Heliotropium indicum (PROSEA)

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Plant Resources of South-East Asia
Introduction
List of species


1, plant habit; 2, flower; 3, bilobed fruit; 4, fruit in cross-section (Iskak Syamsudin)

Heliotropium indicum L.

Protologue: Sp. pl. 1: 130 (1753).

Vernacular names

  • Indian heliotrope (En).
  • Tournesol indien (Fr)
  • Indonesia: buntut tikus (Malay), bandotan, gajahan (Javanese)
  • Malaysia: rumput ekur kuching, rumput kala jenkeng, rumput oleh (Peninsular)
  • Philippines: trompa ng elephante, buntot-leon (Tagalog, Bikol), kambra-kambra (Bisaya)
  • Cambodia: promoi damrey, kantui damrey
  • Laos: nha nguong xang
  • Thailand: ku-no kaa-mo (peninsular), yaa nguang chaang (general), yaa nguang chaang noi (northern)
  • Vietnam: cây vòi voi.

Distribution

Probably a native of tropical America, now widespread in all tropical regions of the world. H. indicum is a common weed throughout Malesia.

Uses

H. indicum has been used on warts and in poultices since antiquity, to treat inflammatory tumours. In Indonesia a decoction of the leaves is used against thrush. In folk medicine in Indo-China the whole plant, either in decoction or as a poultice, is applied to treat inflammation, swelling, sprain, contusion, pharyngitis, abscesses and rheumatism. A poultice of the leaves is used in the treatment of herpes and rheumatism. In the Philippines, the roots are considered a good emmenagogue. An infusion of the leaves is used to wash wounds and sores. In Thailand, a decoction of aerial parts is applied as an antipyretic and anti-inflammatory, and the roots are used for eye diseases. In West Africa, a poultice is applied in the treatment of eczema and impetigo. In South and Central America, the plant is used for similar purposes. In addition a decoction of the leaves is taken orally to cure dysentery and to treat haemorrhoids. The leaf juice is drunk to stop internal bleeding. An infusion is taken as a gargle to relieve sore throat.

Observations

  • An annual herb, 15-60(-100) cm tall, stem simple or with a few branches, hairy.
  • Leaves ovate, (1.5-)2-10(-12) cm × 1-8(-9) cm, base truncate but narrowly long-decurrent, apex acute, with tubercules of mineralized cells and bristly hairs, petiole 1-9 cm long.
  • Inflorescence consisting of 1 to several spike-like cyme(s), elongated, 5-20 cm long, ebracteate.
  • Calyx with patent, bristly, white hairs, corolla salver-shaped, tube 3-4.5 mm long, lobes rounded, about 1 mm long, pale-violet, blue or white, apex of carpels strongly bidentate, strongly divergent at anthesis.
  • Fruit 2-3 mm long, fruit halves 2-celled, cells 2-locular, outer partition with one seed, inner one larger, empty.

H. indicum is found in sunny places, on waste land, in periodically desiccating pools and ditches and other anthropogenic habitats, in general up to 800 m altitude.

Selected sources

  • [97] Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1963) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
  • [190] Brown, W.H., 1951-1957. Useful plants of the Philippines. Reprint of the 1941-1943 edition. 3 volumes. Technical Bulletin 10. Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Bureau of Printing, Manila, the Philippines. Vol. 1 (1951) 590 pp., Vol. 2 (1954) 513 pp., Vol. 3 (1957) 507 pp.
  • [201] Burkill, H.M., 1985-1997. The useful plants of West tropical Africa. Edition 2. 5 volumes. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, United Kingdom. Vol. 1 (1985), Families A-D, 960 pp.; Vol. 2 (1994), Families E-I, 636 pp.; Vol. 3 (1995), Families J-L, 857 pp.; Vol. 4 (1997), Families M-R, 969 pp.
  • [202] Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A-H) pp. 1-1240. Vol. 2 (I-Z) pp. 1241-2444.
  • [221] Catalfamo, J.L., Martin Jr, W.B. & Birecka, H., 1982. Accumulation of alkaloids and their necines in Heliotropium curassavicum, H. spathulatum and H. indicum. Phytochemistry 21(11): 2669-2675.
  • [287] Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1948-1976. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials & industrial products. 11 volumes. Publications and Information Directorate, New Delhi, India.
  • [531] Gutierrez, H.G., 1980-1982. An illustrated manual of Philippine materia medica. 2 volumes. Natural Research Council of the Philippines, Tagig, Metro Manila, the Philippines. Vol. 1 (1980) pp. 1-234, Vol. 2 (1982) pp. 235-485.
  • [580] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
  • [614] Holm, L.G., Plucknett, D.L., Pancho, J.V. & Herberger, J.P., 1977. The world's worst weeds. Distribution and biology. East-West Center, the University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu, United States. 609 pp.
  • [787] Kugelman, M., Liu, W.C., Axelrod, M., McBride, T.J. & Rao, K.V., 1976. Indicin-N-oxide: the anti-tumor principle of Heliotropium indicum. Lloydia 39(2-3): 125-128.
  • [921] Matthew, K.M., 1981-1988. The flora of the Tamilnadu Carnatic. 4 volumes. The Rapinat Herbarium, St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli, India.
  • [979] Morton, J.F., 1981. Atlas of medicinal plants of Middle America. Bahamas to Yucatan. Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, United States. 1420 pp.
  • [1035] Nguyen Van Duong, 1993. Medicinal plants of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Mekong Printing, Santa Ana, California, United States. 528 pp.
  • [1072] Ohnuma, T., Sridhar, K.S., Ratner, L.H. & Holland, J.F., 1982. Phase I study of indicine N-oxide in patients with advanced cancer. Cancer Treatment Report 66(7): 1509-1515.
  • [1126] Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. 620 pp.
  • [1128] Pételot, A., 1952-1954. Les plantes médicinales du Cambodge, du Laos et du Vietnam *[The medicinal plants of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam]. 4 volumes. Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques et Techniques, Saigon, Vietnam.
  • [1178] Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. 1262 pp.
  • [1229] Riedl, H., 1997. Boraginaceae. In: Kalkman, C., Kirkup, D.W., Nooteboom, H.P., Stevens, P.F. & de Wilde, W.J.J.O. (Editors): Flora Malesiana. Series 1. Vol. 13. Rijksherbarium/Hortus Botanicus, Leiden, the Netherlands. pp. 43-144.
  • [1299] Schoental, R., 1968. Toxicology and carcinogenic action of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Cancer Research 28: 2237.
  • [1386] Soerjani, M., Kostermans, A.J.G.H. & Tjitrosoepomo, G., (Editors) 1987. Weeds of rice in Indonesia. Balai Pustaka, Jakarta, Indonesia. 716 pp.

Main genus page

Authors

  • Wongsatit Chuakul, Noppamas Soonthornchareonnon & Promjit Saralamp
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