Pluchea indica (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Pluchea indica (L.) Less.

Protologue: Linnaea 6: 150 (1831).

Family: Compositae

Chromosome number: 2n= 20

Pluchea indica (L.) Less. - 1, flowering branch; 2, achene

• Pluchea foliosa DC. (1836).

• Indian (marsh) fleabane, Indian pluchea (En)
• Indonesia: beluntas (Indonesian), luntas (Javanese), baruntas (Sundanese)
• Malaysia: beluntas, beluntas paya
• Papua New Guinea: a’apu (‘Ere ‘Ere, Central province)
• Philippines: kalapini (Tagalog), banig-banig (Sulu)
• Cambodia: pros anlok
• Laos: nat luat
• Thailand: khlu (central), nuat ngua, naat wua (north-eastern)
• Vietnam: cúc tần, lá lức.

P. indica is found from India to southern China, through Indo-China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, to Australia (including Christmas Island) and the Pacific Islands (including Hawaii).

In Malesia, Indo-China and India a decoction of the leaves, or the crushed fresh leaves or roots of P. indica are used especially as a febrifuge and diaphoretic. In Indonesia and Malaysia, the leaves are also used as a stomachic, a galactagogue, and cough medicine. Juice from the crushed leaves, mixed with the juice of other plants, is a remedy for dysentery. An infusion of the leaves, usually in combination with other ingredients, is given against leucorrhoea. In Papua New Guinea, a decoction of the leaves and stem is drunk to ease asthma and other pulmonary problems. P. indica is also used externally, in special baths as an aromatic and stimulant, and also in nerve-strengthening fomentations. In Indonesia it is mixed with other ingredients into a poultice which is an effective embrocation against weakness after diarrhoea, and against ulcers and sores. The roots, mixed with other ingredients, are applied as a poultice for rheumatic pains. In Thailand all parts of the plant are used as a diuretic and antidiabetic. Externally it is used to relieve skin diseases, and fresh leaves are applied to cure haemorrhoids. In Vietnam, a decoction of the roots or leaves is recommended for treating fever, headache, rheumatism, sprains, dysentery and dyspepsia, and in baths to treat scabies. A decoction of the fresh leaves is also used in an inhalant to cure colds. The powdered leaves, mixed with beeswax and castor oil, are applied in bandaging closed fractures. In Vietnam and Cambodia, an infusion of the leaves as a tea, or the leaves and young shoots crushed in alcohol, are used for treating lumbago.

In Indonesia, the crushed leaves, raw or steamed, are eaten to correct foul breath and offensive perspiration odour. Leaves, young tops and inflorescences, either raw or cooked, are consumed in Java as a side-dish to rice, or as a salad, and sometimes as components of a soup. In Thailand, the leaves are eaten as a flavouring. In Indonesia and Vietnam, P. indica is also regularly used as a hedge plant and as an intercrop in teak forests.

P. indica is produced and traded locally on a small scale only.

The leaves and aerial parts of P. indica contain an essential oil, with camphor, α-pinene, benzyl alcohol, benzyl acetate, eugenol, linalool and δ-cadinol as main components. In the above-ground parts the presence of terpenoids has been indicated, e.g. 3-(2',3'-diacetoxy-2'-methylbutyril) cuauhtemone, linaloyl glucoside, linaloyl apiosyl glucoside, 9-hydroxylinaloyl glucoside, plucheoside A and B, 6-hydroxydammar-6-en-3-acetate and dammadienol. Flavonoids including quercetin and quercetin-3-riboside are also found. The roots contain pterocaptriol, plucheoside C, D1, D2 and D3 and E, plucheol A and B, hop-17(21)-en-3β-yl acetate and boehmeryl acetate.

A root extract of P. indica was tested on locomotor activity responses, pentobarbital-induced sleep responses, social isolation-induced aggressive behaviour responses, motor coordination (rotarod test) responses, pentetrazole-induced convulsions and nociceptive (tail-pinch test) responses in mice. The root extract significantly decreased locomotor activity, suppressed isolation-induced aggressive behaviour and prolonged pentobarbital sleeping time in a dose-dependent manner in isolated mice, but not in house-grouped mice. The extract had no effect on pentetrazole-induced convulsions, motor coordination in the rotarod test, or nociceptive responses in the tail pinch test in house-grouped mice. These results suggest that the root extract of P. indica attenuates pathophysiological changes caused by social isolation stress in mice.

