By the roadside, bold and bright, Lantana blooms in fiery light.
Lantana Camara
Lantana Camara—a plant so beautiful it’s almost easy to forget it’s a bit of a botanical rogue. With its vibrant clusters of red, yellow, and orange blooms, it’s like the fireworks finale of the floral world, adding a bold pop of colour to any scene, especially when adorning the edge of a cocktail glass. At Trolley’d, we use these dazzling little firecrackers of nature as garnishes for our cocktails, where their tropical allure brings just the right amount of visual punch to our botanical concoctions.
But beneath its beauty, Lantana has a bit of a chequered past. Native to Central and South America, it made its way to Australia’s sunny shores in 1841, settling first in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. By the 1860s, it had charmed its way into gardens up the east coast, only to be labelled an invasive weed when it started taking over, spreading faster than rumours at a cocktail party. Today, it’s known as a noxious weed, with efforts underway to manage its unruly behaviour on native flora—fire, apparently, being the ultimate gardener’s tool for taming this colourful renegade.
Despite its notorious reputation, Lantana is steeped in medicinal and cultural history. Folk healers around the world have long turned to this plant for its healing properties. In Uganda, its leaves are chewed with rock salt to treat coughs, while in the Philippines, the fresh roots are steeped in water and used to soothe toothaches. In Pueblo, Mexico, the berries are used to treat gastrointestinal ailments, and in the Caribbean, a tea made from the leaves is the go-to remedy for easing cold symptoms.
And lest you think Lantana’s gifts stop there, it’s also known for its magical uses. Governed by the fire element and linked to both the Sun and Mars, this plant's energy is bright, dynamic, and protective. Lantana is said to ward off negativity, shield against dark energies, and even guard you from the harmful effects of electromagnetic fields (perhaps it's time to slip a leaf into your phone case). It’s a floral warrior, helping to break old patterns, clear stagnant energy, and guide you to speak your truth.
In the world of cocktails, Lantana isn’t just a pretty face. Its fiery, bold colours make it the perfect garnish for plant-based drinks, pairing particularly well with our tropical infusions and botanical-forward spirits. Imagine sipping on a Trolley’d creation, the vibrant bloom perched atop, as you imbibe not just flavour, but a little bit of history, a touch of folklore, and perhaps, a dash of fire energy. It's more than just a garnish—it’s a story waiting to be tasted.
Common Names: Ham and Eggs Plant, Spanish Flag, Red (Golden) Sage, White Sage, Wild Sage, Tick Berry,Michi Charo, Enaro
Botanical Family: Verbenaceae
Native Habitat: Central and South America. Introduced to Australia and become a highly invasive, noxious weed. It is said to spread allelopathy into its surrounding which prevents the germination of native flora [6]. In Australia around 30 insects have been introduced to try and contain Lantana, all of which have made no impact on the species but contribute to environmental degradation. Yellomundee Firesticks with Yellomundee Aboriginal Bushcare are treating lantana with cultural fire on Darug land [7].
Toxicity & Allergens: Contains toxic pentacyclic triterpenoids referred to as lantadenes which are hepatotoxic to grazing animals as well as dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits and rats [1]. There has been recorded evidence of the unripe berries causing acute gastrointestinal syndrome in children when consumed, although there was no significant difference in frequencies of adverse symptoms comparative to other species of berries.[2].
Traditional uses: For many years, natural products from Lantana have been used in the prevention and cure of many serious diseases, including cancers [3].
The essential oils of the leaves are known to be effective as mosquito repellent.
In Uganda the leaves are chewed with Rock salt for the treatment of cough and the extract has been found to be beneficial in the treatment of Tuberculosis [4].
In Ethiopia, the stem of the plant has been used to assist in the treatment of Diarrheal disease [5].
Lantana camara can be used as a durable wood polymer composite for making baskets, foot mats and pen cases. Long straight stems make a decent friction timber for starting a fire.
In Ecuador the ripe berries are used to make jam, jellies, pies and cordials.
In folk medicine, the plant has been used for the treatment of chicken pox, measles, asthma, skin itches, antiseptic for wounds, and externally in leprosy.
In Pueblo, Mexico, the berries are used to treat gastrointestinal diseases.
In the Caribbean Islands, a tea of the leaves is used to ease cold symptoms.
In the Philippines, the fresh roots are steeped in water and used as a gargle for toothaches. A concoction of the leaves and fruit is used as an ointment for wounds.
In Sinaloa, Mexico, a strong tea of the leaves is used to treat snake bites, whilst a poultice of the leaves is applied directly to the wound.
Lantana can be used to protect you from the harmful effects of electromagnetic fields associated with WiFi and mobile phones, a leaf can be placed in your phone cover to protect from the radiation [8].
