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Achyranthes aspera
| Common name: |
Devil's Horsewhip |
Family: |
Amaranthaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
50, 265 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
E. Asia - Himalayas to Australia. |
| Habitat: |
Open dry places at elevations up to 2000 metres in Nepal[272]. More or less naturalized as a weed in waste ground in southern Europe[50]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
1 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Apamarga [E], Chaff Tree [E], Devil's Horsewhip [P], Devil's-horsewhip [B], Feuilles La Fievre [E], Jarongan [E], Rabo De Gato [E], Rarai [E], Santypite [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
asper = rough;
aspera = rough;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Caryophyllales. Amaranth family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Dominican Republic; Ethiopia; Haiti; India; India(Santal); Java; Moluccas; New Zealand(Niue); Perak; Philippines; Samoa; Sudan; Tahiti; Tonga
|
Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 0.9m. . It is in flower from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs).
We rate it 1/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
Edible Uses
Leaves; Seed.
Leaves - cooked[144, 177]. Used as a spinach substitute[179].
Seed - cooked[144, 177]. he seeds are said to be eaten with milk in order to
check hunger without loss of body weight[272].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antispasmodic; Astringent; Diuretic; Odontalgic.
One of the more important mdicinal herbs of Nepal, it is widely used in
the treatment of a range of complaints.
Ophthalmic[152].
The root is astringent, diuretic and antispasmodic[152, 178, 272]. It is
used in the treatment of dropsy, rheumatism, stomach problems, cholera, skin
diseases and rabies[152, 272].
The juice extracted from the root of this plant, mixed with the root of
Urena lobata and the bark of Psidium guajava, is used in the treatment of
diarrhoea and dysentery[272].
The plant is astringent, digestive, diuretic, laxative, purgative and
stomachic[272]. The juice of the plant is used in the treatment of boils,
diarrhoea, dysentery, haemorrhoids, rheumatic pains, itches and skin
eruptions[272].
The ash from the burnt plant, often mixed with mustard oil and a pinch of
salt, is used as a tooth powder for cleaning teeth[272]. It is believed to
relieve pyorrhea and toothache[272].
The leaf is emetic and a decoction is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and
dysentery[272]. A paste of the leaves is applied in the treatment of rabies,
nervous disorders, hysteria, insect and snake bites[272].
Other Uses
Soap; Teeth.
The ash from the burnt plant, often mixed with mustard oil and a pinch
of salt, is used as a tooth powder for cleaning teeth[272].
The dried twigs are used as toothbrushes[272].
The ash of the burnt plant is a rich source of potash. It is used for
washing clothes[272].
Cultivation details
Cultivated as a food crop in China[179].
See also [240] and [50].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in situ.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
References for the family Amaranthaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
[144] Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976 ISBN 0-00-634436-4
A very good pocket guide.
[152] Lassak. E. V. and McCarthy. T. Australian Medicinal Plants.
A very good and readable guide to the subject.
[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.
[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
[265] Carolin. R. & Tindale. M. Flora of the Sydney Region Reed. Australia. 1993 ISBN 0730104001
Concise flora with little beyond an extensive key, species descriptions, very brief habitat description.
Readers Comments
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Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Achyranthes+aspera
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Achyranthes+aspera
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