Common Name: Han Lian Cao

General Information

Eclipta prostrata is an erect or prostrate, branching annual or sometimes short-lived perennial plant, growing 10 - 80cm tall.
A popular herbal medicine in eastern Asia, where the plant is extensively harvested from the wild. It is also sometimes cultivated in Gabon as a pot-herb[]. The plant is also sometimes cultivated for the compound wedelolactone, which is used in the pharmaceutical industry[].
The plant is fast-growing and early flowering, able to produce 17,000 seeds from one plant. It has become a weed in many parts of the tropics and is often invasive[, ]. It is a very common weed of rice fields, sugarcane fields and coconut plantations[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Widely spread through the tropics and warm temperate zones, possibly originally native to temperate and tropical America

Habitat

Usually found in poorly drained, wet areas; along streams and ditches in marshes; and on the dikes of rice paddies. However, it is also common in lawns and in upland conditions where rainfall is about 1,200 mm or more[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.60 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a damp to wet soil and a position in some shade[].

Edible Uses

Tender leaves and young shoots - cooked and used as a vegetable[, , , , ]. The leaves are also used in chutneys[].

Medicinal

This species is widely used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and in Ayurveda[]. It is considered to be the best remedy for the hair, an excellent treatment for a range of skin disorders, and is also used as a rejuvenator and liver tonic[, ]. The plant has been shown to contain isoflavonoids including wedelolactone and desmethylwedelolactone glucoside[].
In trials, the plant has shown moderate activity against a variety of animal cancers[].
Extracts have been used to treat carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage[].

The whole plant contains the alkaloids nicotine and ecliptine as well as coumarin[]. It is astringent, deobstruent, depurative, emetic, febrifuge, ophthalmic, purgative, styptic and tonic[, , ]. It is used internally in the treatment of dropsy and liver complaints[], anaemia, diphtheria etc[], tinnitus, tooth loss and premature greying of the hair[].
Externally, the plant is used as an oil to treat hair loss and is also applied to athlete's foot, eczema, dermatitis, wounds etc[, ]. It is applied to cuts, bruises and sores in order to stop bleeding and relieve pain[].

The plant juice, mixed with an aromatic (essential oil?), is used in the treatment of catarrhal problems and jaundice[].

The leaves are used to treat fevers, eye diseases, asthma, bronchitis, liver problems, diarrhoea and weak bladder[]. A decoction is used to treat cancer[].
The leaves are used in the treatment of scorpion stings[], and as an antidote for snake bites[].
The ground up leaves are rubbed on the head of infants as a remedy for convulsions, and are rubbed on the skin to make pigmented blotches on infants disappear[]. The leaves are also used to treat a range of other skin problems including cuts, sores, pimples, rashes and various diseases, including leprosy[]. The juice of crushed leaves is used in a decoction to wash the scalp for preventing hair loss[].

The stem and leaves are used to treat anaemia and dysentery[]. Aerial portions of the plant are reputedly effective in a beverage to remedy albuminuria[].

The roots are emetic and purgative[]. They are applied externally as an antiseptic to ulcers and wounds, especially in cattle[].

The flowers are used to treat conjunctivitis[].

Other Uses

A black dye is obtained from the plant[]. A bluish-black dye is obtained from the juice of the leaves[]. It is used as a hair dye and for tattooing[, , ].

Propagation

Seed - requires light for germination and so should be surface sown or only just covered. Viability is at least 5 months at ambient temperatures, germination occurring between the temperatures of 10 - 35°c. Germination is significantly improved by alternating temperatures of 20°c and 35°c[].

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