Lantana (Lantana camara) — Ubuhobe

Lantana camara is a robust, woody perennial shrub in the verbena family, growing one to three metres tall with rough, square stems, opposite leaves with a strong, pungent smell when crushed, and clusters of small tubular flowers that change colour as they age — a trait that makes the plant one of the most visually distinctive in the African bushveld. It spreads rapidly in disturbed soil, roadsides, and farmland margins, and is now found across tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia, and the Americas. In Zimbabwe it is known as ubuhobe in Ndebele, and is recognised immediately by its smell and its multicoloured flower clusters.

The leaves are the most widely used medicinal part. A tea made from fresh or dried lantana leaves is used across Zimbabwe, South Africa, and East Africa as a treatment for fever, colds, and flu. Taken hot, the tea promotes sweating and assists the body in regulating temperature during fever illness. The leaves contain lantadene, flavonoids, and volatile oils with demonstrated antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory activity. Steam inhalation of lantana leaves boiled in water is used for nasal congestion, sinusitis, and chest infections — the aromatic volatile oils open the airways and reduce inflammation in the respiratory tract in a way very similar to the more familiar fever tea, umsuzwane.

Applied externally, crushed fresh lantana leaves are one of the most widely used traditional wound remedies across southern and eastern Africa. The leaf is bruised and pressed directly onto cuts, wounds, and skin infections as a poultice, where its antimicrobial compounds inhibit bacterial growth and reduce inflammation in the surrounding tissue. A cooled leaf decoction is used as a wash for infected wounds, fungal skin conditions, and scabies. Several laboratory studies have confirmed that lantana leaf extracts have significant antibacterial activity against common wound pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus — validating the traditional use that healers across the continent have long practised.

The roots are used in decoction for rheumatism, body pain, and the swollen, aching joints that come with long illness. A small piece of dried lantana root, simmered in water for twenty minutes, is taken in modest amounts for muscular pain, stiffness, and fever-related body aching. Traditional healers in Zimbabwe caution strongly about dose: the roots contain alkaloids that are potent in larger amounts, and the preparation is always made carefully, with a measured quantity of root and short duration of use. This is not a remedy for unsupervised or open-ended self-administration.

As an insect repellent, lantana is one of the most effective and most widely used plants in the southern African tradition. Fresh branches placed in doorways, sleeping areas, and animal kraals deter mosquitoes and other insects. The crushed leaves rubbed on the skin provide a strong repellent barrier. In parts of Zimbabwe and Mozambique, lantana branches are burned as a smudge in the evenings during the rainy season, releasing the aromatic oils into the air to keep mosquitoes away from the home. Research has confirmed that lantana essential oil has significant repellent activity against Anopheles mosquitoes, supporting this ancient and practical use.