Prickly Chaff Flower

Overview

It is probably indigenous to South-East Asia and Africa and now it is a ubiquitous weed, through the tropics and subtropics. It is an important medicinal plant in parts of Asia, and as a food crop in China. It has diuretic activity, probably due to the precence of a large quantity of potasium
salt.

Vernacular Names

Co xuoc (Vietnamese), Latkana (Hindi), Spreublume (German), Achyranthe rude (French), Kunjar (Indian), Hangod (Philippines), Dao gou cao (Chinese), jarong, sangketan (Indonesia).

Agroecology

A. aspera occur as a ruderal often in sunny, dry localities, in regions with a well drained in rainy season, along road side and in waste place , from sea-level up to 2500 m altitude. It is suitable on sandy, loamy and clay soils.

Morphology

• Stem - angular, ribbed, stiff, nodes thickened, variably pubescent, reddish brown.
• Leaves - opposite, simple; petiole present; stipule absent, ovate-obovate or elliptical-oblong, glabrous to densely hairy.
• Flower - bisexual, solitary, deflexed after anthesis, spike terminal and axillary, up to 75 cm long, rachis stiff, ribbed, more or less densely white hairy, flower has five white to pink or greenish tepals and five white filaments.
• Fruit - capsules, orange to reddish purple or brown, 1-3 mm long. Ovary is 1-seeded.
• Seed - solitary, ovoid, brown, 2 to 3 mm long. 

Cultivation

Generative propagation is by seed. Seedling with epigeal germination. The seeds germinate equally under light, shade and dark conditions. It can be found flowering throughout the year when sufficient water is available.

Chemical Constituents

Root contains water soluble alkaloid achyranthine, triterpen oleanolic acid, glycosides. The shoot are rich in alkanes, e.g. 17-pentatriacontanol, tritriacontanol, and 36,4 7 -dihydroxyhenpentacontan-4-one. Seeds contains a series of triterpene saponins (Saponins A-D), oleanolic acid, glucose, galactose, xylose and rhamnose.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• The leaves are applied to wounds, and to mature abscesses and boils.
• A decoction of the root is drunk for diuretic, rheumatism, stomach-ache, menstruation pain , absence of menstruation or as an abortifacient. The sap from the plant is taken for dysentery and rheumatism.
• Seeds are used for treating jaundice. Poultice of leaves is used for insect and snake bites.
• All extracts showed moderate larvicidal effects against A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus.