Eclipta prostrata
| Eclipta prostrata | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Eclipta prostrata (common name: han lian cao)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer, after the last expected frosts. Give the plants some extra protection, such as a cloche, until they are established and growing away well.
Cultivation: Requires a damp to wet soil and a position in some shade[1].
This is a tropical species and it might need more summer heat and a longer growing season than is normally available in British summers[K].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan and Korea to Australia.
Habitat: Wet places in the lowlands of Japan, especially by paddy fields[2].
Edibility: Tender leaves and young shoots - cooked and used as a vegetable[3][4][5][6][7].
Medicinal: This species is widely used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and in Ayurveda[1]. It is considered to be the best remedy for the hair and is also used as a rejuvenative and liver tonic[1][6].
The whole plant is astringent, deobstruent, depurative, emetic, febrifuge, ophthalmic, purgative, styptic and tonic[8][9][10]. It is used internally in the treatment of dropsy and liver complaints[11], anaemia, diphtheria etc[1], tinnitus, tooth loss and premature greying of the hair[9]. Externally, it is used as an oil to treat hair loss and is also applied to athlete's foot, eczema, dermatitis, wounds etc[1][6].
The plant juice, mixed with an aromatic (essential oil?), is used in the treatment of catarrhal problems and jaundice[12].
The leaves are used in the treatment of scorpion stings[12]. They are used as an antidote for snake bites in Korea[13].
The plant is harvested as it comes into flower and is dried for later use[1].
The roots are emetic and purgative[14]. They are applied externally as an antiseptic to ulcers and wounds, especially in cattle[14].
Usage: A black dye is obtained from the plant[1]. It is used as a hair dye and for tattooing[1].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: E. alba. (L.)Hassk.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ Lassak, Erich and Tara McCarthy. Australian Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Manandhar, N. Medicinal Plants of Nepal Himalaya. Department of Medicinal Plants, 1993.
- ↑ Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea. World Health Organisation, 1998.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.