NAME: Achyranthes aspera
FAMILY: Amaranthaceae
COMMON NAMES: Devil's horsewhip, Rough-Chaff herb, chaff-flower
LOCAL NAMES: Aboro, Abora hakoorin-maciijii, Kutri, Nayurivi, Grootklits
USEFUL PART(s): Leaves, roots
GENERAL USE(s):
Use as fodder for some livestocks
The plant is useful in manuring and composting.
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
Afghanistan
India
Malaysia
Zimbabwe
Tunisia
Uganda
Mexico
Spain
WHY IS IT GREEN?
Achyranthes aspera medicinal uses include:
Stomach disorders
Abortion
Diarrhea
Dysentery
Skin diseases
Malaria
Venereal diseases
Haemostatic
Cold
Kidney Disease
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The plant helps in soil improvement
It is also a host of pest
Widespread weed especially in shaded pastures
OTHER IMPACT
Some features of the plant are harmful to humans and animals
FURTHER READINGS
Asif, M., Jabeen, Q., Atif, M., Abdul Majid, A. M. S., & Qamar-Uz-Zaman, M. (2014). Diuretic activity of Achyranthes aspera Linn crude aqueous extract in albino rats. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 13(12), 2039–2045. https://doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v13i12.14
Gawande, D. Y., Druzhilovsky, D., Gupta, R. C., Poroikov, V., & Goel, R. K. (2017). Anticonvulsant activity and acute neurotoxic profile of Achyranthes aspera Linn. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 202, 97–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2017.03.018
Gnanaraj, W. E., Johnson, M., Mohanamathi, R. B., & Subramanian, K. M. (2012). In vitro clonal propagation of Achyranthes aspera L. and Achyranthes bidentata Blume using nodal explants. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 2(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2221-1691(11)60179-2
Khuda, F., Iqbal, Z., Khan, A., Zakiullah, Nasir, F., & Shah, Y. (2013). Anti-inflammatory activity of the topical preparation of Valeriana wallichii and Achyranthes aspera leaves. Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 26(3), 451–454.
Mukherjee, H., Ojha, D., Bag, P., Chandel, H. S., Bhattacharyya, S., Chatterjee, T. K., … Chattopadhyay, D. (2013). Anti-herpes virus activities of Achyranthes aspera: An Indian ethnomedicine, and its triterpene acid. Microbiological Research, 168(4), 238–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2012.11.002
Rafiqkhan, M., & Saranya. (2013). Pharmacognostic profile and phytochemical investigation on the leaves of Achyranthes aspera. International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 5(3), 368–370.
Rama, P., Vignesh, A., Lakshmanan, G., & Murugesan, K. (2013). IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF ACHYRANTHES ASPERA LINN. International Journal of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 3(2), 2250–49.
Sen, M. K., Nasrin, S., Rahman, S., & Jamal, A. H. M. (2014). In vitro callus induction and plantlet regeneration of Achyranthes aspera L., a high value medicinal plant. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 4(1), 40–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2221-1691(14)60206-9
Sharma, V., Chaudhary, U., Singh, R., & Agarwal, A. (2013). Achyranthes Aspera: Phytochemical Estimation. J. PharmTech Res. American Journal of PharmTech Research, 3(2).
Siripong, P., Duangporn, P., Takata, E., & Tsutsumi, Y. (2016). Phosphoric acid pretreatment of Achyranthes aspera and Sida acuta weed biomass to improve enzymatic hydrolysis. Bioresource Technology, 203, 303–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2015.12.037
Upadhya, V., Ankad, G. M., Pai, S. R., & Hegde, H. V. (2015). Comparative HPTLC analysis of stem and leaf of Achyranthes coynei with Achyranthes aspera. Plant Science Today, 2(1), 7–10. https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.2015.2.1.87