Asthma Weed, Pill-Bearing Spurge
Euphorbia hirta

Family: Euphorbiaceae

What it is like

Euphorbia hirta is a ANNUAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in). It is frost tender. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 0.3

Where it is found

Waste places and cultivated fields in lowland Japan. Moist open places at elevations up to 1800 metres in Nepal.

E. Asia - China, Japan, Himalayas.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 1

Tender young leaves and shoots - cooked as a vegetable. A famine food, used when all else fails and I would have to be very desperate to eat it even then.

Medicine

Rating: 3

Asthma weed has traditionally been used in Asia to treat bronchitic asthma and laryngeal spasm, though in modern herbalism it is more used in the treatment of intestinal amoebic dysentery. It should not be used without expert guidance, however, since large doses cause gastro-intestinal irritation, nausea and vomiting. The plant is anodyne, antipruritic, carminative, depurative, diuretic, febrifuge, galactogogue, purgative and vermifuge.The aerial parts of the plant are harvested when in flower during the summer and can be dried for later use. The stem, taken internally, is famed as a treatment for asthma, bronchitis and various other lung complaints. The herb relaxes the bronchioles but apparently depresses the heart and general respiration. It is usually used in combination with other anti-asthma herbs such as Grindelia camporum and Lobelia inflata. It is also used to treat intestinal amoebic dysentery. The whole plant is decocted and used in the treatment of athlete's foot, dysentery, enteritis and skin conditions. It has been used in the treatment of syphilis. The sap is applied to warts in order to destroy them. The treatment needs to be repeated 2 - 3 times a day over a period of several weeks to be fully effective.

Anodyne: Relieves pain, it is milder than an analgesic.

Antiasthmatic: Treats asthma.

Antipruritic: Treats itching of the skin.

Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.

Depurative: Eliminates toxins and purifies the system, especially the blood.

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.

Purgative: A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.

VD: Used in the treatment of venereal disease

Vermifuge: Expels and kills internal parasites.

Warts: Used in the treatment of warts, corns etc.

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

Prefers a light well-drained moderately rich loam in an open sunny position. The plant is not very tolerant of frost, though it can probably be grown successfully in this country as a spring-sown annual. Hybridizes with other members of this genus. The ripe seed is released explosively from the seed capsules. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits. This genus has been singled out as a potential source of latex (for making rubber) for the temperate zone, although no individual species has been singled out.

Propagating it: Seed - sow mid to late spring in situ. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 3 weeks at 20°c. It might be best to sow the seed in a cool greenhouse in early March. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant out the seedlings in late May. This will give the plants longer to grow and mature.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Annual

Hardiness:

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

The sap contains a latex which is toxic on ingestion and highly irritant externally, causing photosensitive skin reactions and severe inflammation, especially on contact with eyes or open cuts. The toxicity can remain high even in dried plant material. Prolonged and regular contact with the sap is inadvisable because of its carcinogenic nature. Adverse effects include: nausea, vomiting, allergic reactions .

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Chamaesyce gemella. Chamaesyce karwinskyi. Desmonema hirta. Ditritea hirta. Euphorbia chrysochaeta