The geranium is not only a colorful garden plant, it also has a long history of medicinal uses, especially in its native Africa. All the parts of many species of geraniums have been used to treat a variety of disorders: the root for diarrhea; powdered leaves for minor wounds and burns; tubers boiled in milk to treat digestive disorders; teas for nausea and dysentery; infusion of leaves for kidney aliments and oil from geranium as a relaxant and respiratory remedy.
Skin Disorders
Herbal medicines have traditionally been used to treat a myriad of skin conditions. Researchers from the Taisho Pharmaceutical Co. in Japan investigated the effects of herbal extracts, including geranium, on atopic dermatitis, a chronic and relapsing inflammatory skin disease. They found that herbal extract applications significantly decreased skin lesions on mice. Their conclusions, published in the “Journal of Pharmaceutical Society of Japan,” suggested that geranium and other herbal extracts can prevent and moderate the symptoms of chronic skin disorders.
Respiratory System
Geraniums may be helpful for the treatment of respiratory tract and throat infections. University of Maryland Medical Center reported results from preliminary studies that showed people with acute bronchitis who took geranium extract had a faster recovery than the placebo group. The geranium extract had effects similar to antibiotic treatment but without the side effects. A study by researchers at the Academy for Continuing Medical Education in the Ukraine found that children given extract from geranium had a rapid decrease in the severity of symptoms of acute tonsillitis and throat infection compared to those given a placebo. A dose of 20 drops of geranium extract, administered three times per day for six days, shortened the duration of illness by at least 2 days, as reported in “Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.”
Gastrointestinal Problems
The dried rhizome and leaves of the geranium plant can be made into a tea for use as an herbal remedy for gastrointestinal disorders, such as diarrhea. The Department of Pharmacology, Kanebo, Ltd. in Osaka, Japan conducted studies to investigate the effect of an antidiarrheal preparation that contained extract from geranium. The results, published in “Folia Pharmacologica Japonica,” suggest that geranium herb possesses an astringent action, which is effective against diarrhea.
Natural Antioxidant
Antioxidants protect your cells against the effects of free radicals produced as a result of body metabolism or environmental exposures. Free radicals can damage cells and may contribute to heart disease, cancer and other ailments. To identify sources of natural antioxidants for the treatment of rheumatic diseases, researchers at Sun Yat-Sen University in China studied the antioxidant capacities of 50 medicinal plants. Their results, published in the journal “Molecules,” suggested that the phenol content of these plants may be responsible for their antioxidant capacity and free radical scavenging activity. They found that a Chinese variety of geranium was among the highest in natural antioxidant capacity and phenols of the 50 plants tested.
Diabetes
Several chemical compounds found in geraniums and other plant products have proved to possess beneficial properties as a potential treatment for type-2 diabetes complications. The effect of geranium leaf was studied by the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra in Portugal, using rats as a model. They found that oral administration of geranium extract lowered the blood glucose levels in diabetic rats after four weeks. In addition, the geranium extracts improved liver function and increased cellular oxidative efficiency.
References
- The Herb Society of America; Pelargoniums; James Adams et al.; 2006
- “Journal of Pharmaceutical Society of Japan”; Effects of Ethanol Extracts of Herbal Medicines on Dermatitis in an Atopic Dermatitis Mouse Model; N. Takano, et al.; 2011
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Bronchitis
- “Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine”; Efficacy of Extract of Pelargonium Sidoides in Children with Acute Non-Group A Beta-Hemolytic Streptococcus Tonsillopharyngitis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial; W. Bereznoy; 2003
- “Folia Pharmacologica Japonica”; Effects of an Antidiarrhoeica Containing an Extract from Geranium Herb on Astringent Action and Short-Circuit Current Across Jejunal Mucosa; K. Ofuji et al.; 1998
- “Molecules”; Screening of Natural Antioxidants from Traditional Chinese Medicinal Plants Associated with Treatment of Rheumatic Disease; R.Y. Gan et al.; 2010
- “Acta Biochimica Polonica"; MitoTea: Geranium Robertianum L. Decoctions Decrease Blood Glucose Levels and Improve Liver Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation in Diabetic Goto-Kakizaki Rats; F.M. Ferreira et al.; 2010
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