Heliotropium indicum

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae}}

{{speciesbox

|image = Heliotropium indicum at Kadavoor.jpg

|status = LC

|status_system = IUCN3.1

|status_ref =

|genus = Heliotropium

|species = indicum

|authority = L.

|synonyms = Heliophytum indicum

Heliotropium parviflorum

Tiaridium indicum

}}

Heliotropium indicum, commonly known as Indian heliotrope, Indian turnsole is an annual, hirsute plant that is a common weed in waste places and settled areas. It is native to Asia. It is widely used in native medicine in Tamil Nadu, India.

It grows wildly on roadsides and has a curved arrangement of small flowers and velvety broad green leaves.

Description

File:Indian heliotrope (Heliotropium indicum).jpg

Indian heliotrope is an annual, erect, branched plant that can grow to a height of about {{convert|15|-|50|cm|in|abbr=on}}. It has a hairy stem, bearing alternating ovate to oblong-ovate leaves. It has small white or purple flowers with a green calyx; five stamens borne on a corolla tube; a terminal style; and a four-lobed ovary.{{cite web | url = http://www.stuartxchange.org/TrompangElepante.html | title = Trompang elepante | work = Philippine Medicinal Plants oten}}{{cite web | url = https://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=hein_002_ahp.tif | title = Heliotropium indicum L. | work = USDA Plants Database}}

Distribution

File:Heliotropium indicum W IMG 9955.jpg, Telangana, India]]

The plant is native to Asia. A common weed in waste places and settled areas.

Traditional medicine

In the Philippines, the plant is chiefly used as a traditional medicine. The extracted juice from the pounded leaves of the plants is used on wounds, skin ulcers and furuncles.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} The juice is also used as an eye drop for conjunctivitis.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}} The pounded leaves are used as poultice.{{cite book |last= Onaylos |first= Irma Noel |title= Plants That You Know But Really Don't: Home Remedies from 110 Philippine Medicinal Plants |publisher= Our Press, Inc. |location= Cebu City |page= 40}}

Toxicity

Heliotropium indicum contains tumorigenic pyrrolizidine alkaloids.Fu, P.P., Yang, Y.C., Xia, Q., Chou, M.C., Cui, Y.Y., Lin G., "Pyrrolizidine alkaloids-tumorigenic components in Chinese herbal medicina and dietary supplements", Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2002, pp. 198-211 [https://www.nlfd.gov.tw/en/ch/MultiMedia_FileDownload.ashx?guid=304d1580-c6aa-4502-900e-cab744c31985]{{dead link|date=March 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}

References

{{Reflist}}