 Botany
Kaya-an is a slender, erect, simple or slightly branched, smooth, annual herb, 20 to 50 centimeters in height. Stems are flattened, and usually purplish. Leaves are two-ranked, oblong-linear, 1.5 to 3 centimeters long, and 6 to 9 centimeters wide. Flowers are very small, solitary, and borne on the axils of the leaves. Capsules are smooth, depressed-globose, and 3 to 3.5 millimeters in diameter.
Distribution
- Common throughout the Philippines, in open grasslands, fallow rice lands, etc., at low and medium altitudes.
- Also occurs in India to southern China, Malaya, and Polynesia.
Constituents
- Leaf yielded phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, sugars, saponins, amino acids, volatile oil.
Properties
Phytochemical screening yielded an abundance of phenolics, tannins and flavonoids.
Parts used
Leaves, flowers, seeds.
Uses
Folkloric
- Hindus use equal parts of the fresh leaves, flowers, and fruit, and cumin seeds with sugar, made into an electuary for the cure of gonorrhea - a teaspoon is given twice daily.
- Bruised fresh leaves, mixed with buttermilk, used as a wash to cure itches in children.
- In Chota Nagpur, roots is used as external application for mammary abscesses.
Others
Others
Studies
• Antioxidant / Anti-Inflammatory / Phenolic Contents: P. simplex ether extract showed significant concentration-dependent scavenging of DPPH, hydorxyl and superoxide radicals. It also showed significant inhibition of NO production and significant inhibition of carragennan-induced paw edema. Results show significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities which was attributed to its high phenolic content.
• Anti-Diabetic / Antioxidant: Study of MeOH and aqueous fractions of PS demonstrated significant antioxidant and antidiabetic potential and suggest therapeutic value in diabetes and related complications.
• Anti-Cancer / Antioxidant: Study of ethyl acetate and ethanolic extracts from the roots and rhizomes of P. simplex against DAL and EAC cell lines showed significant anti-cancer activity, with the alcoholic extract showing more cancer dead cells than the EA extract.
• Antihelmintic: Study showed the ethanolic extract was more potent than other extracts against Indian round worm Pheretima posthuma. The comparison drug was piperazine citrate.
• Anti-Inflammatory: Ethanolic and acetone extracts from the whole plant showed significant activity at the doses of 400 mg/K with inhibition of both acute and sub-acute anti-inflammatory models.
• Anti-HBV Effect: Study showed the water and alcohol extract of P. simplex had an inhibitory effect on the HBsAg .
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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