About Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl is a sprawling shrub. Its stems range in color from green to purple, and its flowers are either pink or blue. The leaves are oppositely arranged, serrated, and ovate in shape. This species grows in sand dunes, pine rocklands, and disturbed sites, and it has been observed growing in sandy, loamy, and clay soils. Fresh leaves of this plant are consumed in bush tea as a "cooling" tonic and blood cleanser, used to treat asthma and ulcerated stomachs. Tea brewed from this species has been shown to cause a dose-dependent fall in blood pressure in normal rabbits. However, the tea has also been observed to cause mild non-dose dependent systematic toxicity in various tissues throughout the body, including congestion, fatty changes, and necrosis in the liver, blood vessels, kidney, lung and testis. The brain, eyes, intestines and heart remained essentially unaffected.
