Barkleyanthus salicifolius

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Barkleyanthus salicifolius

Family: Asteraceae Genus: Barkleyanthus Species: salicifolius

Synonyms: Senecio axillaris, Senecio xarilla, Cineraria salicifolia, Cineraria dracunculoides, Senecio salignus, Cineraria angustifolia, Cineraria verna

Willow ragwortWillow groundsel

Western Herbalism Properties

Actions:
anti-inflammatoryhepatic

Traditional Uses

Jarilla is a traditional medicinal plant of the Mexican highlands. In folk medicine it is used as an anti-inflammatory and to relieve rheumatism and migraine, as a liver- and kidney-protective remedy, and to control gastrointestinal disorders (Perez-Gonzalez et al., Chilean J. Agric. Res., 2020). The flowers and leaves are the parts chiefly employed.

Botanical Description

Barkleyanthus salicifolius, commonly called willow ragwort or jarilla (also jara, barilla), is a shrub of the daisy family (Asteraceae) native to Mexico and Central America, where it is common between about 1200 and 3000 metres elevation on hillsides, pine-forest margins and roadsides, often growing among grasses. It is a willowy, much-branched bush reaching around 1.5 to 3 metres tall, with slender stems bearing long, narrow, lance-shaped (willow-like) leaves with finely toothed margins, the resemblance to willow giving the plant both its scientific epithet and common names. In its flowering season the shrub is covered with numerous small yellow flower heads, each with short ray florets surrounding a yellow disc, clustered in branched terminal arrays typical of the ragwort group. The fruits are small achenes with a pappus of fine bristles for wind dispersal. As a member of the senecioid groundsels it is likely to contain pyrrolizidine-type alkaloids, and it is a widespread and conspicuous shrub of the Mexican highlands.

Native Region: Arizona, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, New Mexico, Texas

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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