Han Lian Cao, False daisy
Eclipta prostrata
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae
What it is like
Eclipta prostrata is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.6 m (2ft in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. It is in flower in August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist or wet soil.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Wet places in the lowlands of Japan, especially by paddy fields.
Widely spread through the tropics and warm temperate zones, possibly originally native the temperate and tropical America.
Conservation Status: Status: Data Deficient
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burma, China, Central Africa, Central America*, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Europe, Fiji, France, Gabon, Ghana, Guiana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Lesser Antilles, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Tibet, Venezuela, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia,
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Tender leaves and young shoots - cooked and used as a vegetable.
Medicine
Rating: 3
This species is widely used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and in Ayurveda. It is considered to be the best remedy for the hair and is also used as a rejuvenative and liver tonic. The whole plant contains the alkaloids nicotine and ecliptine as well as coumarin. It is astringent, deobstruent, depurative, emetic, febrifuge, ophthalmic, purgative, styptic and tonic. It is used internally in the treatment of dropsy and liver complaints, anaemia, diphtheria etc, tinnitus, tooth loss and premature greying of the hair. Externally, it is used as an oil to treat hair loss and is also applied to athlete's foot, eczema, dermatitis, wounds etc. The plant juice, mixed with an aromatic (essential oil?), is used in the treatment of catarrhal problems and jaundice. The leaves are used in the treatment of scorpion stings. They are used as an antidote for snake bites in Korea. The plant is harvested as it comes into flower and is dried for later use. The roots are emetic and purgative. They are applied externally as an antiseptic to ulcers and wounds, especially in cattle.
Antidote: Counters poisoning.
Antiseptic: Preventing sepsis, decay or putrefaction, it destroys or arrests the growth of micro-organisms.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Depurative: Eliminates toxins and purifies the system, especially the blood.
Eczema: Used in the treatment of eczema - a chronic health condition that affects the skin, causing redness, dryness, itching and infections.
Emetic: Induces vomiting.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Odontalgic: Treats toothache (temporary measure only) and other problems of the teeth and gums.
Ophthalmic: Treats eye complaints.
Purgative: A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.
Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.
Stings: Used in the treatment of stings and insect bites.
Styptic: An astringent that stops bleeding by contracting the blood vessels.
Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.
Other
Rating: 2
A black dye is obtained from the plant. It is used as a hair dye and for tattooing.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents etc.
Hair: Plants used as hair shampoos, tonics, to treat balding etc.
How it is grown
Requires a damp to wet soil and a position in some shade. This is a tropical species and it might need more summer heat and a longer growing season than is normally available in British summers.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer, after the last expected frosts. Give the plants some extra protection, such as a cloche, until they are established and growing away well.
Best place to grow: Bog Garden; Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual
Hardiness: 10-12
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade
Moisture: Moist, wet
Things to keep in mind
Never been reported as a serious weed but it is troublesome in several crops. a weed of bananas in Taiwan and the USA (Hawaii); of barley in Bangladesh; cotton in India, Thailand and the USA (Arkansas); flax in Taiwan; groundnut in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, USA (Oklahoma, Virginia) and Vietnam; lawns in the USA (Hawaii); maize in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam; onion in the Philippines; pastures in Western Samoa; pawpaws in the USA (Hawaii); sisal in Angola; sorghum in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam; soyabeans in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam; sugarcane in Angola, India, Indonesia, Peru, Taiwan, Trinidad and the USA (Hawaii); tobacco in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam; tomatoes in the USA (Florida); and vegetables in Indonesia, Philippines and the USA.
Its other names
Local names
Aali jhar, Bhagra, Bhangrii, Bhringraj, Ekaraja, Goman, Grobidia, Huangjiu, Ink plant, Kaiyunni, Kameng, Karisalankanni, Keharaj, Kesut, Kpawu, Nhanvua, Ntum, Tandala, Urang-aring, White twin-heads, agrião, agrião-do-brejo, antacha, antali, bhangara, bhangarail, bhangaraiya, bhangariya, bhangaro, bhangeri, bhangra, bhangro, bheemraja, bhiringe, bhiriyo, bhri-ga, bhringaraj, bhringaraja, bhringiraj, bhringiraja, bhrngaraja, bh??ga, bh??gaja, bh??garaja (whole plant), chari jbar, daisy, false, dye-weed, dyer's weed, eclipta, eclipta prostrata whole plant, eclipta white, ecliptae herba, erva-de-botão, false daisy, garajalu, garujalu, gharauriya, guntagalagara, guntakalagara, gurugada, gurugada soppu, hanryeoncho, herba ecliptae, hierba de tajo, kal jira, karisalai, karisalamkanni, karisalanganni, kayyonni, kesari, keshavardhana, kesuriya, kesaraja, knnunni, kodigaraju, li chang, lug-chhung, maka, mo han lian, mohanlian, mòhànlián, markava, naparo cimarron, nash jhar, nhangra, perpétua-do-mato, soppu, suweid, takasaburoo, tekaraja, vitknapp, white eclipta, white twinheads, yerba de tajo, yerbadetajo herb, éclipte blanche.
Synonyms
E. alba. (L.)Hassk.