Lantana Camara: Traditional Uses, and Why You Should Not Eat or Drink This Common Weed
By Dr. Francis Kutin, ND, MPH | Naturopathic Physician and Medical Science Communicator | BF Naturopathic Health Care and Research, Agona Duakwa, Central Region, Ghana
Last reviewed: 28 October 2026
Lantana (Lantana camara) is a familiar sight in Ghanaian gardens, roadsides and farm edges. It is also called Spanish flag, West Indian lantana or red sage, and it is easy to recognise by its clusters of small, brightly coloured flowers in red, orange, yellow, pink or white, its rough, aromatic leaves and its dark blue-black berries. It is grown as an ornamental plant, but in many tropical countries it is also an invasive weed. Some traditional healers use it as medicine. This article looks at what research says about lantana, and why we advise against using it as a drink or food.
Key Takeaways
- Lantana is toxic. It contains compounds called lantadenes that can injure the liver, and it is a well-known cause of poisoning in livestock.
- Children are at special risk because the berries look attractive. Severe and even fatal poisoning has been reported, although many accidental ingestions in children cause only mild symptoms.
- Laboratory studies show antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, but this does not make lantana safe or effective as medicine for people.
- Traditional uses, such as baths for rheumatism or skin problems, are external, and even external use can irritate the skin.
- There are safer, better-studied ways to manage coughs, indigestion and aches. See a health worker.
What Is Lantana?
Lantana camara belongs to the verbena family (Verbenaceae). It is a spreading, woody shrub, usually 1 to 3 metres tall, with a strong, slightly unpleasant smell when crushed. The flower clusters often change colour as they age, and the plant produces small, round berries that are green when unripe and turn dark blue or black when ripe. Originally from tropical America, it has spread across Africa, Asia and Australia. Because it crowds out other plants and poisons grazing animals, it is classed as a harmful invasive weed in many countries.
Traditional Uses
In folk medicine around the world, different parts of lantana have been used for many complaints, including:
- Leaf infusions for coughs, colds, asthma and stomach problems
- Leaf baths or washes for rheumatism and aches
- Root preparations for malaria, skin rashes and rheumatism
- Leaf and flower preparations as tonics or for fevers and swellings
These uses come from tradition. They do not show that the plant is safe or effective to swallow, and several of the conditions listed, such as malaria, hypertension and cancer, are serious illnesses that need proper medical care.
What Does the Research Say?
| Claim | What is known |
|---|---|
| Antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral | Extracts have shown activity against some germs in laboratory dishes. This does not show they cure infections in the body, and the same extracts contain toxic compounds. |
| Antioxidant | Shown in laboratory tests. Many safe foods and herbs are also rich in antioxidants without the poisoning risk. |
| Eases coughs, asthma, congestion | A traditional use. No good human studies. Asthma can be life-threatening and needs proper treatment. |
| Helps digestion and stomach cramps | A traditional use with no reliable human evidence. Vomiting and diarrhoea are signs of lantana poisoning. |
| Anti-tumour, anti-hypertensive, treats malaria | Not proven in people. Do not use lantana for cancer, high blood pressure or malaria. |
In short, the research shows interesting laboratory activity, but there is no good evidence that lantana is a safe or effective medicine for people, and there is strong evidence that it can be harmful.
Why Lantana Is Dangerous
Lantana contains lantadenes A and B, natural compounds that damage the liver by blocking the flow of bile. In grazing animals such as goats, sheep and cattle, eating lantana causes jaundice, severe skin sensitivity to sunlight and often death.
In people:
- Berries, especially unripe green ones: Poisoning poses the greatest risk to young children. Symptoms usually begin within hours and can include vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness, drowsiness, difficulty breathing and enlarged pupils. Deaths in children were recorded in older medical reports. A review of 641 children’s ingestions reported to a US poison centre found that most had no or mild symptoms, but the possibility of serious harm remains, so every ingestion should be taken seriously.
- Leaves and herbal drinks: Poisoning from leaves is less often reported in people, but not unknown. In one case reported by a Hong Kong hospital, an elderly man developed abnormal liver function after drinking a herbal broth made from lantana picked from the countryside on and off for a month. His liver function improved after he stopped.
- Skin contact: The leaves can cause contact dermatitis, with redness and itching, in some people.
