Beggar-ticks
StarBidens pilosa
Synonyms: Bidens hirsuta, Bidens reflexa, Bidens pilosa f. indivisa, Bidens taquetii, Bidens adhaerescens, Cosmea pilosa, Coreopsis leucantha, Bidens pilosa f. pilosior, Bidens africana, Bidens abadiae var. pilosoides, Bidens californica, Bidens pilosa subvar. discoidea, Bidens barrancae, Bidens pilosa f. simplex, Bidens pilosa f. minor, Bidens pilosa var. calcicola, Bidens paleacea, Bidens montaubani, Coreopsis multifida var. mutica, Bidens pilosa var. minor, Bidens pilosa f. subbiternata, Bidens pilosa f. monophylla, Bidens sundaica var. minor, Bidens viciosoi, Bidens arenaria, Bidens abadiae, Bidens hispida, Bidens alausensis, Bidens hirta, Bidens striata, Bidens pinnata, Bidens scandicina, Bidens chilensis, Bidens aurantiaca, Bidens leucanthema var. pilosa, Cosmos pinnatus, Bidens chilensis var. apiifolia, Bidens pilosa var. apiifolia, Bidens pilosa var. alausesis, Bidens pilosa f. pinnata, Bidens odorata, Bidens rosea var. calcicola, Bidens odorata var. calcicola, Bidens pilosa f. alausensis, Bidens pilosa f. bimucronata, Bidens caracasana, Bidens pilosa f. ternata, Bidens pilosa f. dondiifolia, Bidens bimucronata, Kerneria dubia, Bidens pilosa f. umbrosa, Kerneria pilosa, Glossogyne chinensis, Bidens pilosa f. calcicola, Coreopsis odorata, Bidens tripartita subsp. hirta, Bidens decussata, Kerneria tetragona, Bidens pilosa var. subbiternata, Bidens pilosa f. odorata, Bidens pilosa f. discoidea, Bidens pilosa f. triaristata, Bidens pilosa var. brevifoliata, Bidens pilosa f. scandicina, Bidens pilosa var. dubius, Bidens valparadisiaca, Coreopsis corymbifolia, Bidens pilosa var. discoidea, Ceratocephalus pilosus, Bidens sundaica, Kerneria pilosa var. discoidea, Bidens pilosa f. dissecta, Bidens pilosa var. bimucronata, Bidens orendainae, Bidens abadiae var. typica, Bidens pilosa var. typica, Bidens ododrata, Bidens pilosa f. subsimplicifolia
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
Throughout tropical Latin America the leaf juice is applied to dress wounds and ulcers, and leaf decoctions are taken as anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, and gastrointestinal remedies (PFAF). The young leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable.
Gallery
Botanical Description
Bidens pilosa, the beggar-ticks or hairy beggarticks, is a pantropical annual herb of the Asteraceae family, considered native to tropical America and now naturalised throughout the warmer regions of the world. It grows erect to a metre or more, with a slender, four-angled, branching stem that is sparsely hairy. The opposite leaves are pinnately divided into three or five ovate, toothed leaflets. The flowerheads, borne on slender peduncles in loose terminal corymbs, are small, with a few white ray florets surrounding a disc of yellow tubular florets, the whole subtended by green linear bracts. The fruits are slender, black, four-angled achenes about a centimetre long, each tipped with two to four barbed awns that cling tenaciously to fur and clothing, giving the plant its common name.
Active Constituents
Polyacetylenes / polyynes (e.g. cytopiloyne, 2-beta-D-glucopyranosyloxy-1-hydroxytrideca-5,7,9,11-tetrayne)
Aliphatic polyacetylenic glucosidesConcentration: Characteristic minor constituents of the aerial parts
The signature bioactive class of Bidens pilosa. Polyynes such as cytopiloyne are strongly linked to the plant's antidiabetic action, improving glucose homeostasis and protecting/regulating pancreatic beta-cell function in experimental models.
