Alternanthera philoxeroides

Alternanthera philoxeroides (C. Martius) Grisebach, Abh. Königl. Ges. Wiss. Göttingen. 24: 36. 1879.

(Photo Sonnia hill; Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb.)

Latin Name: Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb.

Family & Genus: Amaranthaceae, Alternanthera

Synonym Name: Achyranthes paludosa Bunbury; Achyranthes philoxeroides (Mart.) Standl; Alternanthera philoxerina Suess.; Alternanthera philoxeroides var. acutifolia (Moq.) Hicken; Alternanthera philoxeroides f. acutifolia (Moq.) Pedersen; Alternanthera philoxeroides f. angustifolia Suess.; Alternanthera philoxeroides var. lancifolia Chodat; Alternanthera philoxeroides var. luxurians Suess.; Alternanthera philoxeroides var. obtusifolia (Mart.) Hicken; Alternanthera philoxeroides var. phyllantha R.E.Fr.; Alternanthera philoxeroides var. platyphylla (Seub.) R.E.Fr.; Bucholzia philoxeroides Mart.; Bucholzia philoxeroides var. acutifolia Mart.; Bucholzia philoxeroides var. obtusifolia Mart.; Celosia amphibia Salzm. ex Moq.; Mogiphanes philorexoides D. Parodi; Telanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Moq.; Telanthera philoxeroides var. acutifolia (Mart.) Moq.; Telanthera philoxeroides var. denticulata Seub. in C. Martius; Telanthera philoxeroides var. linearifolia Chodat; Telanthera philoxeroides var. obtusifolia (Mart.) Moq.

English Name: Alligator-weed, Alligator Alternanthera.

Chinese name: 喜旱莲子草 xi han lian zi cao

Vietnamese Name: Rau rệu, Rau giệu, Rau diệu

Description: Herbs perennial. Stem ascending from a creeping base, 55-120 cm, branched; young stem and leaf axil white hairy; old ones glabrous. Petiole 3-10 mm, glabrous or slightly hairy; leaf blade oblong, oblong-obovate, or ovate-lanceolate, 2.5-5 × 0.7-2 cm, glabrous or ciliate, adaxially muricate, base attenuate, margin entire, apex acute or obtuse, with a mucro. Heads with a peduncle, solitary at leaf axil, globose, 0.8-1.5 cm in diam. Bracts and bracteoles white, 1-veined, apex acuminate; bracts ovate, 2-2.5 mm; bracteoles lanceolate, ca. 2 mm. Tepals white, shiny, oblong, 5-6 mm, glabrous, apex acute. Filaments 2.5-3 mm, connate into a cup at base; pseudostaminodes oblong-linear, ca. as long as stamens. Ovary obovoid, compressed, with short stalk. Fruit not known. Flowering: May to October.

Distribution: Growing in ditches, ponds or on waste lands. Distributed in Hebei, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hunan, Guangxi and etc. Originating in Brazil. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Hebei, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hunan, Guangxi.

Part Used: Medical part: whole plant. Chinese name: Kongxinxian.

Harvest & Processing: Collected in spring, summer, autumn, removed weeds, well washed, used fresh or sundried.

Chemistry: Whole plant contains 7α-L-rhamnosyl-6-methoxy-luteolin, oleanolic acid, Coupling glucose, ribose and saponinscomponents of rhamnose. Stem leaves contain alternanthin, β-sitosterol, β-sitosterol, stearicacid and oleanolic acid-3-O-β-D-glucoside. phaeophytin a, pheophytin a', oleanoic acid, 3beta-hydroxystigmast-5-en-7-one, alpha-spinasterol, 24-methylenecycloartanol, cycloeucalenol, phytol.

Pharmacology: Anti-viral, antibacterial, hepatic-protective, antinociceptive and antihyperglycemic

Properties & Actions: Bitter, sweet, cold. Clearing heat and cooling blood, detoxicating and disinhibiting urine.

Indications & Usage: Coughing up blood, hematuria, cold and pyrexia, measles, encephalitis B, stranguria with turbid urine, eczema, anthracia and furunculosis, venomous snake bite. Oral administration: decocting, 30-60g, fresh products double in amount; or smashed to extract juice. External application: appropriate amount, smashed for application; or smashed to extract juice.

Examples      

1. Coughing up blood due to tuberculosis: fresh whole herb of alligator-weed 120g, crystal sugar 15g. Stew with water and swallow.

2. Hematuria and urinary tract infection: alligator-weed, Beijing spurge and Taiwan beautyberry, 30g each. Decoct in water and swallow.

References

- libproject.hkbu.edu.hk

- efloras.org

- theplantlist

- Fang JB, Duan HQ, Zhang YW, Yoshihisa T.; Chemical constituents from herb of Alternanthera philoxeroides.; Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2006; 31(13):1072-5.

- Khatun F, Zaman F, Mosaiab T, Mostafa F, Zaman M, Rehana F, Nasrin D, Jamal F, Nahar N, Rahmatullah M.; Evaluation of antinociceptive and antihyperglycemic activities in methanol extracts of whole plants of Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. (Amaranthaceae) in mice; Pak J Pharm Sci. 2012 Jul;25(3):583-7.