Acute, Subacute, and Cell Toxicity of the Aqueous Extract of Lippia citriodora

Abstract

Background: Lemon verbena (Lippia citriodora) has a long history as a folk remedy for the common cold, asthma, colic, fever, diarrhea, indigestion, insomnia, and anxiety. The increasing use of Lippia citriodora and the lack of scientific data on its safety profile make necessary an evaluation of its toxicity.

Ethnobotanical Knowledge in Sete Cidades, Azores Archipelago: First Ethnomedicinal Report

“…For ten of these species, Allium cepa , Allium sativum , Aloysia citriodora , Elaeagnus umbellata , Malva sylvestris , Melissa officinalis , Morella faya , Petroselinum crispum , Psidium cattleianum and Rubus ulmifolius , there are no scientific studies to support the informants’ warnings. In fact, to the best of our knowledge, these plants are not considered toxic [64,65], and there are no published studies on their toxicity in children. Perhaps this warning is more related to the preventive and protective social conscience that considers children under five years old as very fragile.…”

Aloysia citriodora Palau (lemon verbena) for insomnia patients: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial of efficacy and safety

“…A. citriodora , belonging to the Verbenaceae family, has a long history of use in different traditional medicines for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia (Etemad et al, ; Shirvan et al, ). It is also considered as a natural tranquilizer (Babaei Abrak & Zhiani, ).…”

“…In an animal study, a 21‐day period of treatment with an intraperitoneal injection of aqueous extract of leaves from A. citriodora (daily dose up to 200 mg/kg) was well tolerated and had no toxic effects. Also, the safety of its aqueous extract was approved on the basis of cell viability tests (Etemad et al, ). Another study about acute toxicity of the A. citriodora revealed the LD 50 to be 5 g/kg of body weight (Etemad et al, ).…”

“…Also, the safety of its aqueous extract was approved on the basis of cell viability tests (Etemad et al, ). Another study about acute toxicity of the A. citriodora revealed the LD 50 to be 5 g/kg of body weight (Etemad et al, ). In addition, it has shown that moderate consumption of A. citriodora , as infusion or tea, has no harmful effect on the development of the mouse embryo during pregnancy (Shirvan et al, ).…”

“…Aloysia citriodora Palau ( A. citriodora ) is a shrub native to South America and commonly known as lemon verbena (Bensabah, Lamiri, & Naja, ). It is cultivated in North Africa, Southern Europe, and Iran (Etemad et al, ). It is an aromatic plant used throughout the world for medicinal purposes (Bensabah et al, ) and as food additives and drinks (Kassahun, Yosef, & Mekonnen, ).…”