Botany
Limonsito Smooth shrub growing to a height of 2 meters. The leaf has two sharp
and slender spines at the base. The short-petioled leaves have three
leaflets, ovate to oblong-ovate, the terminal one 2 to 4 cm long; the
lateral ones, smaller. The margins are crenate. Flowers are very short-stalked,
white, fragrant, and about 1 cm long. Fruit is ovoid, fleshy and red,
somewhat resinous, about 12 mm long.
 Distribution
- Throughout the Philippines,
in thickets and settled areas; in some places gregarious and abundant.
- Introduced; probably Chinese in origin.
- Pantropic in cultivation.
- Naturalized in many countries.
-
Cultivated
for its ornamental fragrant flower and edible red fruit. Attractive
as a garden hedge.
Parts utilized
Leaves and fruits.
Constituents
and Properties
• Berries are lemon-scented.
• Fragrant white flowers have a scent of orange blossoms.
• Leaves exude a resinous scent when bruised.
• Considered antifungal and antibacterial.
• Study yielded a new bicoumarin from the leaves and stems; the
two coumarinic moieties are derivatives of mexoticin and meranzin hydrate.
• From the oil 81 compounds were identified, the main constituent
was germacrene B.
Uses
Nutrition
Edilbe: Fruit, raw or cooked.
Ripe fruit is pleasant and sweet tasting.
Fruit can be pickled or made into jams.
Folkloric
- Leaves applied externally for colic, diarrhea, and skin afflictions.
- Fruits used for cough and sore throat.
- Preparation: Peel the fruits and soak overnight lime (apog) water. Rinse,
and boil in 1 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar. Rinse and boil a second
and third time as preferred, syrupy or candied, using as needed for
cough or sore throat.
- Among islanders of the Indian Ocean, fresh crushed leaves applied to dandruff. Also, used for coughs.
Others
Leaves used in making aromatic bath salts.
Leaves used as cosmetic.
Studies
• Phenolics
/ Anti-HSV: Study
on the inhibitory effects of phenolic compounds on herpes simplex virus
and HIV included 13 coumarins from Triphasia trifolia. The data suggests
the bis-hydroxyphenyl structure as a potential target for anti-HSV and
HIV drugs development.
• Bicoumarin: Study yielded a new bicoumarin from the leaves and stems of Triphasia trifolia.The two coumarinic moieties are derivatives of mexoticin and meranzin hydrate.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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