The genus name is often spelled Siegesbeckia.

Common Name:

General Information

Sigesbeckia pubescens is an annual plant growing 60 - 120cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - central and southern China, Japan, Korea, India

Habitat

Mountain slopes, forest margins, thickets, grasslands; at elevations up to 3,400 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.75 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant is said to smell like a pig and have an acrid, bitter taste[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - cooked[, ]. Boiling the leaves removes the bad odour and taste and produces a mucilaginous pot-herb[]. The leaves need to be leeched in order to remove a toxin[].

Medicinal

This species is closely related to Sigesbeckia orientalis and is used medicinally in China in the same ways as that species. These uses are:-

The whole plant is used in the treatment of a range of conditions including arthritis, bad back, boils, dermatitis, hemiplegia, hypertension, leg ache, rheumatism, side ache, sciatica, weak knees[]. A decoction is used in the treatment of malignant tumours[]
The plant is dried and ground into a powder then used either on its own or with Acanthopanax (or Periploca), Clerodendron and Xanthium, in the treatment of convulsions, paralytic stroke and rheumatoid arthritis[].
It is applied externally to treat dog bites, chronic malaria, numbness, snake bites, spider and insect bites, tiger bites, as a mild stimulant in ulcers, to relieve pain in wounds, and for numbness of the extremities[, ].

The sap is commonly used externally in the treatment of conditions such as gangrenous ulcers and sores; skin lesions of leprosy; syphilis and other venereal diseases; and as a remedy for ringworm and parasitic infections. The fresh sap leaves a varnish-like covering on the skin when it dries[, , ].

The roots are analgesic, antirheumatic. They are used externally in the treatment of abscesses, boils and ulcers[].

Other Uses

The following reports are for the closely related Sigesbeckia orientalis. They almost certainly also apply here:-

A fatty oil is obtained from the seed[310. It contains about 20% epoxy acids (16% coronary-epoxyacid, 4% vernolic-epoxyacid), these are of potential interest as replacements for synthetic epoxy compounds, used as stabilizers for plastic materials[].

The aerial parts contain an essential oil, that has been recommended for use in perfumery[].

An extract of the plant has shown significant antifeedant and insecticidal properties on the larvae of Crocidolomia binotalis, an important pest on cruciferous crops in Mauritius[].

An extract of the leaves is used as an ingredient in skin conditioners and tonics[].

Propagation

Seed -