Common Name: Han Lian Cao

General Information

Eclipta prostrata is an erect or prostrate, branching annual or sometimes short-lived perennial plant, growing 10 - 80cm tall.
A popular herbal medicine in eastern Asia, where the plant is extensively harvested from the wild. It is also sometimes cultivated in Gabon as a pot-herb[]. The plant is also sometimes cultivated for the compound wedelolactone, which is used in the pharmaceutical industry[].
The plant is fast-growing and early flowering, able to produce 17,000 seeds from one plant. It has become a weed in many parts of the tropics and is often invasive[, ]. It is a very common weed of rice fields, sugarcane fields and coconut plantations[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Widely spread through the tropics and warm temperate zones, possibly originally native to temperate and tropical America.

Habitat

Usually found in poorly drained, wet areas; along streams and ditches in marshes; and on the dikes of rice paddies. However, it is also common in lawns and in upland conditions where rainfall is about 1,200 mm or more[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.60 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Eclipta prostrata is found from warm temperate zones to the tropics. It is likely to need more summer heat and a longer growing season than is normally available in summer in more maritime climates[].
Requires a damp to wet soil and a position in some shade[].
This is a tropical species and it might

Edible Uses

Tender leaves and young shoots - cooked and used as a vegetable[, , , , ]. The leaves are also used in chutneys[].

Medicinal

This species is widely used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and in Ayurveda[]. It is considered to be the best remedy for the hair, an excellent treatment for a range of skin disorders, and is also used as a rejuvenator and liver tonic[, ]. The plant has been shown to contain isoflavonoids including wedelolactone and desmethylwedelolactone glucoside[].
In trials, the plant has shown moderate activity against a variety of animal cancers[].
Extracts have been used to treat carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage[].

The whole plant contains the alkaloids nicotine and ecliptine as well as coumarin[]. It is astringent, deobstruent, depurative, emetic, febrifuge, ophthalmic, purgative, styptic and tonic[, , ]. It is used internally in the treatment of dropsy and liver complaints[], anaemia, diphtheria etc[], tinnitus, tooth loss and premature greying of the hair[].
Externally, the plant is used as an oil to treat hair loss and is also applied to athlete's foot, eczema, dermatitis, wounds etc[, ]. It is applied to cuts, bruises and sores in order to stop bleeding and relieve pain[].

The plant juice, mixed with an aromatic (essential oil?), is used in the treatment of catarrhal problems and jaundice[].

The leaves are used to treat fevers, eye diseases, asthma, bronchitis, liver problems, diarrhoea and weak bladder[]. A decoction is used to treat cancer[].
The leaves are used in the treatment of scorpion stings[], and as an antidote for snake bites[].
The ground up leaves are rubbed on the head of infants as a remedy for convulsions, and are rubbed on the skin to make pigmented blotches on infants disappear[]. The leaves are also used to treat a range of other skin problems including cuts, sores, pimples, rashes and various diseases, including leprosy[]. The juice of crushed leaves is used in a decoction to wash the scalp for preventing hair loss[].

The stem and leaves are used to treat anaemia and dysentery[]. Aerial portions of the plant are reputedly effective in a beverage to remedy albuminuria[].

The roots are emetic and purgative[]. They are applied externally as an antiseptic to ulcers and wounds, especially in cattle[].

The flowers are used to treat conjunctivitis[].

Other Uses

A black dye is obtained from the plant[]. A bluish-black dye is obtained from the juice of the leaves[]. It is used as a hair dye and for tattooing[, , ].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer, after the last expected frosts. Give the plants some extra protection, such as a cloche, until they are established and growing away well.