Katakataka
Kalanchoe pinnata · Life plant
- Names in the book
- English: Life plant; Tagalog: Kataka-taka; Visayan: Muritana
- Colours
- flowerred, pink
- Native range
- Madagascar
- Family
- Crassulaceae
- Printed as
- Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers.
- Sources
- Healing Wonders of Herbs (1985), page 99 · Wikipedia
The plant today
Kalanchoe pinnata, commonly known as cathedral bells, air plant, life plant, miracle leaf, and love bush, is a succulent plant native to Madagascar. It is a popular houseplant and has become naturalized in tropical and subtropical areas. The species is distinctive for the profusion of miniature plantlets that form on the margins of its leaves, a trait it has in common with some other members of Bryophyllum (now included in Kalanchoe).
Excerpt from “Kalanchoe pinnata” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sa Tagalog
Ang katakataka (Kalanchoe pinnata) ay isang uri ng halamang palaging-luntian. Ito ay tinawag na Katakataka sapagkat kapag ang dahon ay nalagas o naputol mula sa tangkay, ito ay muling uusbungan ng panibagong mga katulad o clone nito, at mustilang mabubuhay muli nang lubhang marami pa. Isa itong halamang makatas na katutubo sa Madagascar. Ito ay isang sikat na halamang-bahay at naging naturalisado na sa tropiko at subtropikong mga lugar.
Sipi mula sa “Katakataka” sa Tagalog Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 213 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 35 provinces, most often Zamboanga del Norte (35), Agusan del Sur (33), Bataan (8), Leyte (7), Davao del Sur (6), Batanes (5), Cebu (4), Davao del Norte (4), and 27 more.
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1985 book uses it for
A record of home remedies from 1985, with the book's amounts and doses reworded. It is not medical advice.
- Mosquito bitesLeaf juice, applied.Pound 5 to 10 leaves for the juice. Apply three times a day.Page 32
- Sprained ankle or wristCrushed leaves as a poultice.Crush 10 leaves. Leave on for 30 minutes, three times a day.Page 40
- ToothacheCrushed young leaves laid on the swollen face.No amount is given.Page 43
Summarised from Herminia de Guzman-Ladion, Healing Wonders of Herbs (Manila: Philippine Publishing House, 1985), where this plant is shown as “Kataka-taka” on page 99. The book is in copyright, so its wording and photographs are not reproduced. Amounts are the book's, restated.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- Bryophyllum pinnatum leaf extract mediated ZnO nanoparticles with prodigious potential for solar driven photocatalytic degradation of industrial contaminants
- Potential of Kalanchoe pinnata as a Cancer Treatment Adjuvant and an Epigenetic Regulator
- Gel formulated with Bryophyllum pinnatum leaf extract promotes skin wound healing in vivo by increasing VEGF expression: A novel potential active ingredient for pharmaceuticals