Talinum fruticosum (L.) Juss.
Waterleaf / Jinseng/Ginseng (Bru.)
Description
Traditional Medicinal Uses
Ecology
Propagation
Distribution
Precaution
Perennial plant that can reach up to 1 m tall. Leaves are simple, oppositely arranged and subsessile. Leaf blade is obovate or oblanceolate, obcordate at apex, attenuate at base with entire margin. Stems are crowded at the top, erect, succulent, glabrous and stout. Roots are fleshy and swollen. Inflorescence a terminal cyme. Flowers are pinkish- purple to white or yellow. Fruit a subglobose, dehiscent, yellow capsule
In South-East Asia, the leaves and the ground roots are applied to cuts, ulcers, swellings and to treat rheumatism. Root decoction is used to treat toothache, headache, inflammation, gonorrhea and leucorrhoea. It possesses antilarvicidal, antimicrobial, fungicidal,
It prefers moist but well- drained soil under partial shade which can improve the leaf production. It thrives along roadsides, on forest edges and in lowland areas.
Seeds and stem cutting.TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USES: The local healers believed the consumption of raw fruits can treat diabetes, hypertension and improve appetite. The leaves and a half peeled rhizome of turmeric are crushed together, added with one spoon of honey and infused with one cup of water to relieve cardiac problem. One cup can be taken for twice daily. The plant is known for its antimicrobial, antiulcerogenic, antiviral, antiplatelet aggregation, antioxidant, analgesic, anti-
Native of West Indies and it is widely naturalized in South and Southeast Asia.
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