Practical
Plants

Oldenlandia diffusa

Snake-Needle Grass

an annual member of the Oldenlandia genus in the family Rubiaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Rubiaceae
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.3 m
Spread
0.3 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Snake-needle grass is a pleasant-tasting cooling, alterative herb that lowers fever, reduces inflammation, relieves pain and is diuretic and antibacterial[3]. It acts mainly on the liver and also stimulates the immune system[3]. The whole plant is alterative, anodyne, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, cardiotonic, depurative, diuretic, febrifuge and sedative[1][2][3]. The plant is harvested in the summer and dried for later use[3]. It is taken internally in the treatment of fevers, coughs, asthma, jaundice, impure blood, urinary tract infections, acute appendicitis, biliousness and cancers of the digestive tract[2][3][4]. Externally, it is used in the treatment of snake bites, boils, abscesses and severe bruising[2][3].

Product or use
Alterative
Product or use
Anodyne
Product or use
Antibacterial
Product or use
Antiinflammatory
Product or use
Antitumor
Product or use
Cardiotonic
Product or use
Depurative
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Sedative

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea and Formosa.
Habitat
Moist ground and fields[3]. A weed of gardens and fields[1].
Shade tolerance
partial shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in situ.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers growing in a damp soil in partial shade[3]. This species is not very hardy outdoors in Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c[3]. It should be possible to grow it as a spring-sown annual in most parts of the country[K].

References

  1. ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X

    ↩1↩2

  2. Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9

  4. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩

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