Amaranthus retroflexus

Amaranthus retroflexus Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 991. 1753.

Amaranthus retroflexus Linnaeus; Photo plantsam.com 

Latin Name: Amaranthus retroflexus L.

Family & Genus: Amaranthaceae, Amaranthus

Synonym Name: Amaranthus bulgaricus Kov.; Amaranthus bullatus Besser ex Spreng.; Amaranthus chlorostachys Willk.; Amaranthus curvifolius Spreng.; Amaranthus delilei Richt. & Loret; Amaranthus johnstonii Kov.; Amaranthus recurvatus Desf.; Amaranthus retroflexus var. delilei (Richt. & Loret) Thell.; Amaranthus retroflexus subsp. delilei (Richt. & Loret) Tzvelev; Amaranthus retroflexus var. retroflexus; Amaranthus retroflexus var. rubricaulis Thell.; Amaranthus retroflexus f. rubricaulis Thell. ex Probst; Amaranthus retroflexus var. salicifolius I.M.Johnst.; Amaranthus rigidus Schult. ex Steud.; Amaranthus spicatus Lam.; Amaranthus strictus Ten.; Galliaria retroflexa (L.) Nieuwl.; Galliaria scabra Bubani

English Name: Redroot Amaranthus, Redroot Amaranth.

Chinese Name: 反枝苋 fan zhi xian

Vietnamese Name: Dền ngược

Description: Stem erect, light green, 20-80 cm tall, stout, branched or not, slightly obtusely angulate, densely pubescent. Petiole light green, 1.5-5.5 cm, hairy; leaf blade ovate-rhombic or elliptic, 5-12 × 2-5 cm, both surfaces shortly hairy, but densely hairy abaxially, base cuneate, margin entire and undulate, apex acute or notched, with a mucro. Complex thyrsoid structures terminal and axillary, erect, 2-4 cm in diam., including many spikes; terminal spikes longer than lateral ones. Bracts and bracteoles white, subulate, 4-6 mm, apex slenderly long pointed. Tepals white, oblong or oblong-obovate, 2-2.5 mm, membranous, with a green midvein, apex acute or notched, with a mucro. Stamens slightly longer than perianth. Stigmas 3, rarely 2. Utricles light green, ovoid, compressed, shorter than perianth, circumscissile. Seeds brown or black, subglobose, ca. 1 mm in diam., obtuse at margin. Flowering: July –August, fruiting: August to September.

Distribution: Growing on open fields, farmlands or grassland near villages. Distributed in Northeast, North and Northwest China, Shandong, Taiwan, Henan.

Part Used: Medical part: whole plant, seeds and roots. Chinese name: whole plant or roots: Yexiancai. Seeds: Yexianzi.

Harvest & Processing: Entire plant or root: collected in spring, summer, autumn, well washed and used fresh. Seeds: collected fruits in autumn, sundried, rub and taken the seeds and dried.

Chemistry:

- Whole plant contains linolenis acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid and stearic acid) myristic acid. Sphingolipid:  (1-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(2S,3R,4R,8E)-2-[(2′R)-2′-hydroxytetracosanoylamino]-1,3,4-octadecanetriol-8-ene), two flavonoids (2, 3), four sterols (α-spinasteryl-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, 2β,3β-dihydroxy-30-norolean-12,20(29)-diene-23,28-dioic acid 28-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester), and one amino acid.

- Leaves mainly contain glutamic acid, aspartic acid, methionine, histidine, glucosamine and galactosamine.

- Seeds mainly contain myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, behenic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid.

Pharmacology: Amaranthus retroflexus has a cytotoxic effect and more specific to renal cells.

Properties & Actions: Whole plant or root: sweet, little cold. Seeds: sweet, cool. Whole plant or roots: clearing heat-toxin and disinhibiting urine. Seeds: removing liver fire for improving eyesight and disinhibiting urine.

Indications & Usage: Whole grass or root: dysentery, diarrhea, furunculosis and swelling, venomous snake bites, bee stings, difficulty in urination, edema. Seeds: conjunctival congestion due to hepatic heat, nephelium and cataract, difficulty in urination. Whole plant or roots: oral administration: decocting, 9-30g; smashed to extract juice. External application: appropriate amount, smashed for application. Seeds: oral administration: decocting, 6-12g.

Examples:

1. Ophthalmalgia due to wind-heat: amaranthus seeds 9g, common chrysanthemum 15g, rough gentian 9g, decoct in water and swallow.

2. Swelling pain of hemorrhoids: fresh three-coloured amaranth root 30-60g, large intestine of pig 1 piece. Decoct in water and eat before meals.

References

- libproject.hkbu.edu.hk

- efloras.org

- theplantlist

- M. L. Woo, "Chemical constituents of Amaranthus retroflexus," Botanical Gazette 68, no. 5 (Nov., 1919): 313-344.

- Jamileh Salar-Amoli et al.; Biological screening of Amaranthus retroflexus L. (Amaranthaceae); 2009Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia 19(2b)