SPAGYRIC HERBALISM

Modern science catches up with native knowledge with discovery of Clerodendrum kelli

Ateneo de Manila University

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Clerodendrum kelli—a newly described, Critically Endangered species found only in Nueva Ecija, Philippines— shown in photographs highlighting its overall habit (a), distinctive leaves (b), and flowers with immature fruits (c-d). 

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Credit: Tobias et al., 2025

The indigenous Bugkalot people of Nueva Ecija call it “kelli”: a plant with white, starburst-like flowers and oval-shaped leaves that are traditionally mashed and mixed with food to treat ailing dogs. But despite this local familiarity, science has only now been able to identify it as a distinct species and given it a formal scientific name.

Clerodendrum kelli is a small shrub that grows in the humid montane rainforests of the Caraballo Mountain Range, specifically in two localities—Mt. Meddengen and Sitio Binbin. Nestled within the Pantabangan-Carrangalan Watershed Forest Reserve (PCWFR), this rare species is a subtle presence in the landscape, never appearing abundant nor easily encountered.

Reaching about a meter in height, the plant stands out with its green leaves accented by pale purple undersides. Its white, tube-shaped flowers bloom from reddish-pink bases and are arranged in loose, open clusters, unlike the dense groupings of some Clerodendrum species. 

The documented medicinal use of the plant reflects the Bugkalot’s deep understanding of the species and its habitat. Importantly, there is no indication that their traditional use has led to the plant’s scarcity. Rather, habitat loss from land conversion and natural landslides poses the greatest known threat to its survival.

Despite formal protection, this ongoing habitat degradation has reduced C. kelli’s range. This shrinkage is especially severe along the steep ridges where the species grows. As forest clearing and slope failures continue, C. kelli is now assessed as Critically Endangered and is known to exist in a total area of just 8 square kilometers. Researchers warn that, without stronger protection, the species could vanish.

The underscores how the discovery of C. kelli is more than a scientific milestone; it highlights how Indigenous knowledge and science can overlap—bridging traditional and formal understanding of biodiversity. 

David Justin R. Ples, John Patykowski, Leonardo C. Udasco, John Charles A. Altomonte, Adriane B. Tobias, and Rene Alfred Anton Bustamante published their study, Clerodendrum kelli (Lamiaceae), a new species from Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, and lectotypification of Clerodendrum mindorense in December 2025 in the Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore. 

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Journal

Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore

DOI

10.26492/gbs77(2).2025‑07 

Article Title

Clerodendrum kelli (Lamiaceae), a new species from Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, and lectotypification of Clerodendrum mindorense

In vitro antibacterial activity of crude extracts from Tithonia diversifolia (asteraceae) and Solanum torvum (solanaceae) against selected shigella species

Xia & He Publishing Inc.

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Background and objectives

Infectious diarrhea is a gastrointestinal illness that results in around 1.7 billion cases and 525,000 deaths annually, particularly among children under five, according to the World Health Organization. While some Cameroonian medicinal plants show promise for treating diarrhea, many plants are used without established scientific evidence of their efficacy. These plants include Tithonia diversifolia (T. diversifolia) and Solanum torvum (S. torvum), which are traditionally used to treat diarrheal symptoms. This study sought to investigate the anti-Shigella activity of leaf extracts from T. diversifolia and S. torvum.

Methods

Extracts from T. diversifolia and S. torvum were obtained by successive maceration in solvents of increasing polarity, including hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water. The as-prepared extracts (10) were evaluated for antibacterial activity against selected Shigella species using an in vitro experiment. The mode of action of the bioactive extracts was determined in Shigella through growth kinetic analysis.

Results

Hexane extract from S. torvum (St-HEX-F) and dichloromethane extract from T. diversifolia (Td-DCM-F) inhibited the growth of Shigella flexneri NR-518 and Shigella boydii NR-521 with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 500 and 1,000 µg/mL, respectively. Shigella flexneri and Shigella boydii were the most sensitive strains, whereas Shigella sonnei was the most resistant strain. Bacterial growth kinetics revealed that St-HEX-F and Td-DCM-F are bacteriostatic at MIC and bactericidal at 2×MIC and 4×MIC.

