Myrtus communis.   Myrtle   Family: Myrtaceae      
PART USED: Leaves
ACTIONS
1. Antiseptic.[1]
2. Antiparasitic.[1]
INDICATIONS
1. Urinary infections as a substitute for Buchu.[1]
PREPARATIONS: Often used as an infusion.[1]

ORIGIN: Indigenous to Southern Europe. Cultivated widely.
DESCRIPTION: An evergreen shrub. Leaves; ovate, smooth, glossy.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents
Research
Leaf extracts show antimicrobial activity in vitro,[1] probably due to the tannins.
References
[1] An Altas of Medicinal Plants of Middle America, J. F. Morton. Pub. Charles C. Thomas (1981) USA

Review of pharmacological effects of Myrtus communis L. and its active constituents
Ghazal Alipour, Saeedeh Dashti, Hossein Hosseinzadeh
Abstract
Myrtle (Myrtus communis L., Myrtaceae) is a medicinal herb used worldwide in traditional medicine. A large number of components have been isolated from this herb. Polyphenols, myrtucommulone (MC), semimyrtucommulone (S-MC), 1,8-cineole, a-pinene, myrtenyl acetate, limonene, linalool and a-terpinolene are among the compounds considered to be the main biologically active components. Various parts of this herb such as its berries, leaves and fruits have been used extensively as a folk medicine for several centuries. The herb is used traditionally for the treatment of disorders such as diarrhea, peptic ulcer, hemorrhoid, inflammation, pulmonary and skin diseases, although clinical and experimental studies suggest that it possesses a broader spectrum of pharmacological and therapeutic effects such as antioxidative, anticancer, anti-diabetic, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, hepatoprotective and neuroprotective activity. The present review attempts to give an overview on the phytochemical, pharmacological, toxicological and clinical studies of total extracts and the most relevant active ingredients of M. communis.
Phytother Res 2014 Aug;28(8):1125-36. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5122. Epub 2014 Feb 4. PMID: 24497171 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.5122 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 

Evaluation of antioxidant effect of different extracts of Myrtus communis L
Annalisa Romani, Rita Coinu, Stefania Carta, Patrizia Pinelli, Carlotta Galardi, Franco F Vincieri, Flavia Franconi
Abstract
Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases. Nevertheless, no optimal natural antioxidant has been found for therapeutics, therefore polyphenol antioxidants have been looked for in myrtle leaves, a plant that in folk medicine has been used as anti-inflammatory drug. Antioxidant-rich fractions were prepared from myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) leaves liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with different solvents. All myrtle extracts were very rich in polyphenols. In particular, hydroalcoholic extracts contain galloyl-glucosides, ellagitannins, galloyl-quinic acids and flavonol glycosides; ethylacetate extract and aqueous residues after LLE are enriched in flavonol glycosides and hydrolysable tannins (galloyl-glucosides, ellagitannins, galloyl-quinic acids), respectively. Qualitative and quantitative analysis for the single unidentified compound was also performed. Human LDL exposed to copper ions was used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the myrtle extracts. Addition of these extracts did not affect the basal oxidation of LDL but dose-dependently decreased the oxidation induced by copper ions. Moreover, the myrtle extracts reduce the formation of conjugated dienes. The antioxidant effect of three myrtle extracts decreased in the following order: hydroalcoholic extracts, ethylacetate and aqueous residues after LLE. The extracts had the following IC50: 0.36, 2.27 and 2.88 microM, when the sum of total phenolic compounds was considered after the correction of molecular weight based on pure compounds. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference among hydroalcoholic extracts vs. the ethylacetate and aqueous residues after LLE. These results suggest that the myrtle extracts have a potent antioxidant activity mainly due to the presence of galloyl derivatives.
