The leaves of an indigenous Samoan plant used to treat fevers, body aches and 'ghost sickness' – a belief of being possessed – may be just as effective as ibuprofen.
The tree, known as Psychotria insularum or matalafi by locals, stands about six feet high with small white flowers and glossy red berries mixed in with large green leaves.
The leaves have long been used in Samoan traditional medicine to treat inflammation-associated illnesses by interacting with the iron within the body's cells.
A team of scientist led by Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand found its anti-inflammatory effects are as potent as those found in the over-the-counter drug.
It also has the potential to treat cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases as well as COVID-19.
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The leaves of an indigenous Samoan plant used to treat fevers, body aches and 'ghost sickness' – a belief of being possessed – may be just as effective as ibuprofen
For hundreds of years, natives of Samoa, an island in the South Pacific, have been using the leaves of the matalafi tree to treat a wide variety of inflammation related ailments, but now scientists have taken a deeper look to better understand how the treatment works.
The natural treatment made by traditional healers is done by chopping up and juicing the leaves, but sometimes the leaves are left whole and applied to a wound.
Along with colleagues, Seeseei Molimau-Samasoni, the study's author and the manager of the plants and postharvest technologies division at the Scientific Research Organization of
