Achyranthes aspera L.
هرشا، سهم الراعي، سيف الجن
For people
- Eaten by people
- Unknown
- Toxic to people
- Unknown
For livestock
- Grazed by livestock
- Limited fodder
- Toxic to livestock
- Unknown
Edibility and safety notes
Sources conflict, so do not eat it. In Tanzania the leaves are cooked like spinach and the tiny seeds are a famine food, but a USDA weed sheet calls the seeds toxic if chewed or swallowed, and the plant is a traditional abortifacient with anti-fertility effects in animal tests: pregnant women in particular must avoid it. Livestock graze the young growth before flowering. The spiny fruits cling to skin, clothing and fur.
This guide is a hobby project, not expert advice. Never eat a wild plant, or feed it to animals, on the strength of this page alone. Read the disclaimer
Description
A much-branched herbaceous annual or perennial herb growing 30-200 cm tall with somewhat woody stems. It has opposite, ovate-lanceolate leaves rough to the touch, small greenish-white flowers in dense terminal spikes, and small dark brown seeds in persistent prickly bracts.
Habitat
Disturbed habitats including open dry areas, grasslands, forest edges, roadsides and waste places. Tolerates a wide range of soils and elevations up to 3000 m.
Distribution
Native to tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Found throughout the tropics as an introduced species and common weed, including many Pacific Islands.
Pastoral value
Grazed in the early stages of growth: ruminants browse the young leaves and shoots, ideally before flowering.
Other uses
Widely used in traditional medicine for treating fever, wounds, toothache, arthritis, gynecological disorders, snake bites and skin diseases. Plant ashes yield potash used for washing clothes.
Sources
- الدليل الحقلي المصور للنباتات البرية في سلطنة عُمان (BOOK.pdf p.23)
- Feedipedia - Prickly chaff flower (Achyranthes aspera) — feedipedia.org
- Useful Tropical Plants - Achyranthes aspera — tropical.theferns.info
- USDA NRCS weed fact sheet - Achyranthes aspera — nrcs.usda.gov
- Developmental Toxicity of Ethanolic Extracts of Leaves of Achyranthes aspera in Rat Embryos and Fetuses (record) — oalib-perpustakaan.upi.edu
