Colliguaja integerrima Gillies & Hook.

PINTO VITORINO GRACIELA; QUEZADA DIANA PAULA; NAMUNCURÁ MARÍA SOLEDAD; CORDOBA OSVALDO LEON; FLORES MARIA LUJAN

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of South America Vol. 2 Argentina, Chile and Uruguay

Springer Nature

Lugar: Cham; Año: 2020; p. 173 - 181

Colliguaja integerrima Gillies & Hook. (Euphorbiaceae) is an evergreen shrub native to Argentina and Chile, widely distributed in the Patagonia region. Tehuelches-Mapuches, the native people of Patagonia, have used this abundant plant to treat corns, warts and toothache and used the colihuai latex from the leaves and young branches, considered very poisonous, to poison their spearheads and arrowheads. Also, these were used as plasters for analgesic properties. A decoction of the plant was used by Tehuelches for vaginal infections.Carbohydrates (polysaccharides with glucose, galactose and sulfate groups and pinitol), proteins, lipids (containing ricinoleic acid), flavonoids (datiscetin, kaempferol, pelargonidin and delfinidin), tannins, steroids and triterpenes (betulin) are the principal compounds. The chemical composition of this plant and the demonstrated antibacterial and antioxidant activities are evidence that could broadly support the traditional use. Methanolic and aqueous extracts evidenced important cytotoxicity against Artemia salina. Dichloromethane fraction, rich in betulin, generated 100 % inhibition (at 100 μg/ml) against promastigotes of Leishmania donovani (causal of visceral leishmaniasis). In view of its traditional medicine, this chapter reviews scientific studies on the chemical and biological properties of this species.