Researchers have identified compounds in the leaves of a traditional medicinal plant found in the US and Canada that may help fight the parasite responsible for malaria. The study, published recently in the journal ACS Omega, shows that a component found in Labrador tea — several, closely related plants of the Rhododendron genus — works against both strains of the malaria parasite.
These are small, evergreen shrubs with fuzzy leaves that are used to make herbal teas, commonly used by indigenous regions in the US and Canada, the researchers said. Previous studies have shown that essential oils extracted from plants have antimicrobial properties, which may help fight antibiotic-resistant microbes, he said.
Researchers from Laval University, Canada, and colleagues wanted to characterize for the first time the makeup of dwarf Labrador tea, or Rhododendron subarcticum, and test its antiparasitic activity.
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The team collected RW from Nunavik, a region in northern Quebec, Canada. subarcticum collected the leaves. The researchers extracted the essential oil from the leaves and analyzed it with gas chromatography, mass spectrometry and flame ionization detection to identify 53 compounds.
They found that 64.7 percent of the oil contained ascaridol, followed by p-cymene at 21.1 percent. According to the researchers, this combination of compounds has not previously been reported in closely related North American Labrador tea varieties, although it has been found in subspecies occurring in Europe and Asia.
The team exposed two strains of Plasmodium falciparum, the malaria-causing parasite, to the oil or just ascaridol. In the experiment, one of the strains was resistant to known anti-malarial drugs. The study found that ascaridol was the main component that acted against both strains of the parasite, which is also consistent with other, antiparasitic traditional medicines that are rich in the compound.
The researchers said the discovery underscores the importance of investigating and protecting plants used in traditional medicine, especially in harsh climates affected by climate change.