''Ammannia baccifera'', also known as the monarch redstem or blistering ammannia is a species in the family

Lythraceae Lythraceae is a family of flowering plants, including 32 genera, with about 620 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees. The larger genera include ''Cuphea'' (275 spp.), ''Lagerstroemia'' (56), ''Nesaea'' (50), ''Rotala'' (45), and ''Lythrum'' (35). ...

. It is widespread in the tropical regions of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It has been naturalized in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It is annual and herbaceous, and can be found in marshes, swamps, rice fields and water courses at low elevations. It is considered

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, but because it is widespread and common elsewhere, the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

considers it to be 'Least Concern'. The plant Ammannia baccifera Linn. is erect, branched, smooth, slender, annual, more or less purplish herb 10 to 50 centimeters in height. The stems are somewhat 4-angled. The leaves are oblong, oblanceolate, or narrowly elliptic, about 3.5 centimeters long – those on the branches very numerous, small, and 1 to 1.5 centimeters long – with narrowed base and pointed or somewhat rounded tip. The flowers are small, about 1.2 millimeters long, greenish or purplish, and borne in dense axillary clusters. The capsules are nearly spherical, depressed, about 1.2 millimeters in diameter, purple, and irregularly circumscribes above the middle. The seeds are black (Nadkarni, 1982).

Properties and Uses

The bitter herb is an appetizer, stomachic and is useful in treating biliousness ad digestion, stomach pains, constipation, and excessive flatulence (passing gas) the leaves are beneficial for removing phlegm from the lungs and trachea. According to Ayurvedic pandits, the herbal extract is a good remedy for tuberculosis and typhoid fever. The plant juice mixed with ginger extract is helpful for curing fevers. Tribal believe that the herb is an effective remedy for all blood diseases. In India, the leaves are used to reduce the sexual libido in animals. The leaves are acrid and find application in folk medicine for the treatment of rheumatic pain, as laxative, rubefacient and external remedy for ring worm (Kirtikar, 1972). This plant was found to possess hypothermic, hypertensive, antiurolithiasis, antibacterial and CNS depressant activities (Dhar et al., 1973; Bharathi and Srinivasan, 1994; Al-Sharma and Mitschar, 1979). Recent studies have demonstrated that the ethanol extract from Ammannia baccifera possess antisteroidogenic (Ramaiyan Danapal et al., 2005),antioxidant and hepato-protective activities (Lavanya et al., 2009). Some chemical compounds found in this herb are betulinic acid, daucosterol, ellagic acid, n-hentricontane, lupeol, quercetin and triacontane-1,30-diol.

References

External links

* baccifera {{Myrtales-stub