Euphorbia hirta (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

1, plant habit; 2, young cyathium; 3, mature cyathium; 4, seed (Achmad Satiri Nurhaman)

Euphorbia hirta L.

Protologue: Sp. pl. 1: 454 (1753).

• Euphorbia pilulifera L. (1753),
• Chamaesyce pilulifera (L.) Small (1903),
• Chamaesyce hirta (L.) Millsp. (1909).

• Asthma herb, hairy spurge, pill-bearing spurge (En).
• Euphorbe à fleurs en tête, euphorbe pilulifère (Fr)
• Indonesia: daun biji kacang (Malay, Moluccas), nanangkaan (Sundanese), patikan kebo (Javanese)
• Malaysia: ambin jantan, kelusan, keremak susu (Peninsular)
• Papua New Guinea: sip (Kurtatchi, Bougainville), kiki kana kuku (Gunantuna, New Britain)
• Philippines: botobotonis (Tagalog), gatas-gatas (Bisaya, Tagalog), maragatas (Iloko)
• Laos: mouk may, nom ra sa 'si, ung1 yang
• Thailand: nam nom raatchasee (central), yaa nam muek, yaa-lang-ueng (northern)
• Vietnam: cỏ sữra, cỏ sữa lớn lá.

A pantropical weed of Central American origin; introduced into South-East Asia long ago and nowadays occurring throughout Malesia.

The milky latex is cooling and is used as a remedy for conjunctivitis, ulcerated cornea and other eye complaints. It is also applied to cuts, sores and warts. It has a depressant action on the heart and respiration, and a decoction, infusion or tincture of the plant is used to treat asthma, chronic bronchial disorders, acute nasal catarrh, hay fever and emphysema. A decoction is also administered to allay convulsions, as an expectorant, and as a mouthwash to treat toothache. A tincture is considered useful in colic, dysentery, as a vermifuge and in diseases of the genito-urinary tract. The leaves are mixed with those of downy thorn apple (Datura metel L.) in preparing "asthma cigarettes". The plants are slightly narcotic and are reported as being haemostatic, sedative, and sudorific. They are also applied to stimulate milk secretion and to promote sweating. An infusion of the roots is taken to relieve headache, and heat exhaustion. The ground fruits are given to children as a laxative. In Java and India the tender shoots serve as famine food, raw or steamed, but these may cause intestinal complaints.

• An annual, unarmed, pilose herb up to 70 cm tall, stems sparingly branched near the base.
• Leaves opposite, ovate to ovate-oblong, 1-5 cm × 0.3-2.5 cm, base obliquely cuneate to rounded, apex bluntly pointed, margin finely serrate, pale to dark green, often with purple spots, short-petioled, stipules free, subulate.
• Inflorescence axillary or terminal, composed of peduncled, globose clusters of cyathia; cyathia with appressed-hairy involucres and 4 minute, green or purplish glands bearing a narrow appendage, anthers yellow.
• Capsule acutely 3-lobed, broadly ovoid-pyramidal, about 1 mm × 1.2 mm, appressed-hairy.
• Seeds oblong, with slight transverse wrinkles.

E. hirta is a weed of waste places and in crops, occurring up to 2000 m altitude.

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• Euphorbia (Medicinal plants)

• Nguyen Nghia Thin & M.S.M. Sosef