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To date, the treatments offered by the Western medicine are exclusively palliative, which leads many island populations, particularly in the Pacific region,to turn to traditional medicine. Ethnobotanical studies carried out in the Pacific region, have made it possible to establish a list of nearly 100 plants used in the composition of traditional remedies intended to treat ciguatera. These plants could contain active principles which, not only would act on symptoms improvement, but would also allow the human body to “detoxify” faster. In any case, this is the hypothesis that appears in the light of the testimonies of local populations and published in vitro studies. Among these remedies, only the one based on the leaves of Heliotropium foertherianum (Boraginaceae, common name: "Faux tabac" in New Caledonia and "tahinu" or tohonu" in French Polynesia) has been studied until the isolation of its main active compound, the Rosmarinic acid. |
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Heliotropium foertherianum or "Octopus bush" . a) shrub; b) tree; c) leaves; d) flowers and et burgeons. H. foertherianum preferentially grows by the sea, on the sand. © D. Laurent, C. Gatti et F. Rossi ___________________________ |
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How is the traditional remedy based on "Octopus bush" made? In French Polynesia, this remedy is widely used, especially in the islands where the healthcare access is limited. Islanders generally take 5 to10 yellow leaves, which they clean and boil in 1 liter of water until the latter is reduced to ½ litre. The decoction thus obtained is drunk hot or cold, in one or several time. According to custom, the consumption of this remedy should not exceed 3 consecutive days. To be effective, the treatment must be taken as soon as possible. It should also be noted that the effectiveness can vary from one tree to another, insofar as they do not all contain the same concentrations of rosmarinic acid. The beneficial activity of this remedy has been demonstrated through various pharmacological studies including an in vivo test on mice and various in vitro tests (electrophysiology, neurophysiology, cell physiology and neurotoxicity). These studies showed that this traditional remedy counteracted the toxic effect caused by ciguatoxins. Rosmarinic acid is one of the main active molecule found in the infusion of H. foertherianum leaves. This phenolic compound which does not show any notable toxicity, and whose antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as beneficial properties on the cardiovascular system and some neurodegenerative diseases, can be of great interest in treatment of ciguatera. A “detoxifying” activity has been observed on neuroblastoma cell cultures and ligand-receptor detection test. Rosmarinic acid, but also the traditional remedy based on H. foertherianum leaves, could therefore constitute a promising alternative treatment to Ciguatera poisoning.
More information on the protective effect of H. foertherianum against CTXs:
Fanny Rossi, Valérie Jullian, Ralph Pawlowiez, Shilpa Kumar-Roiné, Mohamed Haddad, H. Taiana Darius, Nabila Gaertner-Mazouni, Mireille Chinain, Dominique Laurent (2012). Protective effect of Heliotropium foertherianum (Boraginaceae) folk remedy and its active compound, rosmarinic acid, against a Pacific ciguatoxin. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Volume 143, Issue 1, Pages 33-40, ISSN 0378-8741, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2012.05.045. ___________________________ |
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Learn more about other traditional remedies used in the South Pacific and French Polynesia to treat Ciguatera:
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