Conclusions

The extracts from S. torvum and T. diversifolia, obtained by successive maceration using solvents of increasing polarity, were further screened for antibacterial effect against three Shigella species (S. flexneri NR-518, S. boydii NR-521, and S. sonnei NR-519). As a result, the hexane extract from S. torvum leaves (St-HEX-F) and the dichloromethane extract of T. diversifolia (Td-DCM-F) revealed significant antibacterial activity against S. flexneri NR-518, with MIC values ranging from 500 to 1,000 µg/mL.

Kinetics of bacterial mortality (S. flexneri NR-518) with St-HEX-F and Td-DCM-F revealed a bacteriostatic orientation at MIC and a bactericidal trend at higher extract concentrations (2×MIC and 4×MIC). Overall, extracts from S. torvum and T. diversifolia demonstrated antibacterial effects, thus confirming the traditional use of these plants in treating bacterial infections. However, the mechanistic basis of the antibacterial action, in vitro and in vivo toxicity experiments, and pharmacokinetics are warranted to support the use of these plants in ethnomedicine. Moreover, activity-guided fractionation and isolation of the antibacterial compounds should also be investigated.

 

Full text

https://www.xiahepublishing.com/2572-5505/JERP-2025-00052

 

The study was recently published in the Journal of Exploratory Research in Pharmacology.

Journal of Exploratory Research in Pharmacology (JERP) publishes original innovative exploratory research articles, state-of-the-art reviews, editorials, short communications that focus on novel findings and the most recent advances in basic and clinical pharmacology, covering topics from drug research, drug development, clinical trials and application.

 

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Journal

Journal of Exploratory Research in Pharmacology

DOI

10.14218/JERP.2025.00052 

Article Title

In vitro Antibacterial Activity of Crude Extracts from Tithonia diversifolia (Asteraceae) and Solanum torvum (Solanaceae) against Selected Shigella Species

 

Community-driven restoration in Spain recognized as best-practice example

Pensoft Publishers

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Spongy Slopes

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Credit: Spongy Slopes

Over recent centuries, the intensification of land use has led to the loss of natural sponge functions in many European landscapes. Changes such as soil sealing, erosion-prone land management and rapid surface runoff reduce the ability of landscapes to retain water, increase flood risks and aggravate drought impacts. Restoring sponge landscapes is therefore a key measure to address both the climate and biodiversity crises.

The SpongeBoost project supports policy-making, restoration and land-use planning by promoting cost-effective, nature-based solutions that strengthen water retention in landscapes and align with the EU Climate Adaptation goals. With the establishment of the “SpongeBooster of the year” award, SpongeBoost recognises outstanding initiatives that actively restore and support sponge landscapes and inspire others through implementation, communication, environmental education and cooperation.

“It is a pleasure for us, as the SpongeBoost project team, to once again recognise committed practitioners and to use our reach to support and amplify their work. By highlighting projects such as Spongy Slopes, we aim to inspire others and strengthen and encourage the momentum for sponge landscape restoration across Europe.”

— Mathias Scholz
UFZ, project coordinator of the EU SpongeBoost project — 

After evaluating this year’s submissions, the Spanish initiative “Asociación Amigos de la Cornisa Este” was selected as the winner of the SpongeBooster of the year 2026.

The project is located on two steep slopes within the municipal public park Parque de Santa Brígida in Camas, near Seville. Previously, these slopes suffered from severe erosion, rapid surface runoff, poor soils and very low biodiversity. Through the implementation of nature-based measures such as infiltration trenches, direct seeding of native Mediterranean tree species, soil improvement techniques and erosion control, the project has successfully restored key sponge functions in the landscape.

As a result, rainwater is now retained and released more slowly, erosion has been reduced, and biodiversity has increased significantly. Native trees and shrubs have been re-established, birds have returned to the area, and the slopes have become more attractive and resilient green spaces for local communities.

“Spongy Slopes shows the power of community-driven action. Around 250 volunteers, together with local associations and the municipal administration, have actively shaped and maintained the project. It demonstrates that small-scale, low-cost measures on slopes can deliver meaningful sponge effects beyond riverbanks and significantly improve landscape-level hydrological resilience.”

— Carina Darmstadt,  Environmental Action Germany (DUH) — 

By awarding Spongy Slopes this year, the SpongeBoost project highlights how local initiatives can deliver tangible ecological benefits and advance climate adaptation through nature-based solutions.

