Lion's Ear

Lion's Ear is an overlooked medicinal plant that most people either dismiss as a weed or know only from its association with the cannabis substitute market.
there are unique diterpene compounds found only in this genus, that suppress the core inflammatory pathway targeted by pharmaceutical steroids, and the flower petals contain a cannabinoid-adjacent compound that produces documented antidepressant effects. it also kills melanoma and liver cancer cells, fights Leishmaniasis, Candida, and Staph aureus infections, helps with blood sugar, and protects the liver. used as a tea in Trinidad specifically for fever, coughs, and malaria.

docosatetraenoylethanolamide (DEA) was identified in the flower petals, and methanol-based extracts demonstrated antidepressant-like effects.

root extract showed cytotoxic, genotoxic, and proapoptotic activity against human melanoma cells, with increased p53 expression after treatment. rosmarinic acid showed the highest binding affinity to the p53-binding protein Mdm-2 in docking studies — meaning it may prevent the protein that normally degrades p53 from doing so, preserving the tumor suppressor's function.

methanolic extract of flower buds showed cytotoxic activity against HepG2 liver cancer cells. also shown active against MCF-7 breast cancer cells and Hep2 laryngeal cancer cells in separate studies.

biological activities include antifungal, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective effects alongside the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.