Bioactive volatile fraction of Chilean boldo (Peumus boldus Molina) – an overview

ABSTRACT

Chilean boldo (Peumus boldus Molina) is a native plant of the central and southern regions of Chile. This plant belongs to the Monimiaceae family and it is widely consumed, majority as a tea, in Brazil and in several other countries of the world. This high consumption can be explained mainly by the broad spectrum of pharmacological effects associated to this herb: colagogue, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, antifungal, anthelmintic and diuretic actions. Part of the pharmacological properties of this herb and, obviously, its flavor and aroma, can be associated with the composition of its volatile fraction. This review aims to establish the chemical composition of the volatile fraction of Peumus boldus Molina, indicating the levels and pharmacological properties of its constituents. Some information about the contribution of this volatile fraction for the aroma of Chilean boldo tea could also be found in this review.

KEYWORDS:

• Peumus boldus Molina
• volatile fraction
• essential oil
• pharmacological properties
• tea aroma

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the financial support of UNIRIO, CAPES, FAPERJ and CNPq.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior; Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico; UNIRIO;