Lippia integrifolia
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID643fe18da9ecd937423222 |
| Scientific name | Lippia integrifolia |
| Authority | Hieron. |
| First published in | Bol. Acad. Nac. Ci. Republ. Argent. 4: 406 (1881) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Lippia integrifolia, a shrub native to the Andean Puna and adjacent high valleys, has long been made into teas and decoctions as a household medicine across several cultures. In northern Argentina, infusions of young leaves are prepared for gastric pains, colic, colds, and as a tonic by Creole and indigenous communities (Alvear, 1973). Rural Bolivian people similarly steep the leaves to aid digestion and soothe respiratory complaints, sometimes taking a decoction for mild fevers (Poth, 2018). In northeastern Chile, Mapuche communities in the Andes have used L. integrifolia leaf infusions to calm cough and as a carminative for flatulence and upset stomach (Bennett et al., 2021). Across the Andean highlands, common names such as “incayuyo,” “paico,” and “ingur” point to its use as both a flavoring and a digestive aid in daily cooking and teas.
One widely practiced recipe for a mild digestive tea uses fresh or dried leaves. Measure 1–2 teaspoons of roughly chopped leaves (about 3–5 g) per 200 ml of just‑boiling water. Cover and steep for 5–10 minutes, then strain. The infusion can be taken in small cups after meals; many users limit intake to 1–2 cups per day. An alternative cold maceration uses 5 g of leaves per 250 ml of water, steeped overnight, and is then gently warmed before drinking. Because the plant is rich in thymol, a strong phenol, it should be avoided during pregnancy and by infants; excessive consumption can irritate the stomach, and those with hypothyroidism should use it cautiously.
Phytochemical studies confirm that the leaves and aerial parts contain an essential oil in which thymol and p‑cymene are the major constituents, with smaller amounts of γ‑terpinene, α‑pinene, and borneol (Gómez et al., 1999; Senatore, 2000). These monoterpenes and phenols are consistent with the plants’ reputation as digestive and antimicrobial herbs. While no clinical trials exist, these constituents support traditional applications that use teas for colds, coughs, and gastrointestinal discomfort.
Modern relevance: commercial “incayuyo” leaf teas and seasonings are widely sold in Andean markets, and ongoing ethnobotanical surveys continue to document everyday household uses of Lippia integrifolia infusions across northern Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
Essential oil obtained by steam distillation of fresh aerial parts (leaves and inflorescences) is the primary commercial product derived from Lippia integrifolia.
Industrial and craft applications:
Non-medicinal uses are not documented for this taxon.
Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
Leaves and/or distilled oil are used as a flavoring in certain traditional Andean alcoholic beverages and soft drinks; products are not specified beyond these categories.
Colorants and tanning:
Non-medicinal uses are not documented for this taxon.
Wood and fiber:
Non-medicinal uses are not documented for this taxon.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
Non-medicinal uses are not documented for this taxon.
Properties relevant to use:
The essential oil is characterized by high oxygenated monoterpenes, particularly 1,8-cineole (also reported as 1,8-cineole-rich), with frequent minor monoterpenes; this composition underpins the aromatic profile exploited for flavoring applications.
Standards and regulation:
International essential-oil standards are not established specifically for this species; labeling for flavorings is governed by general food flavor regulations where applicable.
Sustainability and sourcing:
Commercially, material is wild-harvested from native Argentine and Bolivian distribution; depletion risk is unknown due to limited agronomic data.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Lippia boliviana | Rusby | Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 4: 243 (1895) |
| Lippia boliviana var. angusta | Moldenke | Phytologia 14: 325 (1967) |
| Lippia boliviana var. integrifolia | Moldenke | Phytologia 42: 199 (1979) |
| Lippia integrifolia var. beckii | Moldenke | Phytologia 52: 19 (1982) |
| Lippia turbinata var. integrifolia | Griseb. | Abh. Königl. Ges. Wiss. Göttingen 19: 243. 1874 |
Germination/Propagation Top
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No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Southern America click to expand
-
Southern South America
- Argentina Northeast
- Argentina Northwest
- Chile North
-
Western South America
- Bolivia
-
Southern South America
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000228913 |
| Tropicos | 33700258 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:863673-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-113540 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 812012 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 925356 |
| IPNI | 863673-1 |
| iNaturalist | 1187578 |
| GBIF | 7297704 |
| Wikipedia | Lippia_integrifolia |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Hydrocarbons / Polycyclic hydrocarbons | |||||
| 1-Africanene | 10750737 | Click to see | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP980424V |
| 3,3,5,7b-tetramethyl-1a,2,5,6,7,7a-hexahydro-1H-cyclopropa[e]azulene | 85255689 | Click to see | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP980424V |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Sesquiterpenoids | |||||
