Botany
Erect, very branched shrub growing up to 1.5 - 4 m high. Leaves in clusters on short branches, 3-6 cm long, entire or somewhat toothed or lobed near the apex and pointed at the base, short stalked and rough on the upper surface. White flowers are small, axillary, solitary, 2 or 4 on a common stalk. Fruit yellow when ripe, 4-5 mm in diameter, fleshy, with a 4-seeded stone.

Distribution
Easily found in thickets and secondary forests, at low and medium altitudes.

Parts utilized
Leaves

Uses
Culinary
Tea made from the leaves.
Folkloric
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.
New Application
Being promoted by the Department of Health (DOH) as an antispasmodic; for stomach/abdominal pains.
One of a few herbs recently registered with the Bureau of Foods and Drugs as medicines.

Studies
• Antiallergic Activity: Tsaang gubat, together with Lagundi and Sambong, were studied for possible anti-allergic subtances to counter the histamine release from mast cells that cause type-1 reactions. From tsaang-gubat, rosmarinic acid and microphyllone were isolated.
• Antibacterial / Antinocicpetive / Anti-inflammatory: Study of CR leaves yielded an intractable mixture of triterpenes– a-amyrin, ß-amyrin and baurenol and a wide range of bioactivity. The mixture showed analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrheal and antibacterial activities.

Availability
Wild crafted.
Commercial: Tablets and tea bags