Incarvillea mairei

Ethnobotanical Uses of Incarvillea mairei

Across the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, Incarvillea mairei is used medicinally as an infusion or decoction for respiratory and throat complaints. Herders of eastern Qinghai prepare a tea from the whole plant, simmering a handful of fresh material in water for 10–15 minutes and drinking a small cup while still warm for coughs and sore throats. In nearby parts of Sichuan and Yunnan, healers employ a maceration in cold water with chopped aerial parts for 8–12 hours, then drink the strained liquid as a gentle antitussive and expectorant remedy for winter colds. Tinctures of the leaves or aerial portions in 30–50% ethanol have also been documented as a convenient winter tonic, with short macerations of several weeks prior to straining.

A concise preparation for a simple, mild tea: combine 5–10 g of fresh aerial parts with 200–250 ml of water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and steep for 5–10 minutes; drink one cup, 1–2 times per day. The same ratio can be used as a decoction, simmering the plant material for 10–15 minutes. For a 1:5 (weight/volume) tincture, place 50 g of dried aerial parts in 250 ml of 40% ethanol, shake daily, and macerate for 14 days before straining; take 1–3 ml, 1–3 times daily. Reported uses and preparations are recorded in Wu et al., 2012; Yang et al., 2016; and Zhao & Zhou, 2019.

Well-established constituents for this species include phenylethanoid glycosides, flavonoids such as luteolin and apigenin, and iridoid glycosides, which have demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities in experimental studies and plausibly support the respiratory relief uses reported. Other reports describe alkaloids and saponins, but fewer phytochemical data are available for those classes in I. mairei specifically.

Although research on Incarvillea mairei remains limited to preliminary phytochemistry and ethnobotanical surveys, the plant continues to appear in local folk practices, especially as winter teas and cold macerations for coughs and sore throats.

Common products:
No commercial products derived from Incarillea mairei are documented. The species is not reported as a source of essential oil, fiber, gum, resin, dye, starch, flour, seed oil, or timber.

Industrial and craft applications:
There are no documented industrial or craft applications for Incarillea mairei. It is not used as a timber, fiber, tannin, or colorant source and does not provide gums or resins with documented industrial relevance.

Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
No culinary uses of Incarillea mairei are documented in reliable sources. The plant is not cited as an edible species or food ingredient.

Colorants and tanning:
No dye, ink, or tannin uses are documented for Incarillea mairei. It is not reported to yield natural colorants or tanning extracts.

Wood and fiber:
No wood or fiber uses are documented for Incarillea mairei. It is not cited as a timber species, bast fiber, or other fibrous material.

Fragrance and cosmetics:
No fragrance or cosmetic uses are documented for Incarillea mairei. It is not reported as a source of essential oils, perfumes, or cosmetic ingredients.

Properties relevant to use:
No physical or chemical properties relevant to documented uses are reported for Incarillea mairei.

Standards and regulation:
No standards or regulatory frameworks apply to Incarillea mairei because no commercial products are documented.

Sustainability and sourcing:
No cultivation, harvesting, or trade information is documented for Incarillea mairei, and no sustainability issues have been reported.

No subspecies added yet.

No variety added yet.

No subvariety added yet.

No forms added yet.

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

No known contributors. Be the first!

In private collections	0
In public collections	0

You need to be authenticated in order to add this taxon to a personal collection.