Great Blue Lobelia
Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
Lobelia siphilitica, found throughout the US and Canada in wetlands and swamps, is a herbaceous perennial in the Bellflower Family. It grows up to three feet tall, with long racemes of blue flowers, a favorite of hummingbirds. Historically, Native Americans used the plant’s roots and leaves to treat coughs, nosebleeds, headaches, colds, and, as its scientific name would suggest, syphilis (Anderson, 2003; Folquitto et al., 2019). Ingesting Great Blue Lobelia leaves can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or, in larger amounts, death. Modern use includes extracting an alkaloid, lobeline, used in over-the-counter smoking cessation aids, although there is little evidence of its effectiveness for smoking cessation (Stead & Hughes, 2012). However, lobeline and related piperidine alkaloids are used in several antidepressant and opioid medications (Brown et al., 2016; Vitaku et al., 2014).
Historical Use
Historical information on the use of Great Blue Lobelia can be found in William Barton’s Vegetable Materia Medica of the United States written in 1818. Barton describes the plant as “rank-smelling, particularly the root.” He indicates the root was used by Native Americans to treat syphilis, but also discredits that, noting the lack of evidence for the efficacy of such treatments. Indeed, he reports, Native Americans used the root in combination with many other plants to treat syphilis.
Latest Research
- Pollination efficiency of hummingbirds and flowerpiercers at the flowers of Lobelia laxiflora (Campanulaceae): morphological fit mattersby Stefan Abrahamczyk on April 30, 2025 at 10:00 am
Research on pollination systems has largely focused on structures of mutualistic networks, whereas pollinator efficiency defining the quality of visits received much less attention. Different flower-visiting animals can vary in their pollination efficiency, e.g. due to their morphology, size or visitation frequency. Here, we analyse several reproductive traits, including flower morphology and reproductive system of Lobelia laxiflora and compare pollination efficiency of flower visitors based on…
- A chromosome-level genome of Lobelia seguinii provides insights into the evolution of Campanulaceae and the lobeline biosynthesisby Na Zhang on December 15, 2024 at 11:00 am
Lobelia seguinii is a plant with great ecological and medicinal value and belongs to Campanulaceae. Lobelia contains lobeline, a well-known compound used to treat respiratory diseases. Nevertheless, lobeline biosynthesis needs further exploration. Moreover, whole-genome duplication (WGD) and karyotype evolution within Campanulaceae still need to be better understood. In this study, we obtained a chromosome-level genome of L. seguinii with a size of 1.4 Gb and 38253 protein-coding genes. Analyses…
- Conservation units and the origin of planted individuals of an endangered endemic species Lobelia boninensis in the Ogasawara Islandsby Chikashi Hata on November 9, 2024 at 11:00 am
The Ogasawara Islands, one of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site located about 1000 km south of Japan’s main island, harbor numerous endemic species, many of which are as endangered. One of the endemic plant species, Lobelia boninensis, found in the Mukojima, Chichijima, and Hahajima archipelagoes, is endangered due to predation. As part of conservation efforts, translocation is now underway, especially on Chichijima. However, we lack essential information, such as the genetic population…
- Identification of an m6A Natural Inhibitor, Lobeline, That Reverses Lenvatinib Resistance in Hepatocellular Tumorsby Lei Zhao on August 13, 2024 at 10:00 am
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive cancer that has an effect on human health. As a first-line drug for HCC, despite its excellent efficacy, lenvatinib (Len) is prone to developing drug resistance in HCC patients. The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is not only related to the development of HCC but also shows great potential in overcoming HCC resistance. Using Dot Blot, our group first screened a small molecule m6A regulator, lobeline (Lob), from a library of 390 compounds…
- Multispectroscopic and Theoretical Investigation on the Binding Interaction of a Neurodegenerative Drug, Lobeline with Human Serum Albumin: Perturbation in Protein Conformation and Hydrophobic-Hydrophilic Surfaceby Vibeizonuo Rupreo on July 22, 2024 at 10:00 am
Lobeline (LOB), a naturally occurring alkaloid, has a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities and therapeutic potential, including applications in central nervous system disorders, drug misuse, multidrug resistance, smoking cessation, depression, and epilepsy. LOB represents a promising compound for developing treatments in various medical fields. However, despite extensive pharmacological profiling, the biophysical interaction between the LOB and proteins remains largely unexplored. In the…
References
Anderson, M. K. (2003). Great Blue Lobelia Plant Guide.
Brown, D. P., Rogers, D. T., Gunjan, S. K., Gerhardt, G. A., & Littleton, J. M. (2016). Target-directed discovery and production of pharmaceuticals in transgenic mutant plant cells. J Biotechnol, 238, 9-14.
Folquitto, D. G., Swiech, J. N. D., Pereira, C. B., Bobek, V. B., Halila Possagno, G. C., Farago, P. V., Miguel, M. D., Duarte, J. L., & Miguel, O. G. (2019). Biological activity, phytochemistry and traditional uses of genus Lobelia (Campanulaceae): A systematic review. Fitoterapia, 134, 23-38.
Stead, L. F., & Hughes, J. R. (2012). Lobeline for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2012(2), Cd000124.
Vitaku, E., Smith, D. T., & Njardarson, J. T. (2014). Analysis of the structural diversity, substitution patterns, and frequency of nitrogen heterocycles among U.S. FDA approved pharmaceuticals. J Med Chem, 57(24), 10257-10274.
Other Resources
Natural Medicines record: Lobelia. (Access to UI only)