The lantana plant is used in essences for healing issues surrounding sexual dysfunction and obsessive-compulsive disorders. The essence is meant to calm extremes of sexual repression or perversion.
In Malawi the leaves are used to treat headache, epilepsy and madness and the roots are used as a contraceptive [10]
Phytochemistry: The extract revealed the presence of **flavonoids, ***alkaloids, ^tannins, ^^volatile oils and ^^^phytosterols. The plant has antimicrobial, fungicidal, insecticidal, and nematicidal properties
History: Lantana was first recorded in Australia in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens in 1841, and a few years later it had spread to gardens up the east coast of the country. By the 1860s it was reported as a weed in both Sydney and in Brisbane. But in spite of its weed status, a few specimens are located in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.
Powers & Magical Uses: The symbolic meaning of the flower is Rigour. It’s element is Fire and it is governed by the Sun and Mars. It’s energy is clear, dynamic, bright and positive.
Lantana protects from negative influence. If you have had a traumatic experience, lantana an soften the physical, psychological and energetic effects [8].
If you are in a negative environment, it can protect you from the influence of someones unpleasant and dark energy [8].
It helps maintain light and keep you energy field strong. Can be used to protect you from overwhelming and negative influences from crowds as well as from psychic attacks from others [8].
It has the ability to break old patterns, get energy moving, speak your truth, strengthen your will and has karma cleansing abilities.
Glossary:
*Allelopathy, is a common biological phenomenon by which one organism produces biochemicals that influence the growth, survival, development, and reproduction of other organisms. These biochemicals are known as allelochemicals and have beneficial or detrimental effects on target organisms
**Flavonoids, a group of natural substances with variable phenolic structures, are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, bark, roots, stems, flowers, tea and wine. These natural products are well known for their beneficial effects on health and efforts are being made to isolate the ingredients so called flavonoids. Flavonoids are now considered as an indispensable component in a variety of nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, medicinal and cosmetic applications. This is attributed to their anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic and anti-carcinogenic properties coupled with their capacity to modulate key cellular enzyme function [9].
***Alkaloids, everyone’s favourite chemical compound group, used in plants and fungus to protect them from predators. In humans they have immense physiological effects, same pleasurable and others not so esteemed. Certain alkaloids have the ability to connect the Conscious with the Subconscious, especially during astral travelling.
^Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.
^^Volatile oil, A substance of oily consistency and feel especially one that is derived from a plant tissue that are characterised by their volatility and failure to saponify. They evaporate when they are exposed to the air and thus are capable of distillation. Often referred to as ‘essential oils’ as they are considered the essence of the plant's fragrance.
^^^Phytosterols, are phytosteroids, similar to cholesterol, that serve as structural components of biological membranes of plants. They encompass plant sterols and stanols. More than 250 sterols and related compounds have been identified
Acknowledgments:
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Om P. Sharma, Harinder Paul S. Makkar, Rajinder K. Dawra, A review of the noxious plant Lantana camara, Toxicon, Volume 26, Issue 11, 1988, Pages 975-987
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Shaun D. Carstairs, Joyce Y. Luk, Christian A. Tomaszewski, F. Lee Ingestion of Lantana camara Is Not Associated With Significant Effects in Children Cantrell Pediatrics Dec 2010, 126 (6) e1585-e1588; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2010-1669
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Priyanka Srivastava, Mithilesh Singh, Gautami Devi, Rakhi Chaturvedi, Chapter 30 - Herbal Medicine and Biotechnology for the Benefit of Human Health, Animal Biotechnology, Academic Press, 2014, pp 563-575
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Claude Kirimuhuzya, Paul Waako, Moses Joloba, Olwa Odyek, The anti-mycobacterial activity of Lantana camara a plant traditionally used to treat symptoms of tuberculosis in South-western Uganda, African Health Sciences Vol 9 No 1 March 2009, pp 40-45
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Tadesse, E., Engidawork, E., Nedi, T. et al. Evaluation of the anti-diarrheal activity of the aqueous stem extract of Lantana camara Linn (Verbenaceae) in mice. BMC Complement Altern Med 17, 190 (2017).
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Cheng Fang, Cheng Zhihui, Research Progress on the use of Plant Allelopathy in Agriculture and the Physiological and Ecological Mechanisms of Allelopathy, Frontiers in Plant Science, VOL, 2015, p 1020
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Ens, E., Fisher, J. and Costello, O. (Editors) (2015) Indigenous people and invasive species: Perceptions, management, challenges and uses. IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management Community Report.
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Heidi Merika. Wildcraft; the science and spirit of wild plants as food and medicine. Published by Heidi Merika 2019 pp 160-165
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Panche, A., Diwan, A., & Chandra, S. (2016). Flavonoids: An overview. Journal of Nutritional Science, 5, E47. Cambridge University Press, UK, doi:10.1017/jns.2016.41
