Let me today introduce you to a very small plant which has some wonderful health benefits. It is commonly known as the False Daisy and its botanical name is Eclipta alba or Eclipta prostrata.
It is a medicinal plant and has many health benefits. It is useful in the treatments of several diseases like hepatitis, snake venom poisoning, gastritis, and respiratory diseases such as cough and asthma. The leaf extracts are used for hair growth according to ayurvedic therapy. It helps to improve hair growth and color. Infact eclipta alba extracts are known to grow hair faster than minoxidil. There are several phytochemicals which can be found in False daisy. Because of a variety of beneficial phytochemicals being housed in this plant, a lot of research relating to the use of the various parts of the plant for the treatments of various diseases are being taken up by scientists on various benefits like antidementia, antivenom, anti-HIV, antihyperlipidemic, antimicrobial, antihyperglycemic, antitumor, and antimyotoxic effects. This plant is widely available in India, China, Thailand and Brazil.
I will also introduce you to a phytosterol called stigmasterol which is found in leaves and roots of the plant. This phytosterol itself has many benefits like anti-cancer, anti-pyretic, anti-inflammatory, and immune-modulating effects.
Fig 2: The chemical structure of stigmasterol is shown.
Fig 3: The 3-D ball and stick model of stigmasterol.
- Fig 1 Photo taken by Neel K & hosted at https://postimg.org
- Fig 2 & 3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigmasterol
This article was originally published in Steemit by the same author.
Thanks to all for sparing your valuable time to read my post.