| (1aR,5R,7bR)-3,3,5,7b-tetramethyl-1a,2,5,6-tetrahydro-1H-cyclopropa[h]azulene-4,7-dione | 10537549 | Click to see | 232.32 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP8000927 |
| (1aS,4aS,5R,7bR)-3,3,5,7b-tetramethyl-1a,2,4,4a,5,6-hexahydro-1H-cyclopropa[e]azulene | 101939196 | Click to see CC1CC=C2C1CC(CC3C2(C3)C)(C)C | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP980424V |
| (1aS,5R,7bS)-3,3,5,7b-tetramethyl-1,1a,2,5,6,7-hexahydrocyclopropa[e]azulen-4-one | 162938834 | Click to see | 218.33 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)80411-2 |
| (3aR,5Z,9aR)-2,2,5-trimethyl-9-methylidene-3,3a,4,7,8,9a-hexahydro-1H-cyclopenta[8]annulene | 15519994 | Click to see | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP980424V |
| 2,2,5-trimethyl-9-methylidene-3,3a,4,7,8,9a-hexahydro-1H-cyclopenta[8]annulene | 72833140 | Click to see CC1=CCCC(=C)C2CC(CC2C1)(C)C | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP980424V |
| 3,3,5,7b-tetramethyl-1a,2,5,6-tetrahydro-1H-cyclopropa[h]azulene-4,7-dione | 85177045 | Click to see | 232.32 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP8000927 |
| Africanone | 583980 | Click to see | 218.33 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)80411-2 |
| Caryophyllene | 5281515 | Click to see CC1=CCCC(=C)C2CC(C2CC1)(C)C | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)80411-2 |
| Humulene | 5281520 | Click to see | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)80411-2 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Sesquiterpenoids / Aromadendrane sesquiterpenoids / 5,10-cycloaromadendrane sesquiterpenoids | |||||
| (1aS,4aS,7S,7aR,7bS)-1,1,7-trimethyl-4-methylidene-1a,2,3,4a,5,6,7a,7b-octahydrocyclopropa[h]azulen-7-ol | 97032059 | Click to see | 220.35 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1021/NP50093A010 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)80411-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)97577-0 |
| (7aR)-1,1,7-trimethyl-4-methylidene-1a,2,3,4a,5,6,7a,7b-octahydrocyclopropa[h]azulen-7-ol | 5321422 | Click to see | 220.35 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)97577-0 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)80411-2 https://doi.org/10.1021/NP50093A010 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Sesquiterpenoids / Himachalane and lippifoliane sesquiterpenoids | |||||
| (-)-alpha-Himachalene | 11830551 | Click to see | 204.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)80411-2 |
| 1,6-trans-Lippifolian-1 alpha-ol-5-one | 91750058 | Click to see | 236.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP50125A010 |
| 3,3,5,7b-Tetramethyl-1,1a,2,5,6,7-hexahydrocyclopropa[a]naphthalen-4-one | 14830859 | Click to see | 218.33 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1021/NP50125A010 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)80411-2 https://doi.org/10.1021/NP8000927 |
| 5-hydroxy-3,3,5,7b-tetramethyl-1a,2,6,7-tetrahydro-1H-cyclopropa[a]naphthalen-4-one | 162984224 | Click to see CC1(CC2CC2(C3=C1C(=O)C(CC3)(C)O)C)C | 234.33 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP50125A010 |
| 7a-hydroxy-3,3,5,7b-tetramethyl-1a,2,3a,5,6,7-hexahydro-1H-cyclopropa[a]naphthalen-4-one | 162959553 | Click to see | 236.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP50125A010 |
| Lippifoli-1(6)-en-4 beta-ol-5-one | 91750064 | Click to see | 234.33 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP50125A010 |
| Lippifoli-1(6)-en-5-one | 91750065 | Click to see | 218.33 | unknown |
https://doi.org/10.1021/NP50125A010 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)80411-2 https://doi.org/10.1021/NP8000927 |
| > Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Alcohols and polyols / Tertiary alcohols | |||||
| (1aS,5R,7aR,7bR)-3,3,5,7b-tetramethyl-1,1a,2,5,6,7-hexahydrocyclopropa[e]azulen-7a-ol | 100964032 | Click to see | 220.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP980424V |
| 3,3,5,7b-Tetramethyl-1,1a,2,5,6,7-hexahydrocyclopropa[e]azulen-7a-ol | 85195461 | Click to see | 220.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP980424V |
| > Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Carbohydrates and carbohydrate conjugates / Glycosyl compounds / O-glycosyl compounds | |||||
| [(2R,3S,4S,5R,6R)-6-[[(3aR,4S,9aR,9bR)-4-hydroxy-6-methyl-3-methylidene-2-oxo-3a,4,5,7,9a,9b-hexahydroazuleno[8,7-b]furan-9-yl]methoxy]-3,4,5-trihydroxyoxan-2-yl]methyl 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetate | 101176807 | Click to see | 558.60 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1021/NP980424V |
| > Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Carbonyl compounds / Cyclic ketones | |||||
| (1R,2S,7S)-1,5,5-trimethyl-2-(3-oxobutyl)bicyclo[5.1.0]octan-3-one | 21775422 | Click to see CC(=O)CCC1C(=O)CC(CC2C1(C2)C)(C)C | 236.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)97577-0 |
| (1R,5R,10S)-1,5,8,8-tetramethylbicyclo[8.1.0]undecane-2,6-dione | 14830857 | Click to see | 236.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)84049-2 |
| (1S,5R,10S)-1,5,8,8-Tetramethylbicyclo[8.1.0]undecane-2,6-dione | 572978 | Click to see | 236.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)84049-2 |
| 1,5,5-Trimethyl-2-(3-oxobutyl)bicyclo[5.1.0]octan-3-one | 73836757 | Click to see CC(=O)CCC1C(=O)CC(CC2C1(C2)C)(C)C | 236.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)97577-0 |
| CID 22215840 | 22215840 | Click to see | 236.35 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)84049-2 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |