''Otostegia integrifolia'', more commonly known as Abyssinian rose, a plant belonging to the family Lamiaceae, is endemic to Ethiopia, in the dry evergreen woodlands of the Bale Mountains, Tigray,

Gondar Gondar, also spelled Gonder (Amharic: ጎንደር, ''Gonder'' or ''Gondär''; formerly , ''Gʷandar'' or ''Gʷender''), is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on t ...

Wollo Wollo (Amharic: ወሎ) was a historical province of northern Ethiopia that overlayed part of the present day Amhara, Afar, and Tigray regions. During the Middle Ages this region was known as Bete Amhara and had Amhara kings. Bete Amhara had ...

and

Gojjam Gojjam ( ''gōjjām'', originally ጐዛም ''gʷazzam'', later ጐዣም ''gʷažžām'', ጎዣም ''gōžžām'') is a historical province in northwestern Ethiopia, with its capital city at Debre Marqos. Gojjam's earliest western boundary ex ...

regions, North Shewa, Kaffa and

Hararghe Hararghe ( am, ሐረርጌ ''Harärge''; Harari: ሀረርጌይ ''Harärgeyi'', Oromo: Harargee, so, Xararge) was a province of eastern Ethiopia with its capital in Harar. History Hararghe translates to "land of the Hararis". The region co ...

regions, as well as in the dry and moist agroclimatic zones of the district known as Dega, at altitudes of 1,300—2,800 m. above sea-level. It also grows in Yemen, northwest of

Mukalla Mukalla ( ar, ٱلْمُكَلَّا, ') is a seaport and the capital city of Yemen's largest governorate, Hadhramaut. The city is in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula on the Gulf of Aden, on the shores of the Arabian Sea, about east o ...

. In Ethiopia, ''O. integrifolia'' is commonly known by its Amharic vernacular of ''tinjute'' = ጥንጁት (alt. sp. ''Tindjut'').

Description

A much-branched shrub, growing to a height of 4 m; the stem angled and older stems ash grey and flaking, often bearing paired spines at the nodes. Leaves are simple, nearly sessile, ob-lanceolate to lanceolate, 2–9 cm long, cuneate at the base, clothed on both sides with white tomentum; aromatic, the edge double toothed or round toothed. Flowers are two-lipped with yellow or yellow-orange lower petal and white or cream-colored upper petal, the orange anthers held inside the upper petal. Whorls few or many, 5–6-flowered; bracts rigid, tricuspidate. Calyx sessile; tube 1/4 in. long, densely pubescent, with 10 raised ribs; upper lip small, oblong, pointed, entire; lower orbicular-cuneate, 3/4 in. broad, faintly crenate.

Chemistry and pharmacology

By using analytical and preparative gas chromatography (GC),

terpene Terpenes () are a class of natural products consisting of compounds with the formula (C5H8)n for n > 1. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated hydrocarbons are produced predominantly by plants, particularly conifers. Terpenes ...

s have been extracted from air-dried Abyssinian rose (Otostegia integrifolia) leaves. A total of 40 constituents including monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes and their derivatives were identified.

Scientific and medicinal uses

The species of Otostegia have traditionally been used in folklore medicines, for treatment of

ophthalmia Ophthalmia (also called ophthalmitis) is inflammation of the eye. It results in congestion of the eyeball, often eye-watering, redness and swelling, itching and burning, and a general feeling of irritation under the eyelids. Ophthalmia can have d ...

, as an anti-microbial, antihyperglyceamic, and for its anti-oxidant properties used in preventing different kinds of sickness and disorders, of which five species have been reported in the flora of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. Several studies suggest that ''O. integrifolia'' is a good natural anti-oxidant that can be used as health-promoting agent for various disorders including

diabetes mellitus Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

. The species ''O. integrifolia'' is well known for its pleasant odour, omnipotent medicinal values, and when its wood is fumigated has proven insecticidal properties (mosquito repellent).

Other traditional uses

The wood of the Abyssinian rose (''O. integrifolia'') has insecticidal properties and is often gathered and burnt to fumigate homes, the aroma from the smoke being similar to perfume. Some upturn earthenware brewing jars directly over the smoke emitted from the burning wood, in order to absorb its flavor and to impart the same to an alcoholic beverage to be stored in the jars. The beverage, known locally as ''

tella ''Tella'' or ''talla'' ( Amharic ጠላ; om, farsoo, ti, siwa) is a traditional beer from Ethiopia. It is brewed from various grains, typically teff and sorghum. Depending on region, barley, wheat, or maize may be used; spices can also be ad ...

'', is made from a bath of malted barley to which a batch of hops is later added, derived from the ground leaves of ''gesho'' for

fermenting Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food p ...

, being a species of buckthorn (''

Rhamnus prinoides ''Rhamnus prinoides'', the shiny-leaf buckthorn, is an African shrub or small tree in the family Rhamnaceae. Commonly referred to as "gesho" it was first scientifically described by French botanist Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle in 1789. ...

''). A smouldering coal from either olive wood or the Abyssinian rose wood is also put within ceramic jars used to contain milk, so as to impart its flavor to the milk. Some say that the smoke is used in this case as a disinfectant and to extend the shelf-life of the product. The wood is often collected as firewood, and used for scenting cloth material. In Ethiopia, mothers after childbirth are smoked with ''tinjute'' on the tenth day after giving birth (

postpartum The postpartum (or postnatal) period begins after childbirth and is typically considered to end within 6 weeks as the mother's body, including hormone levels and uterus size, returns to a non-pregnant state. The terms puerperium, puerperal pe ...

). This was believed to “cleanse” the birthing mother so that she could leave her confinement and again resume a normal daily life.Wilson, R.T. & Mariam, W.G ., ''Medicine and Magic in Central Tigre: A Contribution to the Ethnobotany of the Ethiopian Plateau'', Economic Botany (33) 1979, pp. 29–34.

References

External links

Tinjute (Otostegia integrifolia): A versatile Ethiopian ethnomedicinal plant

Medicine and Magic in Central Tigre: A Contribution to the Ethnobotany of the Ethiopian Plateau
JSTOR
Flora entry for Otostegia integrifolia
JSTOR {{Taxonbar, from=Q22285085 Lamiaceae Flora of Ethiopia Medicinal plants Flora of Yemen Garden plants of Africa