Flavonoids (quercetin, quercetin glycosides, luteolin, jacein, centaurein)
Flavonoid glycosides and aglyconesConcentration: Abundant in aerial parts (one of the largest compound groups reported)
Contribute much of the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity, scavenging free radicals and modulating inflammatory signalling.
Phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, protocatechuic acid)
Hydroxycinnamic / hydroxybenzoic acidsConcentration: Common phenolic constituents of leaves and shoots
Provide antioxidant and antimicrobial activity and support the reported hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects.
Phenylpropanoid glucosides
PhenylpropanoidsConcentration: Minor constituents of aerial parts
Part of the broad phenolic profile; associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in in-vitro studies.
Terpenoids
Mono-, sesqui- and triterpenesConcentration: Minor fraction of the total constituents
Contribute to antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity of extracts and essential oil fractions.
Porphyrins (e.g. phaeophytins)
Chlorophyll-derived tetrapyrrolesConcentration: Present in leaf tissue
Some Bidens phaeophytins show anti-inflammatory and photodynamic/antimicrobial activity in laboratory assays.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Oral antidiabetic drugs and insulin
Bidens pilosa extracts and their polyynes lower blood glucose and improve beta-cell function; combined with conventional hypoglycaemic therapy the additive effect can enhance glucose control but also raise the risk of hypoglycaemia.
Clinical note: Human pilot data show better glycaemic control when a B. pilosa formulation is added to antidiabetic drugs; monitor blood glucose and adjust doses if used together.
Preparation Methods
Decoction / infusion of the aerial parts
Parts: leaves, flowering tops, whole aerial parts
The fresh or dried aerial parts are boiled or steeped to make a tea used traditionally for inflammation, digestive complaints and, more recently, blood-sugar control. Considered a food-grade herb (the young shoots are eaten as a leaf vegetable in many regions), but formal dosing is not standardised.
Fresh leaf poultice / juice
Parts: fresh leaves
Crushed fresh leaves or expressed juice are applied topically in folk practice to wounds, cuts and inflamed skin for their reported antimicrobial and wound-healing action.
Hydroethanolic extract / formulation
Parts: aerial parts
Concentrated extracts (as used in the human pilot study, ~400 mg three times daily) standardise the polyyne and flavonoid content. If used alongside antidiabetic medication, blood glucose should be monitored because of additive hypoglycaemic effects.
Clinical Studies
Bidens pilosa Formulation Improves Blood Homeostasis and beta-Cell Function in Men: A Pilot Study
A Bidens pilosa formulation (400 mg three times daily for 3-7 months) was given to diabetic men and healthy volunteers. In diabetic participants taking only the supplement, fasting blood glucose fell from about 202 to 123 mg/dL and HbA1c from about 9.1% to 7.2%, with the benefit attributed to improved beta-cell function rather than reduced insulin resistance; no adverse effects were seen in healthy subjects.
Botanical, Pharmacological, Phytochemical, and Toxicological Aspects of the Antidiabetic Plant Bidens pilosa L.
A comprehensive review collating the phytochemistry (polyynes, flavonoids, phenolics), the antidiabetic and immunomodulatory pharmacology, and the toxicology of Bidens pilosa, emphasising the role of the polyacetylenic glucosides in its blood-glucose-lowering activity and its generally favourable safety profile.
Historical Texts
Traditional pharmacopoeias of tropical America, Africa and Asia (ethnobotanical record)
Pre-modern to modern folk usageReferences
- Bartolome AP, Villasenor IM, Yang WC. Botanical, Pharmacological, Phytochemical, and Toxicological Aspects of the Antidiabetic Plant Bidens pilosa L. . Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2013) [DOI]
- Lai BY, Chen TY, Huang SH, et al.. Bidens pilosa Formulation Improves Blood Homeostasis and beta-Cell Function in Men: A Pilot Study . Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2015) [DOI]
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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