Aspilia africana
StarAspilia africana
Synonyms: Wedelia africana, Seruneum africanum, Polymnia africana
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
Across West and Central Africa the crushed fresh leaves of Aspilia africana are applied directly to fresh wounds, cuts and sores to arrest bleeding and accelerate healing, and the plant is also used for rheumatic pain, insect and scorpion stings, and to clean the surface of sores and remove foreign bodies from the eye; experimental work confirms its haemostatic, wound-healing and antimicrobial activity against wound contaminants (Okello et al., 2020; Komakech et al., 2019).
Botanical Description
Aspilia africana, the wild sunflower or haemorrhage plant, is an erect, branching perennial herb of the daisy family (Asteraceae) reaching about 0.6 to 2 metres tall, with rough, bristly, somewhat hairy stems. The opposite leaves are ovate to lanceolate, coarsely toothed, conspicuously three-veined from near the base and harshly scabrid on both surfaces. The flower heads are showy and daisy-like, borne on long stalks, with bright golden-yellow ray florets surrounding a darker yellow to orange disc of tubular florets, the involucral bracts green and leafy. The fruit is a small angular achene. Native and widespread across tropical Africa, from West Africa through Central and East Africa, it is a common plant of roadsides, fallow farmland, grassland, forest clearings and other disturbed sunny habitats, where it can form dense weedy stands and is gathered widely as a household medicine.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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