Common Name: Guinea Hen Weed

General Information

Guinea hen weed is a perennial subshrub with a deep, thick taproot and tough stems growing 60 - 150cm tall[, ]. All parts of the plant emit a heavy garlic odour if broken[].
A popular medicinal herb in many parts of the tropics, it is occasionally planted in gardens to give easy access for medicinal use[]. It is sometimes sold for medicinal use in local markets and is also traded on the Internet in capsule form[].

Known Hazards

The sharp spines of the fruit penetrate the skin readily and painfully if the plant is handled carelessly[].
The plant can accumulate nitrates and has caused nitrate poisoning in cattle[].

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, north through S. America to the Caribbean and Florida, through Central America to Mexico and Texas.

Habitat

A weed of semi-shaded roadsides and rough, well-drained, undisturbed ground at elevations from near sea level to 360 metres in Jamaica[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a rich, moist soil and a position in partial shade[].
The plant has become established in many areas outside its native range in tropical Africa and Asia[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A popular medicinal herb in the tropics, its pungent, garlic-like aroma (which is due to the presence of sulphur compounds) at least in part accounting for this popularity[]. All the parts are excessively acrid; chewing a small portion of the leaves is said to render the tongue as dry and black and rough as it appears in cases of malignant fever[]. The whole plant is used, or the leaves and roots separately[].
Many biologically active compounds have been isolated from all parts of the plant, the most important ones being sulphur compounds, but flavonoids, triterpenes and steroids have also been identified[]. The sulphur-containing compounds are similar to the odour compounds in garlic and onion, but in the latter they have alkyl instead of benzyl parts[].
Water, methanol and ethanol extracts of the whole plant have been shown to slow the growth of leukaemia cells and several other strains of cancerous tumour cells in vitro. The water extracts were toxic to leukaemia, lymphoma and several other cancer cell lines[].
Water extracts of the whole plant have been shown to stimulate the immune system[].
The hexane and cyclohexane extracts of leaves and stems increased the phagocytotic index of human granulocytes. One of the active immunomodulatory compounds present in the extracts was dibenzyl-trisulfide[].
A crude extract of the whole plant has shown a protective effect on blood cells infected with the pathogenic bacterium Listeria monocytogenes[].
Root extracts have shown significant anti-inflammatory effects, as well as a significant pain-relieving effect[].
Many clinical reports and studies confirm that the extracts of the aerial parts and roots have significant broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties in vitro and in vivo against numerous strains of bacteria, viruses, protozoa, fungi and yeast[]. The crude water extracts perform in a similar way to the alcohol extracts[].

The whole plant is a pungent herb that is said to be abortifacient, antiseptic, antispasmodic, diuretic and febrifuge. It is believed to calm the nerves, control diarrhoea and stimulate the uterus[].
The plant is used in the treatment of a range of conditions. It is taken internally to treat nervous spasms, paralysis, hysteria, asthma, whooping cough, pneumonia, bronchitis, hoarseness, fevers, headaches, influenza, cystitis, venereal diseases and menstrual complaints[].
Taken externally, the plant is used to treat earaches, fever and headaches[]. It is said that a vapour bath or fumigation of the plant can restore motion to paralysed limbs[].

The roots are used as a remedy for toothache, and it has also been used to procure an abortion[].

A leaf maceration is applied to the belly to induce contractions in case of difficult delivery[]. The liquid from the leaves is instilled as nose or eye drops to cure violent headache, and as nose drops to cure sinusitis[]. A bath or vapour bath with a leaf decoction is taken in case of oedema[]. A leaf decoction is applied to abscesses, and is used as an analgesic against muscular pain and to treat skin diseases.[].
An infusion of pounded bark is drunk to treat colic, rheumatism, cancer, syphilis, colds, fever, bronchitis and asthma. Colombians chew the leaves to coat their teeth and prevent caries[].

Other Uses

The roots are placed among woollen goods to protect them from insects[].
The leaves are used as an insecticide[].
The leaf extract, and dibenzyl-trisulfide isolated from the roots, have shown significant acaricidal activity against the tick Boophilus microplus when topically applied, and this activity is in general higher than commercial acaricides such as dimethoate, lindane and carbaryl[]. Dibenzyl-trisulfide was also highly toxic to adult sweet potato weevil (Cylas formicarius elegantulus) and adult coffee borer beetle (Hypothenemus hampei)[].
The leaf extract showed significant antifeedant activity in the grasshopper Zonocerus variegatus, as well as allelopathic activity on germinating seed[].

Propagation

Seed -
Cuttings of half-ripe wood[].

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