Free Radic Res . 2004 Jan;38(1):97-103. doi: 10.1080/10715760310001625609. PMID: 15061659 DOI: 10.1080/10715760310001625609 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Antioxidant Activity of Myrtus communis L. and Myrtus nivellei Batt. & Trab. Extracts: A Brief Review
Aicha Hennia, Maria Graça Miguel, Said Nemmiche
Abstract
Myrtus communis L. (myrtle) and Myrtus nivellei Batt. & Trab. (Saharan myrtle) have been used in folk medicine for alleviating some ailments. M. communis is largely distributed in the Mediterranean Basin, whereas M. nivellei is confined in specific zones of the central Saharan mountains. The chemical composition and antioxidant activity of berry and leaf extracts isolated from myrtle are deeply documented, whereas those isolated from Saharan myrtle extracts are less studied. In both species, the major groups of constituents include gallic acid derivatives, flavonols, flavonol derivatives, and hydroxybenzoic acids. In coloured berries, anthocyanins are also present. In M. nivellei extracts are reported for some compounds not described in M. communis so far: 2-hydroxy-1,8-cineole-ß-d-glucopyranoside, 2-hydroxy-1,8-cineole 2-O-a-l-arabinofuranosyl (1?6)-ß-d-glucopyranoside, rugosin A, and rugosin B. Berries and leaves extracts of both species had antioxidant activity. Comparative studies of the antioxidant activity between leaf and berry myrtle extracts revealed that leaf extracts are best antioxidants, which can be assigned to the galloyl derivatives, flavonols, and flavonols derivatives, although the ratio of these groups of compounds might also have an important role in the antioxidant activity. The anthocyanins present in myrtle berries seem to possess weak antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity of sample extracts depended on various factors: harvesting time, storage, extraction solvent, extraction type, and plant part used, among other factors. Leaf extracts of myrtle revealed to possess anti-inflammatory activity in several models used. This property has been attributed either to the flavonoids and/or hydrolysable tannins, nevertheless nonprenylated acylphloroglucinols (e.g., myrtucommulone and semimyrtucommulone) have also revealed a remarkable role in that activity. The biological activities of myrtle extracts found so far may direct its use towards for stabilizing complex lipid systems, as prebiotic in food formulations, and as novel therapeutic for the management of inflammation.
Medicines (Basel) . 2018 Aug 11;5(3):89. doi: 10.3390/medicines5030089.
PMID: 30103510 PMCID: PMC6165143 DOI: 10.3390/medicines5030089 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Myrtus communis L. and its application in treatment of Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis
Mohaddese Mahboubi
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance: In Iranian Traditional Medicine, M. communis is a famous plant in treatment of oral ulcers and "Gholaa"- the ancient name of aphthous.
Objective: The aim of this review is to create a bridge between the traditional claims about the application of M. communis in treatment of "Gholaa" and its prescription for aphthous, the current form of "Gholaa" in modern medicine METHODS: We extracted the information about the application of M. communis in treatment of aphthous from different resources including Google scholar, Pubmed, ScienceDirect, Springer, ethnobotanical, the traditional books from Traditional Medicine Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
Results: In Iranian traditional texts, "Gholaa" was the corrosive diseases on the surface and inner layer of mouth and tongue and divided into three types of bloody, phlegmatic and burned black bile types. Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis (RAS) is equal to the black bile and phlegmatic types and minor aphthous type can be matched with phlegmatic type. The corrosive propagated lesions can be herpetic aphthous. In modern medicine, M. communis essential oil and its decoction decreased the average time of pain relief and decreased the size of ulcers in patients with minor RAS without any adverse effects. The number of ulcers was not the subjects of any different clinical trials. All patients were satisfied with M. communis topical essential oil (5%), and 81% patients were satisfied with M. communis topical decoctions (5%). It appears the efficacy of M. communis is related to its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and wound healing effects.
Conclusion: M. communis is effective in minor RAS as its traditional claims and confirming its efficacy in major and herpetiform RAS and comparing the efficacy of its decoction topical formulations or essential oil topical ones are required more and larger experimental and clinical investigations in future.
