0.62% (w/v). The major components of
the oil are Fenchone (6.0%), Cis-piperitone oxide (32.4%), Piperitone (3.0%), Piperitenone oxide (41.5%), beta-caryophyllene (2.9%), alpha-cadinene (1.0%), Borneol (1.4%), delta-cadinene (0.8%), alpha-humulene (0.8%), beta-bisabolene (0.8%), alpha-copaene (0.8%).[] The essential oil has shown good antimicrobial activity[].
A chloroform extract of the leaves has shown antiinflammatory activity[].
A hydroalcoholic extract has shown antioxidant activity[].
The plant is believed to have the ability to restore normalcy in coma patients and also treat trauma in children[].

Other Uses

The seeds are fried in mustard oil and then massaged all over the body as an insect repellant[].
The crushed leaves are used as a mosquito repellant[].
The essential oil obtained from the plant has shown good mosquito repellent activity and also acts as a strong mosquitocidal agent[]

Propagation

Seed - sow in well-drained soil, covering lightly with a thin layer of sand, and place in a warm but shaded spot. The seed germinates in about three weeks[].
Cuttings of Plectranthus species generally root easily - soft tips root faster than semi-hardwood growth. The cuttings are best taken 60 - 100mm long with three or four nodes, making the cut just below a node. Place them in sand, perlite, vermiculite or peat, or any mixture of these, keep them moist and shaded and they should root in 2 - 3 weeks[]

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