|  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. |
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