The methanol fraction of P. indica root extract was tested in various models of inflammations and ulcers in vivo. It showed significant anti-inflammatory activity on arachidonic acid-, platelet activation factor- and compound 48/80-induced paw oedemas. Ulcer studies revealed significant protective action of the fraction on indomethacin-, alcohol- and indomethacin-alcohol-induced ulcerations. There was also a significant decrease in gastric volume and acidity in pylorus ligated rats. Significant anti-inflammatory activity of P. indica root extract is also found for carrageenin-, histamine-, serotonin-, hyaluronidase- and sodium urate-induced pedal inflammation. The root extract exhibited carrageenin- and cotton pellet-induced granuloma formation as well as turpentine-induced joint oedema and adjuvant-induced polyarthritis assays in vivo.

Furthermore, the methanol fraction of the root extract exhibits significant hepatoprotective activity against experimentally induced liver damage by CCl₄ in rats and mice. This fraction lowered elevated serum enzyme and bilirubin levels, reduced the prolonged pentobarbitone-induced sleeping time and bromosulphalein retention, and decreased the plasma prothrombin time and serum total protein, albumin and albumin/globulin ratio, following CCl₄-induced liver damage.

A methanol extract of the roots was also screened for activity against the venom of the snake Vipera russellii, and was found to significantly reduce venom-induced lethality and haemorrhagic activity in rats and mice. Venom-induced coagulant and anticoagulant activity was also antagonized.

The plant extract of P. indica displays a dose-related diuretic effect on water-loaded rats under ethanol anaesthesia, with no detectable pathological changes after high doses. An infusion of the extract is known to have similar effects on humans.

The essential oil from the leaves, diluted in polyethylene glycol, demonstrated antimicrobial activity under laboratorium conditions on the growth of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, the pathogenic fungi Microsporium gypseum and Candida albicans, as well as of the non-pathogenic Pithium ultimum and Xanthomonas campestris.

• An evergreen, slender, erect, much-branched shrub, 1-3 m tall; branches cylindrical, ribbed and woody, dark brown, towards the tip green, glabrous but young shoots pubescent.
• Leaves alternate, simple, ovate to obovate, 2.5-8 cm × 1-5 cm, base attenuate, apex acute or mucronate, margins serrate, obscurely glandular on both surfaces, aromatic when crushed; petiole short or subsessile; stipules absent.
• Inflorescence consisting of many heads in a hemispherical terminal or axillary corymb or panicle, more or less dense, 2.5-12.5 cm wide; peduncles short, involucral bracts 6-7-seriate, outer ones ovate, hairy, inner ones lanceolate, shiny, ciliate at the apex, falling off together with the ripe achenes, heads narrowly cylindrical, 7 mm across.
• Flowers all tubular, the marginal flowers female, corolla 3.5-5 mm long, 5-6-fid, the central flowers 2-6, bisexual but functionally staminate, corolla filiform, 4-6 mm long, lilac or pale violet, anthers 5; ovary inferior; style-arms long, exserted.
• Fruit a cylindrical achene, 1 mm long, glabrous with about 5 ribs, brown, achene of central flowers rudimentary; pappus white, 3-4 mm long, spreading.
• Seedling with epigeal germination.

Pluchea is a heterogeneous assemblage of about 40 species from warm regions and belongs to the tribe Inuleae. Much more research is needed before a satisfactory taxonomy can be established.

Other medicinally known species are P. pteropoda Hemsl. in Indo-China, and P. lanceolata Oliv. & Hiern in India. They are used as a febrifuge, and a tea of the leaves of P. lanceolata is known to cure inflammations and bronchitis; a decoction of the above-ground parts of the plant prevents the swelling of joints in arthritis.

P. indica occurs especially along the sea shore and tidal streams and swamps, on clayish or hard and stony soils, occasionally near salt-springs in the interior, in sunny or slightly shaded localities. It is cultivated as a hedge in the lower regions, sometimes up to 1000 m altitude, on fertile soils.

P. indica is mostly propagated by stem cuttings, but also by seed.

In Java, the quickset hedges of P. indica are regularly pruned to regulate height and general appearance. P. indica planted as a vegetable is cut back to allow a constant supply of new growth and young leaves.

Leaves and roots of P. indica are collected all year round. The leaves should preferably be picked before flowering starts.

P. indica is relatively widespread in coastal regions, and the risk of genetic erosion seems rather limited. No germplasm collections or breeding programmes are known to exist for P. indica.

The significant activity of the methanol fraction of the root extract in many inflammation and anti-ulcer models merits further research. The leaves also have potential as a diuretic; at present they are found in local markets and sold for that purpose.

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• Iman Raharjo & S.F.A.J. Horsten