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Boerhaavia diffusa is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family which is commonly known as punarnava (meaning that which rejuvenates or renews the body in Ayurveda),[2] red spiderling,[1] spreading hogweed,[1] or tarvine.[1] It is taken in herbal medicine for pain relief and other uses. The leaves of Boerhaavia diffusa are often used as a green vegetable in many parts of India.

Boerhavia diffusa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Nyctaginaceae
Genus:	Boerhavia
Species:	B. diffusa
Binomial name
Boerhavia diffusa L. nom. cons.[1]

Description

Boerhaavia diffusa is widely dispersed, occurring throughout India, the Pacific, and southern United States. Flowers are small, around 5 mm in diameter. Pollens are round, roughly 65 microns in diameter.

This wide range is explained by its small fruit, which are very sticky and grow a few inches off the ground, ideally placed to latch on to small migratory birds as they walk by.[3]

HABIT

A creeping, perennial, much-branched herb with stout fusi form roots.

STEM

Branches divaricate, stem purplish, thickened at nodes.

LEAVES

Opposite, oblique, ovate or sub orbicular, rounded, entire, margins slightly pinkish, wavy, lower surface with small, white scales, base rounded.

INFLORESCENCE

Small umbels forming Corymbose, axillary and terminal panicle.

FLOWERS

• Bracteoles , acute. Perianth -tube constricted above the ovary, limb funnel-shaped, dark-pink, with 5 vertical bands outside.
• Stamens 2 or 3, slightly exserted, unequal.
• Ovary superior, oblique, ovule 1, erect, stigma.

FRUIT

Achene rounded, 6-ribbed.

SEED

Minute, albuminous with endosperm. Embryo curved.

Traditional Uses

This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2020)

This article needs more medical references for verification or relies too heavily on primary sources. (July 2020)

Having anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties, Boerhavia diffusa (Punarnava) is said to be a good cure for Amavata (a disease in which reduction of Vata Dosha and accumulation of Ama take place in joint(s), and simulates rheumatoid arthritis (RA)). The root acts as an anticonvulsant, analgesic,[4] laxative medication that when rubbed in honey can be locally applied for cataract, chronic conjunctivitis and blepharitis. Useful for curing heart diseases, anemia and edema (or oedema), Punarnava is an effective remedy that reduces swelling and foul smell in skin disorders. Apart from the root, Punarnava's leaves are also consumed as a vegetarian dish to reduce oedema.

As an Ayurvedic medicine, this herb is said to cure disorders like intestinal colic, kidney disorders, cough, hemorrhoids, skin diseases, alcoholism, insomnia, eye diseases, asthma and jaundice,Boerhavia diffusa (Sri Lankan Name Pita Sudu sarana best green medicine for Diabetes .[5][6]^{[unreliable source?][unreliable source?]}

Distribution

A true and accurate accounting of the native range of Boerhavia diffusa has not been determined. However, it is very widespread, and has become naturalized in many places. It is believed[1] to be a native plant to the following places in:

• Africa —

Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa (Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape provinces), , Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

• Asia —

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia, China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces), India, Indonesia, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan (Punjab, Sind, Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan), the Philippines, Southern Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Also, on the Arabian Peninsula in Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen (Socotra).

• North America —

Mexico, and the U.S. (in the states of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina).

• Caribbean —

Anguilla, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), Jamaica, Montserrat, the Netherlands Antilles (Saba), Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and both the British and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

• South America —

Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

• South Pacific —

Fiji, and New Caledonia.

Economic importance

B. diffusa is widely used as a green leafy vegetable in many Asian and African countries. B. diffusa can be used as a fodder for livestock, but has the potential for contaminating seed stocks, and may harbor pathogens for certain crops, such as eggplants.[1]

Chemistry

Boerhaavia G and Boerhavia H are two rotenoids isolated from B. diffusa.[7] A quinolone alkaloid, lunamarine, isolated from B. diffusa[8] has shown some in vitro anticancer,[9] antiestrogenic,[10] immunomodulatory,[11] and anti-amoebic activity (particularly against Entamoeba histolytica).[12] The plant contains a protein called BDP-30, presumably a ribosome-inactivating protein.[13]

References

External links

• Tropical Plant Database
• Boerhavia diffusa on ibiblio
• Caldecott, Todd (2006). Ayurveda: The Divine Science of Life. Elsevier/Mosby. ISBN 0-7234-3410-7. Contains a detailed monograph on Boerhavia diffusa (Punarnava) as well as a discussion of health benefits and usage in clinical practice. Available online at https://web.archive.org/web/20110616192944/http://www.toddcaldecott.com/index.php/herbs/learning-herbs/323-punarnava
• Boerhavia diffusa in West African plants – A Photo Guide.

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