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Tintatintahan is a shared common name for two herbal medicinal plant: Phyllantus reticulatus (malatinta) and Eclipta alba, higus-manok (tinta-tinta).

Family Asteraceae
Higus-manok
Eclipta alba|
FALSE DAISY

Other scientific names  Common names 
Anthemis cotula Higis-manok (Tag.) 
Artemisia viridis Higus-manok (Tag.) 
Eclipta erecta  Hugis-manok (Tag.) 
Eclipta parciflora  Karimbuaya (Ilk.) 
Eclipta philippinensis  Karimbuya (Ilk.)
Verbesina alba  Pia (If.) 
  Tinta-tinta (Ilk.) 
  Tinta-tintahan (Ilk.) 
  Tultulisan (Ilk.) 
  Vayod (Iv.) 
  Verba de tajo (Span.) 
  Bhringraj (India)
  False daisy (Engl.) 

Botany:
· Decumbent, spreading or sometimes suberect, succulent annual herb with bristly hairs.
· Stems rather slender, usually reddish and up to 30 cm or more in length.
· Leaves: linear-oblong to lanceolate, 1 to 5 cm long, without petioles, entire or slightly toothed, and pointed or blunt at the tip.
· Flowers: receptacle scaly, bracts all similar, paleae (scale) of receptacle flat and narrow. Ray flowers female, 2-seriate, fertile or sterile, white, ligule small, narrow, entire or 2-toothed. Disk flowers very numerous, perfect, fertile, tubular, the limb 4- or 5-fid. Flowering heads white, 5 to 6 mm long and about 5 mm in diameter.
· Fruits: achenes black, about 3 mm long and smooth or slightly hairy at the tip.
· The crushed leaves and broken surface of the vegetative parts produce a black stain.

Distribution
Ubiquitous weed in settled areas , in gardens, in open waste places, ditches, rice fileds and low damp lands.

Parts utilized
· Part utilized: whole plant.
· Collect when the vegetative parts are in full bloom. Sun-dry, either whole or cut into pieces.

Chemical constituents and properties
Plant contains a large amount of resin and an alkaloid ecliptine.
Cooling, anodyne, absorbent.
Root is purgative and emetic.
Anti-bleeding. A tonic for kidney organ. Tastes sweet-sour. Cooling nature. Astringent and coagulant.

Uses
Folkloric
· Decoction of Eclipta (15-30 g of dried material) with equal volume of Morus fruit: Used for weakness of the kidney and/or liver causing dizziness, blurring of vision, hematemosis and lumbar pains.
· Decoction of dried or fresh plant material: Used for internal hemorrhage especially bleeding in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts (eg, pulmonary tuberculosis, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, hematuria).
· For bleeding due associated with superficial injuries - get fresh plant, crush and use as an emollient over wound to aid in coagulation.
· For bloody stool and urine of any cause: boil 4 to 9 gms of dried drug to decoction and drink twice a day.
· External wash of decoction of 15-30 g dried material: Used for athlete's foot, eczema and dermatitis.
· Dysentery: boil dried drug 15 to 30 gms to decoction and smaller dosage for infants.
· For sprains, furuncle, dermatitis: 15 to 30 gms of dried material in decoction or use pounded fresh material as poultice.
· The leaves and tops brewed in decoction are used in cases of hepatitis. Powdered, they are employed for healing wounds.
· Poultice of leaves for wound healing.
· Poultice of leaves for wound healing.
· In Ayurveda used for epigastric pains, nausa and vomiting in ulcer paitients.
· In Taiwan, used for bleeding, hemoptysis, hematuria, itching, hepatitis, diphtheria and diarrhea.
· In China, leaf extract used as liver tonic.
· In China and Brazil, used as anti-venom against snakebites.
· In India, used to treat hepatic diseases and hyperlipidemia.
Others
· Used for tattooing and hair dyeing.
· Pounded leaves with coconut oil used for hair growth.

Studies
Hypoglycemic: Antihyperglycemic Activity of Eclipta alba Leaf on Alloxan-induced Diabetic Rats:: Study shows the folk medicinal plant E. alba possesses a hypoglycemic effect.
Hepatoprotective: HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF ECLIPTA ALBA HASSK. AGAINST PARACETAMOL INDUCED HEPATOCELLULAR DAMAGE IN MICE. Treatment with ethanol extract of EA protected mice from the hepatotoxic action of paracetamol.
Diuretic / Hypotensive / Hypocholesterolemic: Study suggests EA is diuretic, hypotensive, and hypocholesterolemic and helps in alleviating oxidative stress-induced complications of hypertension.
Osteoporosis: Stimulatory Constituents of Eclipta prostrata on Mouse Osteoblast Differentiation : Study isolated one flavonoid, diosmetin, and two isoflavonoids. All three significantly increased osteoblast differentiation and suggests a possible therapeutic potential for the treatment of osteoporosis.
Lipid lowering: Lipid lowering activity of Eclipta prostrata in experimental hyperlipidemia: Study showed a dose-dependent activity in albino rats and supports its traditional use in the treatment of hyperlipidemia.
Antibacterial / Antioxidant: Screening of antibacterial and antioxidant activities of leaves of Eclipta prostrata (L): Study showed EE showed antioxidant and antibacterial activity, and that EP could be used against Salmonella typhi.
Larvicidal: Larvicidal effect of Hemidesmus indicus, Gymnema sylvestre, and Eclipta prostrata against Culex qinquifaciatus mosquito larvae: Study showed leaves of E prostata can be an environmental friendly and sustainalbe source of insecticide for mosquite control.

Availability
Wild-crafted. 



Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Lipid lowering activity of Eclipta prostrata in experimental hyperlipidemia / ScienceDirect
(2)
Antihyperglycemic Activity of Eclipta alba Leaf on Alloxan-induced Diabetic Rats
/ Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine .2003
(3)
HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF ECLIPTA ALBA HASSK. AGAINST PARACETAMOL INDUCED HEPATOCELLULAR DAMAGE IN MICE
(4)
Screening of antibacterial and antioxidant activities of leaves of Eclipta prostrata (L)
(5)

Larvicidal effect of Hemidesmus indicus, Gymnema sylvestre, and Eclipta prostrata against Culex qinquifaciatus mosquito larvae
(6)
Diuretic, Hypotensive, and Hypocholesterolemic Effects of Eclipta alba in Mild Hypertensive Subjects. A Pilot Study / Journal of Medicinal Food
(7)
Eclipta alba / Wikipedia

(8)
Stimulatory Constituents of Eclipta prostrata on Mouse Osteoblast Differentiation


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