Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
Elephantopus scaber is a pantropical medicinal plant. In Ayurveda it is recorded under several Sanskrit names (Gojihva, Kharaparnini), the mucilaginous decoction of root and leaves being used as an emollient in dysuria, diarrhoea, dysentery and stomach ache (Hiradeve & Rangari, 2014). In Chinese folk medicine, particularly Yunnan, decoctions of the whole plant or root are taken for jaundice, chronic bronchitis, fever and to protect the liver (Ho et al., 2009). Across India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Madagascar, Nepal and Brazil the whole plant or root decoction is widely employed as an anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, diuretic and tonic, and applied topically for boils, skin ulcers and wounds (Hiradeve & Rangari, 2014).
Gallery
Botanical Description
Elephantopus scaber, the prickly-leaved elephant's foot, is a tropical perennial herb of the family Asteraceae with a subscapose growth form, arising from a woody rootstock and long fibrous roots. A flattened basal rosette of oblanceolate to elliptic leaves, 6 to 60 centimetres long and 1.5 to 10 centimetres wide, has attenuate bases, finely toothed margins and rough, pilose surfaces. From the rosette rise one to several erect, hairy flowering stems 0.2 to 1.5 metres tall bearing smaller, lanceolate cauline leaves. The inflorescence consists of clustered glomerules of capitula, each about 1 to 3 centimetres across, arranged in terminal corymb-like cymes and subtended by leafy bracts; the small five-lobed corollas are pale mauve, lilac or white. Fruits are fusiform, ten-ribbed achenes about 3 to 4 millimetres long, crowned by a pappus of five to ten stiff scales. It is widely distributed across tropical Asia, Africa and the Americas, often as a weed of disturbed ground.
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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