Common Name:

General Information

Chamaecrista nigricans is an erect plant, probably usually an annual though it can become woody towards the base and live for more than one year[]. It grows from 30 - 150cm tall[, ].
An often used medicinal plant in Africa, where it is harvested from the wild for local use, both as a medicine and as a pesticide.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Africa - widely distributed through tropical areas, through Arabia and southwest Asia to Pakistan and India.

Habitat

Waste places, agricultural fields, roadsides and disturbed soil; also found in grassland and wooded savannah, at elevations from sea-level up to 1,200 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual/Perennial
Height	0.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant has a wide distribution in the tropics, being found in a wide range of habitats at elevations up to 1,200 metres. It grows well in areas with a mean annual rainfall in the range 950 - 1,400mm spread over 5 - 6 months, as in the Sudano-Guinean zone of West Africa[].
The plant is especially common on heavy lateritic soils[].
The plant is a spontaneous weed through much of the tropics and subtropics, and is sometimes found even in Australia[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

The bitter mature leaves are added to food as an appetizer[].

Medicinal

The leaves are antiseptic, astringent, pesticide and vermifuge[]. They are used in the treatment of a wide range of conditions including fevers and malaria; venereal diseases; coughs; stomach-ache, peptic ulcers, diarrhoea and worms[]. An infusion of the aerial parts is taken as an anti-menstruation agent[].
Externally, an infusion or decoction of the leaves is applied to various skin conditions including insect stings, itching skin, wounds and abscesses[]. They are pounded in water and applied to ticks on humans and horses; and, mixed with palm oil, are rubbed on the head to kill lice[]. An infusion of the aerial parts is added to a bath to treat haemorrhoids[].

The root is anthelmintic, astringent, oxytocic and purgative[]. Pounded with water, it is used as a treatment against diarrhoea, whilst an infusion or decoction is used to remove internal parasites and stimulate uterine contractions to remove a retained placenta and to promote labour[].

The leaves contain the anthraquinone emodin[].
Methanolic extracts have shown analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. They have also shown a protective action against ulcers, this may be via histaminergic receptor inhibition[]. The extract also has a dose-dependent antidiarrhoeal activity[]. The extract has also shown contraceptive activity through oestrogenic and anti-implantation activities[].
Ethanolic plant extracts have shown antibacterial activity against Shigella dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus faecalis, and Vibrio cholerae[].
Tests with plant extracts have shown significant action against Herpes simplex virus type 1 in vitro[].

Other Uses

The dried leaves, leaf powder, ash and extracts have all been used as a protection from insects in the storage of pulses and cereals[]. It has been shown that the powdered leaves are effective as a storage protectant for pulses, as they inhibit the hatching of insect larvae. They are not a health threat if removed before consumption[].

Propagation

Seed - germinates easily[].
Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.

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