Common Name: Tangled Hypericum

General Information

Hypericum triquetrifolium is a perennial plant with a dense tangle of thin branches, glabrous but spotted with small black glands; it can grow up to 50cm tall. The sap is resinous. The plant has deep vertical roots and a shallow rhizome system from which new shoots are produced.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine.
Hypericum triquetrifolium is listed as a 'principal' weed in Tunisia and a 'common' weed of Lebanon. In these and other
countries of the Middle East, it is a weed of cereals, orchards, vineyards, and waste places. It has established a small infestation in Australia, where it is listed as a noxious weed. Since it is a weed of annual and perennial crops in a wide range of countries, there is a significant risk of accidental introduction into other countries as a contaminant of crop seed or other agricultural produce or containers.

Known Hazards

The plant is said to be poisonous to livestock.

Botanical References

Range

Mediterranean Region - Spain to Greece; N. Afica - Algeria, Libya; W. Asia - Turkey, south to Egypt (Sinai), east to Iran

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Height

0.00 m

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The aerial parts of the plant are antiseptic and astringent. They are applied as a healing agent to wounds[].
Extracts of the plant have been shown to be useful in the control of postprandial blood glucose, their effects being achieved mainly through inhibition of carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes (amylases and glucosidases). Due to the mechanism involved in controlling blood glucose, such plant extracts are expected to be also helpful in the management of obesity[].
The aerial parts of the plant have been shown to have a moderately strong inhibitory effect on the production of pancreatic lipase, thus helping to lower lipid levels in the body. It could, therefore, have a role to play in the treatment of obesity[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -