Background
- Boldo is an evergreen shrub found in the Andean regions of Chile and Peru, and also is native to parts of Morocco. Boldo was employed in Chilean and Peruvian folk medicine and recognized as an herbal remedy in a number of pharmacopoeias, mainly for the treatment of liver ailments.
- Boldine, a major alkaloidal constituent found in the leaves and bark of the boldo tree, has been shown to possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. The German Commission E has approved boldo leaf as treatment for mild dyspepsia (upset stomach) and spastic gastrointestinal complaints. Well-designed human studies on the efficacy of boldo are lacking.
References
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