 Botany
Bungbungtit is an erect, smooth or somewhat hairy, leafy herb, 30 to 120 cm in height. Leaves are narrowly or broadly elliptic-lanceolate, 4 to 9 cm long, pointed at both ends, glandular-dotted, and toothed on the margins. Flowering heads are very numerous, 4 to 6 mm in diameter, peduncled, with purplish or reddish flowers.
Distribution
- In thickets, in stream dedpressions, and in mossy forests at an altitude of 1,300 to 2,3oo meters, in Lepanto and Benguet Subprovinces in Luzon.
- Occurs in India to eastern Africa and to Malaya.
Constituents
- Study isolated a novel spiro-monoterpene-5-methylcoumarin, named spiro-ethuliacoumarin, from the aerial parts.
Parts used
Leaves, whole plant.
Uses
Folkloric
- In Liberia, juice is squeezed in to the eyes for headache; root, along with red peppers, given by enema for constipation; leaves eaten by pregnant women to prevent abortion.
- Zulus use the plant as a remedy for intestinal parasites, for abdominal disorders and for colic.
- In Madagascar, infusion of the plant used for dysentery, hemoptysis and bruises.
- In Brazil, plant used for flu, bronchitis, cough; as anthelmintic; for respiratory and back problems.
- Pounded leaves applied over sprains and fractures.
- Boiled leaves used for wounds and traumatic hemorrhages.
- Used for treatment of scabies.
Studies
• Coumarins / Antimicrobial: Study of methanol extract of aerial parts yielded 2 new monoterpene coumarins: 9-hydroxyethuliacoumarin and 1′,2′-epoxyethuliacoumarin. Antibacterial activity was determined against E Coli, Pseudomonas and Serratia spp and Bacilus cereus and S. aureus.
• Molluscicidal: Study identified the molluscicidal principles of Ethulia conyzoides as ethuliacoumarin A and isoethuliacoumarin A. Ethuliacoumarin A was also found to be cercaricidal and ovicidal.
• Anthelmintic: Study of the alcoholic extract of aerial parts of E. conyzoides var. gracilis Asch. & Schweinf. exhibited significant anthelmintic acitivity invitro against Ascaris lumbricoides. Ethuliacoumarin A was found responsible for the anthelmintic activity.
• Cytotoxicity: In a study investigating the cytotoxic activity on HeLa cell line of the ethanolic extracts of 16 Nigerian plants used for the treatment of cancer, Ethulia conyzoides showed moderate cytotoxic activity
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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