The “SpongeBooster of the year” award celebrates projects that make sponge landscape restoration visible, understandable and replicable — and Spongy Slopes stands as a strong example of how local action can drive meaningful change.

Looking ahead, the “SpongeBooster of the year” award will return in 2026. The next application round will open in fall 2026, again under the coordination of DUH. The project’s team looks forward to getting to know more inspiring and pioneering projects throughout Europe.

Stay tuned for more project information on the SpongeBoost website: www.spongeboost.eu

Find the SpongeBoost project on social media on LinkedIn, Instagram and Bluesky.

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SpongeBoost receives funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No.101112906.

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the EU nor the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) can be held responsible for them.

 

Contacts:

Dr. Mathias Scholz, Project coordinator

Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ

E-mail: mathias.scholz@ufz.de 

 

Carina Darmstadt

Responsible for the “SpongeBooster of the year” award and Environmental Action Germany (DUH)

E-mail: darmstadt@duh.de 

 

Your car’s tire sensors could be used to track you

Researchers at IMDEA Networks show standard tire sensors can expose drivers’ movements, raising privacy concerns

IMDEA Networks Institute

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Researchers at IMDEA Networks Institute, together with European partners, have found that tire pressure sensors in modern cars can unintentionally expose drivers to tracking. Over a ten-week study, they collected signals from more than 20,000 vehicles, revealing a hidden privacy risk and highlighting the need for stronger security measures in future vehicle sensor systems.

Most modern cars are equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), mandatory since the late 2000s in many countries for their contribution to road safety. This system uses small sensors in each wheel to monitor tire pressure and sends wireless signals to the car’s computer to alert the driver if a tire is underinflated.

However, the researchers found that these tire sensors also send a unique ID number in clear, unencrypted wireless signals, meaning that anyone nearby with a simple radio receiver can capture the signal, and recognize the same car again later. Most vehicle tracking today uses cameras that need clear visibility and line-of-sight to a car. TPMS tracking is different: tire sensors automatically send radio signals that pass through walls and vehicles, allowing small hidden wireless receivers to capture them without being seen. Because each sensor broadcasts a fixed unique ID, the same car can be recognized repeatedly without reading a license plate. This makes TPMS-based tracking cheaper, harder to detect, and more difficult to avoid than camera-based surveillance, and therefore a stronger privacy threat.

To test how serious this risk is, the team built a network of low-cost radio receivers, located near roads and parking areas. The necessary equipment costs only $100 per receiver. In total, they collected more than six million tire sensor messages from over 20,000 cars.

“Our results show that these tire sensor signals can be used to follow vehicles and learn their movement patterns,” says Domenico Giustiniano, Research Professor at IMDEA Networks Institute. “This means a network of inexpensive wireless receivers could quietly monitor the patterns of cars in real-world environments. Such information could reveal daily routines, such as work arrival times or travel habits.”

The researchers also developed methods to match signals from the four tires of a car. This allowed them to increase the accuracy of specific vehicles arriving, living, or following regular schedules. The study showed that signals can be captured from moving cars and from distances greater than 50 meters, even when sensors are inside buildings or hidden locations. This makes covert tracking technically feasible.

Additionally, TPMS signals include tire pressure readings, which may reveal the type of vehicle or whether a car or truck is carrying heavy loads. This could allow more advanced forms of surveillance.

“As vehicles become increasingly connected, even safety-oriented sensors like TPMS should be designed with security in mind, since data that appears passive and harmless can become a powerful identifier when collected at scale,” highlights Alessio Scalingi, former PhD student at IMDEA Networks and now Assistant Professor at UC3M, Madrid.

Despite these risks, current vehicle cybersecurity regulations do not yet specifically address TPMS security. The researchers warn that without encryption or authentication, tire sensors remain an easy target for passive surveillance.

“TPMS was designed for safety, not security,” adds Dr. Yago Lizarribar, former PhD student at IMDEA Networks during the research study, and now Researcher at Armasuisse, Switzerland. “Our findings show the need for manufacturers and regulators to improve protection in future vehicle sensor systems.”

Therefore, the research team urges the manufacturers and policymakers to strengthen cybersecurity in future cars, so that safety systems do not become tracking tools. 

The paper, titled “Can’t Hide Your Stride: Inferring Car Movement Patterns from Passive TPMS Measurements,” has been accepted for publication at IEEE WONS 2026.