Peumus boldus Molina (Monimiaceae), commonly known as “boldo”, is listed in the official pharmacopoeias of Brazil, Chile, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland as a reference medicine for the treatment of liver diseases. Boldo is commonly used to treat hepatitis, liver colic, cholestasis, and intestinal disorders, in addition to rheumatism, indigestion, asthma, loss of appetite, and other disorders. Its leaves are rich in antioxidants, mainly alkaloids and flavonoids.
Researchers evaluated the protective effect of an infusion of boldo leaves on lipoperoxidation induced by cisplatin in mice liver. The results showed that the infusion of boldo leaves is acting as a protector with respect to the oxidative hepatic damage caused by cisplatin, and this protective ability was attributed to the presence of the natural antioxidant bordenine, mainly catechins, in the infusion. These findings suggest the potential use of boldo leaf infusion as a chemoprotective agent.
In addition, other researchers have also confirmed that boldo leaf extract can be used as an active chemoprotective agent, as it can avoid the oxidative damage caused by Amistar fungicide on liver tissue and ameliorate its negative effects on liver cells. And the defensive ability of boldo leaf extract could be due to the existence of natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory constituents such as gallic acid, ellagic acid, quercetin, daidzein, ferulic acid, and rutin.
In conclusion, the extract of Peumus boldus Molina’s leaves may prevent oxidative damage to the liver caused by some drugs and toxicants and has the potential to be used as a chemoprotective agent.

Fernández, J., Lagos, P., Rivera, P., & Zamorano‐Ponce, E. (2009). Effect of boldo (Peumus boldus Molina) infusion on lipoperoxidation induced by cisplatin in mice liver. Phytotherapy Research: An International Journal Devoted to Pharmacological and Toxicological Evaluation of Natural Product Derivatives, 23(7), 1024-1027. [Link]
Refaie, A., Shalby, A. B., Booles, H. F., Kassem, S. M., Eshak, M. G., Farrag, A. R. H., & Khalil, W. K. (2022). Hepatoprotective impact of Boldo (Peumus boldus) extract against azoxystrobin induced DNA damage, gene expression modulation, biochemical and histopathological alterations mediated-ROS generation in male rats. Egyptian Journal of Chemistry, 65(8), 687-698. [Link]