Hilleria latifolia

Description

A shrubby annual herb. It grows 2 m tall. The stems are erect. They are slender and branched. The leaves are alternate and simple. The leaf blade is 8-16 cm long by 4-8 cm wide.

Edible Uses

The leaves are cooked and eaten as a leafy vegetable. The dried fruit are used as a relish.

Traditional Uses

It is considered toxic but also used as a vegetable. It can cause severe diarrhoea. The dried fruit are used as a relish. The leaves are cooked and eaten as a leafy vegetable.

Medicinal Uses

Although often considered to be poisonous, the plant is widely used in herbal medicine in Africa. There is little information on the phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of this plant. The presence of a flavonoid, probably also alkaloids, and some glycosides have been reported. A crude extract of the stem bark caused significant mortality in vitro of adults and microfilariae of Onchocerca volvulus, which causes river blindness. The leaves are haemostatic and strongly purgative. A leaf decoction is taken or administered by enema to treat ascites, food poisoning, gynaecological disorders etc in cases where purging is seen as beneficial. A leaf decoction is taken to treat coughing of blood. The boiled plant is eaten to treat guinea worm. The leaves are eaten in soup to treat gonorrhoea. The pounded leaves, combined with the stem sap of Costus afer, are taken to treat colic and gonorrhoea. In Nigeria the leaves are a component of 'nature cure bitters' a popular polyherbal formulation used for a variety of ethnomedicinal purposes. The vapour from the leaf decoction is inhaled to cure jaundice. Used externally, the pulped leaves are applied topically to painful areas; to treat persistent headache; skin infections; scabies; and smallpox. Combined with those of Piper guineense, they are applied to the body to cure swellings and leprosy. Ground to a paste together with Alternanthera pungens or Capsicum annuum, they are topically applied to treat rheumatism. The crushed plant is applied to breast cancer. The sap is also used as ear drops to treat ear infections. The flowers are ground to a paste and taken with orange juice to treat asthma.

Known Hazards

There is controversial information concerning the toxicity of the plant. In some areas it is considered to be a violent poison, whilst in others the leaves are eaten as a vegetable or are added to soups. Cattle and sheep refuse to browse the plant in some areas, whilst in others the leaves are browsed by sheep and goats, but the flowers and fruits are considered fatally poisonous.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in forests near rivers. It grows between 500-1,600 m altitude. In Argentina it grows below 1,000 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Argentina, Asia, Brazil, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Paraguay, South America*, Sri Lanka, Togo, Uganda, West Africa,

Cultivation

The plant is often considered to have been introduced from South America, but its occurrence in little disturbed forest areas in East Africa and Madagascar may indicate that it is native in these regions.

Other Uses

The Maasai people use the blackened stems for drawing eyebrows. The presence of the plant is used as an indication of soil suitable for cocoa cultivation.

Notes

There are 3 Hilleria species. It is also put in the family Phytolaccaceae

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Akaka, Asede, Ingopo, Loko, Lokobo, Lokowo, Mulondipi, Ngudi a nkuekue, Saka

References (17)

• Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 4. Kew.
• Dalziel, J. M., 1937, The Useful plants of west tropical Africa. Crown Agents for the Colonies London.
• Food Composition Tables for use in Africa FAO http://www.fao.org/infoods/directory No. 662
• Grubben, G. J. H. and Denton, O. A. (eds), 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. p 562
• Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 82

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