Skip to main content

Laggera crispata

(Vahl) Hepper & J. R. I. Wood

Asteraceae Edible: Part near the ground 536 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

(c) tjeerd, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by tjeerd

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

(c) heikev, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

(c) heikev, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Description

A tropical herb in the Asteraceae family with an edible underground portion.

This description is brief — help expand it

Edible Uses

The part near the ground is edible.

Medicinal Uses

The paste of the leaves is employed in the treatment of inflammation and swelling by the inhabitants in northeast region of India and it is also said to have antihelminthic properties. In Chinese traditional system, it is used as a medicine to cure angina, bronchitis, influenza, and malaria. It is also applied externally for treating scabies, burns, snakebites, injuries, fractures, contusions, and strains. Aerial parts of the plant have been used as an antiinflammatory, antibacterial, and antileukaemia. Because of diverse chemical components and biological activities, recently much attention has been given to the genus Laggera in various countries. The essential oil contains a wide range of compounds, the most prominent of which are 2,5-dimethoxy-p-cymene (43.2%); 10-epi-gamma-eudesmol (19.7%); Juniper camphor (4.8%); alpha-humulene (3.8%); 7-epi-alpha-eudesmol (3.6%); caryophyllene (3.5%); caryophyllene oxide (2.8%); dihydroagarofuran (2.6%); and alpha-muurolol (1.7%). In trials, the essential oil has shown moderate to good activity against gran-positive bacteria, and has also shown activity to some gram-negative bacteria..

Distribution

It is a tropical plant.

Where It Grows

Africa, Mozambique,

Cultivation

A strongly aromatic plant.

Synonyms

Blumea alata var. montana C.D. AdamsBlumea crispata (Vahl) Merxm.Blumea purpurascens A. Rich.Blumea vernonioides DC.Conyza crispata VahlLaggera purpurascens Sch.Bip. [Invalid]Laggera purpurascens Sch.Bip. ex Hochst. [Invalid]Serratula polygyna A. Rich.

Also Known As

Nhabise

References (1)

  • Bruschi, P., et al, 2014, Traditional use of plants in a rural community of Mozambique and possible links with Miombo degradation and harvesting sustainability. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 2014, 10:59 (As Blumea crispata)

More from Asteraceae