- No safe dose: Cooking or drying does not make the plant safe, and the toxin levels vary with the plant and its parts. There is no known safe dose for drinking lantana.
It is important to note that not every plant in the genus is equally toxic, and the garden varieties are hard to tell apart. It is safest to treat all Lantana plants as poisonous.
Signs of Lantana Poisoning
- Nausea, vomiting or stomach pain
- Diarrhoea
- Unusual drowsiness, weakness or lack of coordination
- Difficulty breathing
- Large (dilated) pupils
- Yellowing of the eyes or skin (jaundice), dark urine or pale stools. These can appear later.
- Sunburn-like skin reactions after sun exposure, in severe cases
Symptoms may be delayed for several hours or even a day or more, so a person who looks well after eating lantana should still be checked.
What to Do If Someone Has Eaten Lantana
- Do not wait for symptoms. Take the person to the nearest health facility or call 112.
- Do not make the person vomit, and do not give herbal or home remedies.
- Take a sample of the plant or a photo, and note how much was eaten and when.
- For skin contact, wash the area with soap and water. See a health worker if the rash is severe.
- Livestock: If goats, sheep or cattle have eaten lantana, call a veterinary officer.
Keeping Your Home and Farm Safe
- Teach children never to eat berries, leaves or flowers from garden plants.
- Remove lantana from areas where children play and animals graze. Wear gloves and long sleeves when cutting it, and avoid handling it bare-handed.
- Do not use lantana for animal feed, and do not mix it into compost used for edible crops.
- Do not give lantana products to children or pets.
Safer Ways to Deal With Common Complaints
- Cough and cold: Warm fluids, rest and honey (not for babies under one year) can soothe a mild cough. See a health worker if a cough lasts more than two weeks, if there is wheezing, chest pain, difficulty breathing or blood in the sputum.
- Indigestion and cramps: Eat smaller meals and avoid very spicy, fatty or fried foods. See a health worker if pain is severe or keeps coming back.
- Joint aches: Gentle activity, warm compresses and proper assessment can help. Do not use unknown herbal baths on broken skin.
- Fever or suspected malaria: Get tested and treated at a health facility. Do not treat malaria with plants.
For how we assess other herbs, read Nature’s Immune Allies: What the Evidence Says About Five Popular Herbs and Herbs for Weight Loss: What the Evidence Really Says.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I drink lantana tea?
No. There is no known safe dose, and lantana can damage the liver.
Are the ripe black berries safe?
No. Berries at every stage can cause illness, and green ones are the most dangerous.
Is lantana safe on the skin or in a bath?
It is used traditionally in baths, but it can cause skin irritation in some people, and it is not proven to help. Avoid it on broken skin and keep it away from children.
Why do goats avoid lantana but sometimes die from it?
Animals that are hungry or new to an area may eat it, and the toxin damages their liver.
Are all lantana plants equally poisonous?
Toxin levels vary between varieties, but it is hard to tell which are safe, so treat all of them as poisonous.
Conclusion
Lantana is a colourful plant with a long history in folk medicine, but its leaves and berries contain liver-damaging toxins, and there is no reliable evidence that they are safe or effective as medicine. Do not eat it or drink it, keep children and animals away, and seek urgent care if anyone swallows any part of it. For coughs, digestive trouble, aches and fevers, see a qualified health worker. Respect for traditional knowledge includes being honest about the plants that carry real dangers.
References and Further Reading
- Queensland Poisons Information Centre. Lantana (Lantana camara).
- Hong Kong Hospital Authority. Atlas of Poisonous Plants in Hong Kong: Lantana camara.
- Ingestion of Lantana camara is not associated with significant effects in children. Review of reports to the California Poison Control System, 1997 to 2008.
- Lantana camara: overview of traditional uses and toxicity. ScienceDirect Topics.
- Sharma OP, Sharma S, Pattabhi V, Mahato SB, Sharma PD. A review of the hepatotoxic plant Lantana camara. Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2007;37(4):313–352.
About the Author
Dr. Francis Kutin, ND, MPH, is a naturopathic physician, public health researcher and medical science communicator based at Agona Duakwa in the Central Region of Ghana. He writes about health education, naturopathic health care and evidence-informed wellness through BF Naturopathic Health Care and Research. Contact us.
Thanks for the information, very useful
ReplyDelete