Aerva lanata (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

1, plant habit; 2, branchlet with young inflorescences; 3, flower; 4, opened staminal tube with stamens and staminodes (Achmad Satiri Nurhaman)

Aerva lanata (L.) A.L. Juss. ex Schultes

Protologue: Roemer & Schultes, Syst. veg. 5: 564 (1819).

Synonyms

• Achyranthes lanata L. (1753),
• Illecebrum lanatum (L.) L. (1771),
• Achyranthes villosa Forssk. (1775).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: katumpangan uler, rumput upas-upasan
• Philippines: tabang-ahas, apugapugan, pamaynap (Tagalog), karlatan (Iloko)
• Vietnam: mao vĩ lông.

Distribution

Africa, Madagascar, the Seychelles and other islands in the Indian Ocean and southern Asia from Arabia to India, Sri Lanka, Indo-China and Malesia (Sumatra, Bangka, Java, the Philippines, Timor, the Aru Islands and southern and south-eastern New Guinea).

Uses

In the Philippines, a decoction is considered to be an efficacious diuretic and is used against catarrh of the bladder and gonorrhoea. Leaves steeped in hot water are applied to swellings in Indonesia. In India, the roots are additionally used to treat headache, as demulcent, to cure coughs and as a vermifuge.

Observations

• A perennial erect herb up to 110 cm tall, main branches and upper part of the stem often unbranched for a considerable length, leafy and flowering almost throughout, internodes usually shorter than 2 cm.
• Leaves alternate, ovate-elliptical to obovate, 0.5-5 cm × 0.3-3 cm.
• Spikes up to 2.5 cm long, in the axil of normal leaves, never forming a loosely branched paniculate inflorescence.
• Tepals 1-1.5 mm long, stigmas 2, spreading; fruiting spike easily breaking up.

A. lanata is locally common along roadsides, in abandoned fields and waste places, in Java up to 100 m altitude.

Selected sources

• Amin, K.M.Y., Ahmed, S. & Khan, N.A., 1994. Anti nephrotic syndrome ethnic drug Bishiri Booti (Aerva lanata)- experimental study of relevant pharmacological actions. Ethnobiology in human welfare: abstracts of the Fourth International Congress of Ethnobiology, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, 17-21 November, 1994. National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India. p. 94.
• Backer, C.A., 1949. Amaranthaceae. In: van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (General editor): Flora Malesiana. Series 1, Vol. 4. Noordhoff Kolff, Djakarta, Indonesia. pp. 69-98.
• Backer, C.A., 1951. Phytolaccaceae. In: van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (General editor): Flora Malesiana. Series 1, Vol. 4. Noordhoff Kolff, Djakarta, Indonesia. pp. 228-232.
• 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.
• de Padua, L.S., Lugod, G.C. & Pancho, J.V., 1977-1983. Handbook on Philippine medicinal plants. 4 volumes. Documentation and Information Section, Office of the Director of Research, University of the Philippines at Los Baños, the Philippines.
• Goonaratna, C., Thabrew, I. & Wijewardena, K., 1993. Does Aerva lanata have diuretic properties? Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 37(2): 135-137.
• 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.
• Mallabaev, A., Rakhimov, D.A. & Murdakhaev Yu, M., 1989. Carbohydrates of Aerva lanata. Chemistry of Natural Compounds 25(3): 369-370.
• Nirmala Mary, T. & Aruna Prabha, S., 1980. Ecology of Aerva lanata Juss. Geobios 7(6): 285-286.
• Pervykh, L.N., Karasartov, B.S. & Zapesochnaya, G.G., 1992. A study of the herb Aerva lanata IV. Flavonoid glycosides. Chemistry of Natural Compounds 28(5): 509-510.
• Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. 1262 pp.
• Rao, S.G., Hrishikeshavan, H.J., Prasad, K.V.R.S.G. & Guruswami, M.N., 1985. Evaluation of an experimental model for studying urolithiasis effect of Aerva lanata on urinary stones. Indian Drugs 22(12): 640-643.
• Townsend, C.C., 1974. Notes on Amaranthaceae-2. Kew Bulletin 29(3): 461-475.
• Townsend, C.C., 1980. Amaranthaceae. In: Dassanayake, M.D. & Fosberg, F.R. (Editors): A revised handbook to the flora of Ceylon. Vol. 1. Amerind Publishing Co., New Delhi, India. pp. 1-57.
• Udupihille, M. & Jiffry, M.T.M., 1986. Diuretic effect of Aerva lanata with water normal saline and coriander as controls. Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 30(1): 91-97.
• Zapesochnaya, G.G., Kurkin, V.A., Okhanov, V.V. & Miroshnikov, A.I., 1992. Canthin 6 one and @beta@ carboline alkaloids from Aerva lanata. Planta Medica 58(2): 192-196.
• Zapesochnaya, G.G., Kurkin, V.A., Okhanov, V.V., Pervykh, L.N. & Miroshnikov, A.I., 1991. Structure of the alkaloids of Aerva lanata. Chemistry of Natural Compounds 27(6): 725-728.
• Zapesochnaya, G.G., Kurkin, V.A. & Pervykh, L.N., 1990. A study of the herb Aerva lanata II. Feruloylamines. Chemistry of Natural Compounds 26(5): 590-591.
• Zapesochnaya, G.G., Pervykh, L.N. & Kurkin, V.A., 1991. A study of the herb Aerva lanata. Chemistry of Natural Compounds 27(3): 336-340.

Main genus page

• Aerva

Authors

• N. Bunyapraphatsara & R.H.M.J. Lemmens