''Phyllanthus amarus'' is a leafy herbal plant found in tropical regions in the Americas, Africa, India, China,Sri Lanka and South East Asia. Commons names for this plant include gale of the wind, carry me seed, seed on the leaf, pick-a-back, Bhuiavla (Hindi), Bhuiamla (Bengali), stonebreaker, dukung anak (Malay).
Description
''Phyllanthus amarus'' is a small, annual plant that grows to a height of 30–60 cm. Its thin branches spread out, and each branch has two rows of small, elliptic-oblong leaves of 5-10mm long that are arranged alternately.
Its radial flowers are star-shaped and of about 2mm in size. It grows well in soil of high moisture with light shade, and reaches maturity in 2–3 months.
Constituents
''Phyllanthus amarus'' contains flavonoids (quercetin-3-0-glucoside and rutin), tannins (geraniin, amariin and gallocatechin) and alkaloids (phyllantine, quinolizidine type, securinine, norsecurinine, isobubbialine and epibubbialine).
Uses
''Phyllanthus amarus'' has been used in the traditional medicine of various cultures, including Amazonian tribes for the treatment of gallstones and kidney stones; in
Ayurvedic
Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...
and
සිංහල වෙදකම (Sinhala) medicine for bronchitis, anaemia, diabetes; and in Malay traditional medicine for diarrhoea, kidney ailments and gonorrhea.
More recently there have been preclinical and clinical studies looking into the plant's supposed liver-protective abilities and effect on hepatitis B.
According to animal tests, it has hepatic protection against paracetamol hepatoxicity in rats.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q11034878
amarus
Medicinal plants of Asia
Taxa named by Heinrich Christian Friedrich Schumacher