Achyranthes aspera - Devil's Horsewhip

Famille: Amaranthaceae, Genre: Achyranthes
Annuelle (0.9m de haut).

Habitat

Exposition
Plein soleil ou mi-ombre
Humidité
Humidité moyenne.
Sol
Tous sols.
pH
Sol acide ou calcaire
Habitat originel
Open dry places at elevations up to 2000 metres in Nepal[272]. More or less naturalized as a weed in waste ground in southern Europe[50].
Origine géographique
E. Asia - Himalayas to Australia.

Comestibilité

  • Feuilles - cuites [144, 177].
  • Used as a spinach substitute [179].
  • Seed - cooked[144, 177]. he seeds are said to be eaten with milk in order to check hunger without loss of body weight [272].

Usages médicinaux

  • One of the more important mdicinal herbs of Nepal, it is widely used in the treatment of a range of complaints .
  • Ophthalmic [152].
  • The root is astringent, diuretic and antispasmodic [152, 178, 272].
  • It is used in the treatment of dropsy, rheumatism, stomach problems, cholera, skin diseases and rabies [152, 272].
  • The juice extracted from the root of this plant, mixed with the root of Urena lobata and the bark of Psidium guajava, is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery [272].
  • The plant is astringent, digestive, diuretic, laxative, purgative and stomachic [272].
  • The juice of the plant is used in the treatment of boils, diarrhoea, dysentery, haemorrhoids, rheumatic pains, itches and skin eruptions [272].
  • The ash from the burnt plant, often mixed with mustard oil and a pinch of salt, is used as a tooth powder for cleaning teeth [272].
  • It is believed to relieve pyorrhea and toothache [272].
  • The leaf is emetic and a decoction is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery [272].
  • A paste of the leaves is applied in the treatment of rabies, nervous disorders, hysteria, insect and snake bites [272].

Autres usages

  • The ash from the burnt plant, often mixed with mustard oil and a pinch of salt, is used as a tooth powder for cleaning teeth [272].
  • The dried twigs are used as toothbrushes [272].
  • The ash of the burnt plant is a rich source of potash .
  • It is used for washing clothes [272].

Culture

  • Cultivated as a food crop in China [179].
  • See also [240] and [50].

Propagation

  • Graines - semez en place au printemps .

Calendrier

En fleur
7 - 9

Pollinisation

Type de fleur
Hermaphrodite (les fleurs ont des organes mâles et femelles)
Auto-fertile
Non

Divers

Pollution
Non
Autres réferences
[50, 265]

Réferences

[50] ? Flora Europaea 1964.
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
[144] Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. 1976.
A very good pocket guide.
[152] Lassak. E. V. and McCarthy. T. Australian Medicinal Plants.
A very good and readable guide to the subject.
[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. 1984.
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica.
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. 1977.
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.
[265] Carolin. R. & Tindale. M. Flora of the Sydney Region 1993.
Concise flora with little beyond an extensive key, species descriptions, very brief habitat description.
[272] Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal 2002.
Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.

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