J Ethnopharmacol . 2016 Dec 4;193:481-489. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.09.054. Epub 2016 Sep 30. PMID: 27693775 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.09.054 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The effects of dietary Myrtle (Myrtus communis) on skin mucus immune parameters and mRNA levels of growth, antioxidant and immune related genes in zebrafish (Danio rerio)
Roghieh Safari, Seyed Hossein Hoseinifar, Hien Van Doan, Maryam Dadar
Abstract
Myrtle (Myrtus communis L., Myrtaceae) is a significant plant which naturally distributed around the globe. Although numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of myrtle in different species, studies using the oral route are rare in the literature. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of myrtle intake on the antioxidant, immune, appetite and growth related genes as well as mucosal immune responses in zebrafish (Danio rerio) model. Zebrafish were fed control or myrtle (5, 10 and 20 g kg-1 myrtle) supplemented diets for sixty days. The results showed that, oral administration of Myrtle significantly improved mucosal immune responses (the activity of lysozyme, total Ig and protease). Furthermore, fish fed 20 g kg-1 showed remarkably higher antioxidant (sod and cat) enzymes gene expression compared other treatment. There were significant difference between myrtle fed fish and control group regarding tnf-alpha and lyz expression. Also, evaluation of growth (gh and igf1) related genes revealed remarkable upregulation in 20 g kg-1 myrtle treatment compared other myrtle treatments and control group. Similar results was observed regarding the mRNA levels of appetite related genes (ghrl) in zebrafish fed 20 g kg-1 myrtle. The present results indicated that dietary administration of myrtle improved mucosal immune parameters and altered mRNA levels of selected genes. These results on zebrafish model also highlights the potential use of Myrtle supplements as additive in human diets.
2017 Jul;66:264-269. doi: 10.1016/j.fsi.2017.05.007. Epub 2017 May 4. PMID: 28478256 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2017.05.007 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Hydroalcoholic extract of Myrtus communis can alter anxiety and sleep parameters: a behavioural and EEG sleep pattern study in mice and rats
Reza Hajiaghaee, Mehrdad Faizi, Zahra Shahmohammadi, Fatemeh Abdollahnejad, Hasanali Naghdibadi, Foroogh Najafi, Ali Razmi
Abstract
Context: Myrtus communis L. (Myrtaceae), myrtle, is an evergreen shrub with strong antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycemic and antioxidant activities. Also, it is used as a sedative-hypnotic plant in Iranian traditional medicine.
Objective: This study evaluates the effect of 80% ethanolic extract of M. communis leaves on sleep and anxiety in mice and rats.
Materials and methods: Male NMRI mice were subjected to open field, righting reflex, grip strength and pentylentetrazole-induced seizure tests. Male Wistar rats were used to evaluate the alterations in rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep. They were treated with 25-400 mg/kg doses of the extract intraperitoneally.
Results: The applied doses (50-200 mg/kg) of M. communis extract increased vertical (ED50 = 40.2 ± 6.6 mg/kg) and vertical and horizontal activity (ED50 = 251 ± 55 mg/kg), while treatment with 200 and 400 mg/kg attenuated muscle tone significantly compared to vehicle treated animals (p < 0.001 for all) in a dose-independent manner. Also, a significant hypnotic and not anticonvulsant effect was observed when animals were treated with 200 mg/kg of the extract (p < 0.01). In this regard, electroencephalography results showed that REM sleep time was decreased (2.4 ± 0.5%), while total and NREM sleep times were increased significantly compared to the control group of mice (82.5 ± 7.6%).
Discussion and conclusion: The data show the anxiolytic and muscle relaxant effect of the extract without anticonvulsant activities. The anxiolytic, myorelaxant and hypnotic effects without effect on seizure threshold are in line with the effect of a alpha 2 GABA receptor agonist.
Pharm Biol 2016 Oct;54(10):2141-8. doi: 10.3109/13880209.2016.1148175. Epub 2016 Mar 29. PMID: 27022667 DOI: 10.3109/13880209.2016.1148175 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov