 Botany
Annual, erect, tufted,
glabrous plant, up to 1 meter in height. Leaves are 10-30 cm long, 3-7
mm wide, flaccid, with flattened sheaths. Spikes are in a terminal whorl;
the spikelets numerous, crowded, 3- to 5-flowered, 3-4 mm long.
Distribution
Ubiquitous, especially
in warm places, along river banks and roads.
Constituents
and medicinal properties
Plant considered diuretic,
antihelminthic, diaphoretic, febrifuge.
Parts used and preparation
Leaves
Uses
Culinary
Edible: roots and seeds; roots
eaten raw, young seedling raw or cooked.
Folkloric
Antihelminthic: Decoction
of 20 gms in 1 liter of water. Two tablespoons of fresh leave juice
every hour.
Dedcoction of the fresh plant used as a diuretic and for dysentery.
Dandruff: whole plant mixed with gogo; also prevents hair loss.
Post-partum: Decoction or fresh juice of leaves prescribed after childbirth.
Fever: Decoction of roots; boil 20 gms to a liter of water, 4 to 5 glasses
a day.
Sprains and lumbago: Apply poultice of leaves 4 times daily.
Hemoptysis: Boil the whole plant from root to flowers, boil 20 to 30
grams in a lilter of water, as decoction.
Hypertension.
In Malaysia, decoction of roots used for
asthma.
In coastal Guyana, decoction of plant used
to relieve pains from abdominal muscle strain; applied to wounds to
stop the bleeding. Decoction of grass used as tonic and to relieve bladder
disorders. source
In Malaya, leaf juice given after childbirth
to help expel the placenta.
In Sumatra, used as anthelmintic.
In Cambodia, used for fevers and liver
complaints.
In Venezuela, seed decoction given to infants suffering from black jaundice.
In Nigeria, used for diabetes and malaria.
In Colombia, decoction of plant for diarrhea, dysentery and convulsions.
In Sri Lanka, for muscle sprains, roots or the entire plant mixed with scraped coconut and a piece of Curcuma domestica is pounded well and heated till cooked, then packed over sprained muscles and bandaged.
Others
Stems used for making
mats, baskets, hats.
Plant suitable for paper making.
Malays hold the grain in their hand in
spirit-summoning rituals.
In Bontoc, used in mangmang rituals.
Studies
•
Airway Inflammatory Processes: C-glycosylflavones from the aerial
parts of Eleusine indica inhibit LPS-induced mouse lung inflammation: Study may justify the
popular use of EI against airway inflammatory disorders.
• Apoptotic Induction Activity: Study of grass extracts of D. aegyptium and Eleusine indica showed selective inhibitory growth inhibition effect on human lung cancer and cervical cancer (HeLa) cells. The activity was probably mediated through induction of apoptosis.
• Antiplasmodial / Antidiabetic: Study of ethanolic leaf extract showed significant schizonticidal activity during early and established infections. Treatment of alloxan-induced diabetic rats a leaf extract caused significant reduction in fasting blood glucose levels in acute and prolonged treatment study.
Availability
Wild-crafted. |
