Samoan Plant Discovered to Have Anti-inflammatory Properties

New research on an ancient Samoan plant gives science new hope for anti-inflammatory medicine

Samoa is a Polynesian country made up of multiple islands located in the Pacific Ocean in the Global Southern Hemisphere. The two main islands, Savai'i and Upolu, are home to a wide variety of tropical plants that have been studied by locals for generations. Citizens of Samoa have utilized these plants to create traditional, plant-based medicinal remedies that have been kept in families for generations. There have been over 500 different flowering plant species recorded across the islands, and even more species of plants with medicinal properties.

One plant, in particular, has caught the attention of scientists all over the world as new developments related to its medicinal properties have been published in many scientific journals. Psychotria insularum, a tropical flowering plant native to the Samoan islands, has been used in medicinal practices by natives on the islands for generations. They would harvest the plant and mash its leaves up into a concoction that they would drink.

An example of a tool used to mash the plant leaves.

This process has been performed by natives on the islands for years with great success to cure pain, but the science has recently been studied by scientists worldwide. They found that the Psychotria insularum plant contained rutin, a glycoside that is typically found in citrus fruit and contains antibacterial properties. Rutin is a known antibacterial property present in plants, but it was unknown that Psychotria insularum contained it until recently. Another compound found in this plant is nicotiflorin, a metabolite typically connected to compounds like rutin.

This breakthrough may not mean much to those who are unaware of the science behind it, but scientists are hopeful that this discovery will change medicinal practices in the Southern Hemisphere and ultimately the world. Natives of the island have already seen the effects of its medicinal power.

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“We have hundreds and hundreds of medicinal plants recorded in various publications on Samoan traditional medicines,” says Molimau-Samasoni, a biologist, author, and native Samoan. Molimau-Samasoni was raised in Samoa and understands the rich history behind medicinal plants and Samoan culture. She recently became a biologist for the Scientific Research Organization of Samoa (SROS), headquartered in Apia, the capital of Samoa. The Scientific Research Organization of Samoa studies all different types of plants from Samoa and surrounding islands. A snapshot of their headquarters' gardens can be seen in the header picture on this page, as well as later in this article.

Below are two maps detailing the geography of the islands. The map on the left details the elevation levels and outlines the coastline where the plant typically grows. The map on the right details average temperatures in July and outlines the wind direction.

Left: Samoan Elevation, Right: Average July Temperatures

For the map on the right, I chose to use a filter showing average temperatures in the month of July. Samoa is a collection of islands located in the Pacific Ocean, its exact coordinates being 13.7590° S, 172.1046° W. The climate in Samoa is warm and humid all year round, with "little variation in temperature but with distinct wet and dry seasons" (Beautiful Samoa 2021). The wet season occurs from November to April and sees an average of 3,000-6,000 millimeters, or 118-236 inches of rainfall in the wet season, most of it occurring from December to March. The dry season is from May to October and has less rainfall than the wet season, but enough that the tropical climate of the island is not disturbed in the slightest. This map shows the average temperatures in July, which is typically the hottest and driest month on the islands. I chose this month of temperatures to show that even with an increase in temperature, the plants in Samoa continue to flourish in the tropical climate.

The Psychotria insularum is one such plant that withstands the fluctuation in the tropical climate of Samoa. The native healers on the island may use all parts of the plant -such as berries, roots, or blossoms- for healing properties, but the scientists researching this situation focused solely on the plant leaves. Molimau-Samasoni observed healers using the plant in their natural surroundings and then she harvested some leaves to study in a lab in New Zealand. What she found drew attention from scientists all over.

Psychotria insularum is known as "matalafi" to the Samoans, and it is said to have superstitious beliefs surrounding it. Matalafi was rumored to treat illnesses related to spirits and ghosts and thus surrounded by lots of superstition. However, a more practical use for matalafi turned out to be treating surface-level infections and inflammation. The word "matalafi" translates to "hide from sight" in Samoan and is believed to be impossible to find once you announce to nature that you are searching for it. Some believe this just adds to the superstitious nature surrounding the plant. To be safe, Molimau-Samasoni collected the plant from a garden on the island.

SROS Headquarters in Apia. Picture courtesy of Seeseei Molimau-Samasoni.

Collaborators from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, Stanford University, New York University, and the Samoan Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment aided Molimau-Samasoni in her research on the matalafi plant. They worked to isolate compounds from the matalafi leaves and eventually found success. The two main compounds they managed to isolate are rutin and nicotiflorin, as mentioned earlier. They also found that matalafi chalates, or traps, iron within cells. This makes it efficient at helping inflammation. They experimented on the immunity of mice and found that the matalafi plant was just as effective as ibuprofen.

"We’re very excited that this paper has provided scientific merit for traditional Samoan medicine. We’re hoping that our research will continue to provide scientific background and molecular basis for how our plants are being used in traditional medicines" - Molimau-Samasoni

This research gives new hope to doctors looking to treat conditions where iron is increased and overloaded in the body, such as in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. This science is also efficient at fighting pain, inflammation, and bacterial diseases. The native Samoans have used the matalafi plant for generations to fight incisions, inflammation, and -according to superstitious legends- illnesses from restless spirits. Now, scientists and doctors understand the workings behind the Psychotria insularum or "matalafi" plant native to the island of Samoa and can use the science to engineer new anti-inflammatory medicine.


Works Cited

"Mean July Land Temperature" [Map] Scale Not Given. Created 4 Mar. 2016. Updated 4 Mar. 2016. Using: ArcGIS [GIS software] <https://nau.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=d120d67a5d384603ba147c0f6315cf01>

Melchor, Stephanie. “Study Confirms Anti-Inflammatory Property of Traditional Samoan Remedy.” Mongabay Environmental News, 19 Nov. 2021, news.mongabay.com/2021/11/study-confirms-anti-inflammatory-property-of-traditional-samoan-remedy/.

“Plant in Traditional Samoa Medicine Could Be as Effective as Ibuprofen, Study Shows.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 4 Nov. 2021, www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/04/plant-in-traditional-samoa-medicine-could-be-as-effective-as-ibuprofen-study-shows.

"Terrain: Elevation Tinted Hillshade" [Map] Scale Not Given. Created 30 Dec. 2013. Updated 29 Sept. 2021. Using: ArcGIS [GIS software]. <https://nau.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=2729e694b9b34738a59075aed367dedd>

“This Traditional Samoan Medicine Plant Could Give Ibuprofen a Run for Its Money | CBC Radio.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 8 Nov. 2021, www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-the-friday-edition-1.6238718/this-traditional-samoan-medicine-plant-could-give-ibuprofen-a-run-for-its-money-1.6238773.

Tofaeono, Tile. “Climate of Samoa.” Samoa Meteorology Division, www.samet.gov.ws/index.php/climate-of-samoa.

Watson, Clare. “This Indigenous Samoan Plant Could Rival a Common Painkiller, New Lab Study Shows.” ScienceAlert, www.sciencealert.com/this-indigenous-samoan-plant-is-as-good-as-a-common-painkiller-new-study-shows.

“Weather & Climate in Samoa: Samoa Tourism Authority.” Weather & Climate in Samoa | Samoa Tourism Authority, www.samoa.travel/travel-info/climate-weather/. 

Samoan Plant Discovered to Have Anti-inflammatory Properties

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An example of a tool used to mash the plant leaves.

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SROS Headquarters in Apia. Picture courtesy of Seeseei Molimau-Samasoni.