Indian fleabane
StarPluchea indica
Synonyms: Placus indicus, Baccharis indica
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
Pluchea indica is a well-documented medicinal plant of South and Southeast Asia rather than the Americas. In Ayurveda the leaves and aerial parts are valued for anti-diabetic and anti-rheumatic actions, and across India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and southern China (where it is known as luan yi) the leaves and roots are used in folk medicine to treat inflammation, rheumatism, lumbago, dysentery, atonic and gangrenous ulcers, hemorrhoids, fever, and itchy skin, the leaves frequently taken as a tea. Modern pharmacology corroborates marked anti-inflammatory activity of root extracts against carrageenan-, histamine-, and serotonin-induced edema and adjuvant arthritis, alongside broad antimicrobial activity of leaf and root extracts (Sen et al., 2022; Widyawati et al., 2022).
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Botanical Description
Pluchea indica is an aromatic, much-branched evergreen shrub of the daisy family, typically reaching 1 to 2.5 metres in height. The stems are woody at the base and bear alternate, obovate to narrowly elliptic leaves that are toothed toward the apex, slightly fleshy, and emit a camphor-like scent when crushed. The flower heads are small and discoid, grouped into terminal corymbose clusters; the florets are pinkish-purple to mauve, with the outer florets female and the central ones bisexual. The fruit is a small, ribbed, hairy achene crowned by a pappus of fine white bristles. Native to coastal and saline habitats across tropical and subtropical Asia, it is widespread from India and Sri Lanka through Southeast Asia to southern China, Malesia, and northern Australia, thriving in mangrove margins, tidal flats, brackish marshes, and disturbed coastal ground where it tolerates high salinity.
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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