Kingdom: Plantae
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta
Superdivision: Embryophyta
Division: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Boraginales
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Ehretia
Species:
Ehretia
microphilla
Lam.
COMMON NAME: Tsaang gubat
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ehretia microphilla Lam.
SYNONYMS/ OTHER SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Carmona heterophylla Cav.
Carmona microphylla (Lam.) G.Don
Carmona retusa (Vahl.) Masam.
Cordia coromandeliana Retz. ex A.DC.
Cordia retusa Vahl
Ehretia buxifolia Roxb.
Ehretia coromandeliana Retz. ex A.DC.
Ehretia heterophylla Spreng.
Ehretia monopyrena Gottschling & Hilger
OTHER COMMON NAME:
Alangit (Bis.)
Alangitngit (Tag., Bis.)
Balingsaa (C. Bis.)
Buntatai (P. Bis.)
Buyo-buyo (Sul.)
Buyok-buyok (Sul.
Cha (Tag.)
Chaang-bundok (Tag.)
Chaang-gubat (Tag.)
Gari (Bag.)
Icha-nga-atap (Ilk.)
Icha-ti-bakir (Ilk.)
Itsa (Ilk.)
Kalamoga (Tag.)
Kalimomog (Tag.)
Kalimumog (Tag.)
Mangit (Tag., Bis.)
Mara-mara (Bis., S.L. Bis.)
Maratia (Ibn.)
Mura-mara (P. Bis.)
Palupo (Iv.)
Putputai (Bik.)
Santing (Sul.)
Tsa (Tag.)
Forest tea (Engl.)
Fukien tea tree (Engl.)
Philippine tea tree (Engl.)
Scorpion bush (Engl.)
Wild tea (Engl.)
MORPHOLOGY:
ROOTS
Tap root system
LEAVES
Leaves are in clusters on short branches, obovate to oblong-
obovate, 3 to 6 centimeters long, entire or somewhat toothed or
lobed near the apex and pointed at the base, short stalked and
rough on the upper surface.
FLOWERS
Small white flowers, measuring 8 - 10 mm wide, sepals 4 -5 and
lanceolate in shape, measuring 3 -4 mm long, calyx lobes 4 - 5 and
measuring 3 - 4 mm long.
STEM/BARK
Erect, very branched shrub
FRUIT
Fruit is a drupe, rounded, yellow when ripe, 4 to 5 millimeters in
diameter, fleshy,
SEEDS
4-seeded stone, fleshy on the outer part, and stony inside.
CULTIVATION:
The plant has escaped from cultivation in Hawaii and become
naturalized in secondary vegetation.
Plants can flower all year round.
Easily found from the Batan Islands and northern Luzon to Palawan
and Mindanao, in most or all islands and provinces, in thickets and
secondary forests at low and medium altitudes.
Also occurs in India to southern China, Taiwan, and Malaya.
PROPAGATION:
Seed
Cuttings, preferably of top shoots or young leafy shoots. The roots
develop slowly over a period of 1-2 months.
PHYTOCHEMISTRY:
- Phytochemical screening yielded alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides,
tannins, terpenoids, and saponins.
- Major constituents of leaves yielded an intractable mixture of triterpenes,
namely α-amyrin (43.7%), ß-amyrin (24.9%), and baurenol (31.4%).
- Qualitative phytochemical analysis of petroleum ether (PE), methanol
(M), and chloroform (C) extract of leaves yielded alkaloids (M), flavonoids
(PE, M), saponins (M,C), phenols (PE,M), tannins (M), cardiac glycosides
(PE,M,C), terpenoids (PE,M,C) and cardenolides (M,C).
- GC-MS analysis of crude extract of C. retusa yielded 14 phytochemical
compounds. Main constituents were α-amyrin, (1H) naphthalenone,
3,5,67,8,8a-hexahydro-4-8a-dimethyl-6-(1-methylethenyl)- and 9,19-
cycloergost-23(28)-en-3-ol,4,14-dimethyl-acetate, (3a,4a,5a).
- Chloroform fraction of crude ethanol extract of fresh leaves isolated
triterpenoids viz. a -amyin (12-ursen-3-ß oI)ß, -amyin (12-oteanen-3ß-ol),
and baurenot (7-bauren-3-01).
- Wild fruit has a high sugar content (11.8%) and protein content (4.1%).
Copper content was 4.1 mg/100 g.
MEDICINAL USES:
- Leaf decoction or infusion for abdominal colic, cough, diarrhea and
dysentery.
- Root decoction used as an antidote for vegetable poisoning.
- For diarrhea: Boil 8 tbsp of chopped leaves in 2 glasses of water for 15
minutes; strain and cool. Use 1/4 of the decoction every 2 or 3 hours.
Decoction has also been used as a dental mouthwash.
- Decoction of leaves used as disinfectant wash after childbirth.
- In Sri Lanka, used for diabetes: 50 gm of fresh leaves or roots are
chopped; 100 cc of water is added, and 120 cc of juice is extracted by
squeezing, and given once or twice daily.
- In Vietnam, dry roots and stems used for treatment of back pain and
numbness of hands and feet.
- In Tamil, India, juice of leaves taken internally for three to four months to
induce fertility.
- In India and Sri Lanka, roots used for treatment snake bite wounds.
REFERENCES:
Tsaang gubat / CHA / TSA / Ehretia microphylla, wild tea: Philippine Herbal
Medicinal Plants = StuartXchange. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2020,
from http://www.stuartxchange.org/Tsaang.html
ITIS Standard Report - Error. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2020, from
https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN
Carmona retusa. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2020, from
http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Carmona+retusa
Ehretia microphylla Lam. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2020, from
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/1/7/1784
