Boldo is a powerful antiseptic that has been used to treat genito-urinary infections and stimulate the liver to combat liver disease and gallbladder ailments.  It has been used as a fine anti-inflammatory that helped to combat gout, rheumatism and arthritis.

History
Boldo is an evergreen shrub that grows in the fields of the Andes, and is indigenous to Chile and Peru, where it thrives in well-drained, sandy, acid soil in full sun.  It is also native to parts of Morocco and cultivated in Italy, Brazil and North Africa to meet the demands for its medicinal uses in European and North American markets, where it is widely used. 

In South America, the yellowish-green fruit is eaten, the bark used for tanning, and the wood utilized in charcoal making.  The leaves and bark are used in herbal medicine, and when the leaves are crushed, a peculiar, strong and disagreeable odor is emitted.  Boldo's medicinal properties were first investigated by a French physician in 1869, although the native South American peoples in Chile and Peru have used the herb for centuries to cure gonorrhea, liver ailments and gallstones. 

Archaeological evidence in Chile has demonstrated the use of Boldo as a medicine well over ten thousand years ago.  Some of the many constituents in Boldo include aromatic, volatile oil, terpenes, terpineol, bitter alkaloid (boldine) and the glucoside (boldin), gum, resin, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, camphor, coumarin, eugenol, limonene, linalool and the important nutrient, choline.

Beneficial Uses
Boldo is widely known as a liver tonic.  As a cholagogue, this bitter and aromatic herb stimulates the production and excretion of bile from the gallbladder and treats liver diseases, also easing jaundice, hepatitis, gallstones and chronic hepatic torpor.

As a tonic that supports the gastro-intestinal and digestive tracts, Boldo relaxes smooth muscle and stimulates the secretion of gastric juices, helping to promote good digestion and easing dyspepsia, indigestion, stomach spasms, flatulence and other stomach discomforts.

Boldo is said to have antibiotic and antiseptic properties. Combined with its diuretic qualities, the herb stimulates and supports the genito-urinary tract.  Its mild antiseptic properties treat urinary tract infections such as cystitis, gonorrhea and syphilis.

Boldo is said to have laxative properties and contains a volatile oil that destroys intestinal parasites and expels worms.

Considered a fine anti-inflammatory that promotes the excretion of uric acid, Boldo is said to relieve rheumatism, gout and arthritis.

Boldo is thought to be a mild sedative with painkilling properties.