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Taxonomy
Quisumbing's compilation lists Coleus atropurpureus (badiara) and Coleus blumei (mayana) as separate species. More recent compilations list the species as synonymous. K. Heyne does not separate it from C. blumei (now Solenostemon scutellarioides).
Factoid
- There was a report of it psychoactive use among the Mexican Mazatecs discovered in 1962 in connection with Gordon Wasson's research into Salvia divinorum.
- There are a large number of Coleus blumei hybrids which can be mistaken for other Coleus species.
Botany
Mayana is an erect, branched, fleshy,
annual herb, about 1 meter high. Stems are purplish and 4-angled. Leaves are
variously blotched or colored, usually more or less hairy, ovate, 5 to 10 centimeters long, rather coarsely toothed in the margins; and in the most common form uniformly velvety-purple. Flowers
are purplish, numerous, and borne in lax, terminal, simple or branched inflorescences, 15 to 30
centimeters long. Calyx is green, and about 2.5 millimeters long, with the upper lip ovate and the lateral lobes short and ovate, the lower one being 2-cleft. Corolla is about 11 millimeters long.
Distribution
- Introduced in the Philippines.
- Cultivated for ornamental purposes.
- Native of Java.
- Now, a pantropic ornamental.
Constituents
- Volatile oils.
- Leaves reported to yield psychoactive material.
- From the leaves, study isolated a mixture of sterols and triterpenes, campesterol, a-amyrin and b-amyrin.
- Yields salvinorinlike substances
of undetermined chemical structures.
- Screening yielded flavonoids, sterol and triterpenoid compounds.
Properties
Carminative, vulnerary.
Parts used
Leaves, seeds, bark..
 Uses
Folkloric
• In the Philippines, pounded leaves used as a cure for headaches, applied to the temples or nape of the neck. Also used for healing bruises.
• Decoction taken internally for dyspepsia and for wasting away.
• Decoction used as eyedrops for ophthalmia and conjunctivitis.
• Bruises and sprains:
Crush or pound 10-12 leaves and apply over the ankles, wrists or affected
areas for 30 minutes, three times daily. Use a bandage to hold the poultice
in place.
• Carminative: Take decoctions of leaves.
• Mild bleeding of wounds: Wash the young leaves; crush and extract
the juice. Drop a few drops of the juice directly on the wound. Apply
the crushed leaves as poultice.
• Sinusitis: Heat 10-12 fresh leaves over a fire; apply while
still hot over the forehead for the frontal sinuses or over the cheeks
for the maxillary sinuses, twice daily.
• Dyspepsia: Decoction, taken internally.
• Reported use in Asian traditional medicine for asthma, angina, bronchitis, epilepsy, insomnia, skin rashes and various digestive problems.
• In India, fresh juice of leaf and stem is mixed with the juice of raw Citrus fruits and applied over the skin during scorpion bite. source
• In Samoa, used to treat elephantiasis.
• In Southeast Asia, used to treat dysentery and various digestive problems.
Others
• Psychoactive: The psychoactivity of the leaves is highly controversial. (1) There are reports of psychoactive effects from the smoking of leaves. Leaves are dried and soaked alone or mixed with other herbs, and the psychoactive effect achieved with as few as 3 leaves. (2) The Mazatecs consider coleus as a member of the "family" of psychoactive herbs, using coleus as a substitute for Salvia divinorum.
(3) About 30% of subjects who smoked dried Mexican Coleus blumei leaves reported effects similar to smoking a small dosage of Salvia divinorum. (4) Some experience no effects with large amounts of leaves. 
Studies
• Antimicrobial / Diterpenes: Diastereomeric Diterpenes
from Coleus blume: Study
yielded a new abietane type diterpene that showed antimicrobial activity
against B subtilis, P aeruginosa and C albicans.
• Antioxidant: Antioxidant Activity
of Coleus Blumei, Orthosiphon Stamineus, Ocimum basilicum and Mentha
arvensis from Lamiaceae Family: Study showed all methanol samples
exhibited antioxidant activity and suggested that Lamiaceae plants has
pharmaceutical potential for its antioxidant properties.
• Forskolin / Erectile Dysfunction: Study has shown forskolin may enhance smooth muscle relaxation. Studies are needed to assess the use of coleus in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
• Anthelmintic: Leaf extract showed high efficacy against Hymenolepsis nana (mice).
• Analgesic / Anti-Inflammatory / Antimicrobial: Study isolated a mixture of sterols and triterpenes from the leaves of Coleus blumei. The isolates exhibited analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. The study also isolated capesterol, a-amyrin and b-amyrin.
• Antioxidant / Phenolic Content / Minerals: Study investigated whether antioxidant, minerals and phenolic content can be extracted by boiling the leaves in water. The mineral concentration, antioxidant activity and phenolic content seemed to be highly correlated. Study concludes the leaves have a high potential value for a nutritional purpose.
• Antibacterial / Antitumor: An ethyl ethanoate soluble separate of an ethanol extract showed antibacterial and anti-tumor properties.
Availability
Wildcrafted.
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