Common Name:

General Information

Astraea lobata is an erect, annual to perennial, herbaceous plant, often becoming woody at the base; it can, grow around 140 - 250cm tall[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. In some areas the leaves are only occasionally eaten, but in other areas they are frequently eaten and even sold in local markets[]. The plant has been experimentally cultivated as a vegetable in Africa[].

Known Hazards

The whole plant is poisonous[]. An arrow-poison made from the plant is reputed to be the most poisonous used in west Africa. The plant is simply crushed between stones with a little water and the arrows dipped in the paste[].

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; Caribbean; C. America - Costa Rica to Belize;

Habitat

Open sandy places, often on river-banks[]. Found in cultivated and disturbed soils[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.50 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant has spread from tropical America to become a widespread and often invasive weed in Africa. It has a strong tap-root and laterals, making it difficult to root out in cultivated land[, ].

Edible Uses

Tender young leaves - cooked[]. Extreme care should be taken, see the notes above on toxicity[].

Medicinal

The leaves are strongly purgative[]. In combination with another, undetermined, plant it is used for treating whooping-cough, all spasmodic coughing, and stomatitis[].
Boiled in a little water, the leaves are used as an enema for treating gynaecological affections[]. Mixed with palm-oil, a leaf-paste is rubbed on to guinea-worm sores[]. Heated leaves are rubbed on to areas of costal and rheumatic pain[]. The leaf sap is used as eye drops to treat eye problems and unconsciousness[].

The plant has use in topical application to treat ulcers, sores, etc, and for headache[]. A decoction is reported as a children’s medicine, but the purpose is not indicated[]. It is used to assuage the pain of scorpion-stings[].

A decoction of the bark is taken by enema as a purgative[].

A decoction of the flowers or roots is used as an antispasmodic in case where there is a risk of abortion, and also to treat hiccup[].

The penis is washed with a maceration of the leafy twigs to act as an aphrodisiac[].

The principal active ingredient, found throughout the plant, is crotonic acid, probably in combination with toxic albuminoids[].
Besides the presence of phytotoxins noted above, Brazilian samples of the plant are reported to contain tertiary and quaternary alkaloids and haemolytic saponins[].

Agroforestry Uses:

On sandy river-banks it may have some value against scour and erosion[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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Captcha: if i have 3 bananas, and i eat them all, how many bananas did i just eat?