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 Botany
Tropical and subtropical creeping
grass with slender stems branched and prostrate, rooting at the
nodes, forming matted tufts, with erect, slender, flowering branches,
8-20 cm high. Leaves are 1.5 to 3 cm long. Spikes, 3 to 4, are
2 to 5 cm long, narrowly linear, spreading, green to purplish.
Spikelets are imbricated, about 1.5 mm long.
Distribution
Throughout the Philippines,
in open grasslands, rice paddies, waste places, at low and medium
altitudes. Bermuda grass is extensively used in urban and suburban
lawns. In the rural areas, collected for supplementary feed for
horses and carabaos.
Parts used
Entire plant.
Chemical
constituents and properties
Contains starch and cynodin, a substance
similar to asparagin.
Pectoral, demulcent, astringent, hemostatic, laxative.
In Ayurveda, pungent,
bitter, fragrant, heating anthelmintic, antipyretic.
According to Unani, bitter, laxative, tonic, aphrodisiac, emetic, emmenagogue,
expectorant.
Uses
Folkloric
• Decoction of the entire plant
used as diuretic.
• In India, crushed
leaves used as styptic in minor wounds to stop bleeding.
• Decoction of root used as diuretic in dropsy. and syphilis.
• Infusion of root to stop bleeding from piles.
• Juice of plant applied to fresh cuts and wounds.
• Mixed with clove (Syzygium aromaticum) used as anthelmintic.
• Folk remedy for cancer, epilepsy, cough, dysentery, warts, snakebites.
• In Morocco, used in treatment of kidney stones.
Others
Bermuda grass is extensively used
in urban and suburban lawns.
In the rural areas, collected for supplementary feed for horses and
carabaos.
Studies
• Antidiabetic / Hypolipidemic: (1) Study of ethanolic extract of defatted C dactylon on Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats showed high antidiabetic potential and a good hypolipidemic profile, with a lowering of blood glucose, reduction of total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides and an increase in HDL. (2) Study of aqueous extract of CD showed high antidiabetic potential along with significant hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects.
• Antimicrobial: Screening of Antimicrobial Activity of Cynodon dactylon and
Caesalpinia bonducella extracts: Results showed Cynodon extracts
are efficient against Pseudomonias species.
• Chondroprotective / Anti-Inflammatory: Study showed a chondroprotective effect. The antiinflammatory effect
may be due to stabilization of the lysosomal membrane.
• Diuretic: Study on aqueous extract on the root stalk of Cynodon datylon showed diuretic activity, showing an increase in urinary chloride output but not potassium at all dose levels.
• Cardioprotective / Inotropic: Study showed C datylon exerted strong protective effect on right heart failure, partly through a positive inotropic action and improvement of cardiac functions.
• Chemopreventive / Antiproliferative: In a study of experimentally induced colon carcxinogenesis in rats, C datylon showed to be antiproliferative and antioxidative and induced apoptotic cell death. Treatment with the methanolic extract increased levels of antioxidant enzymes and reduced the number of dysplastic crypts.
• Anti-Nephrolithiatic: Study showed concluded that C datylon extract has beneficial effect in preventing and eliminating Calcium oxalate deposition in the kidneys, providing explanation for its traditional use in the treatment of kidney stones.
• Anti-Ulcer: Study yielded flavonoids and proteins. The alcoholic extract showed significant anti-ulcer activity, comparable to ranitidine, an effect attributed to the presence of flavonoids.
• Curative Effect on STZ-Induced Hepatic Injury: Study to evaluate the role of ethanolic extract of C. datylon against hepatic complications in STZ-induced diabetic models showed a significant reduction of SGOT, SGPT, alkphos, creatinine and urine sugar. A high LD50 validates a high margin of safety.
• Immunomodulatory: In a study of mice immunized with sheep RBC, CD protein fraction enhanced the humoral antibody response to the antigen and significantly potentiated cellular immunity.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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