Acanthospermum hispidum: new (but actually old) uses against malaria, Jaundice and cephalgias.

Acanthospermum hispidum: new (but actually old) uses against malaria, Jaundice and cephalgias.

Acanthospermum hispidum is a known as “Gokhru/Goksura, because of two divergent spines like the horns of a cow and it is used as a substitute for Tribulus terrestris (Cchotta Gokhru) and Pedalium murex (Bada Gokhru) for kidney stones and as a diuretic. In Gujarat it is used for swellings, mild fever, leprosy and other skin diseases. But actually the plant is a migrant from Brazil, which spread to many parts of North India. But now another migrant weed Alternanthera ficoidea, destroyed most of the habitat of Acanthospermum and the plant is now almost restricted to certain areas of Dangs. 

(please remember my request for a few leaves of this plant in Facebook on 26th March, 2022))

Acanthospermum hispidum DC is a medicinal plant present in America, Africa, Australia, Hawaii, and Brazil.is used in those places as a traditional medicine for the treatment of jaundice, malaria, vomiting, cephalgias (a group of primary headache disorders characterised by unilateral trigeminal distribution pain that occurs in association with prominent ipsilateral cranial autonomic features), head-ache, abdominal pain, convulsions, stomach ache, constipation, eruptive fever, snake bite, epilepsy, blennorrhoea, hepato-biliary disorders, microbial infection and viral infections.

The plant is found to contain characteristic volatile oil rich in sesquiterpene lactones such as guaianolides , germacranolides and melampolides, flavonols (5,7,2’,5’-tetrahydroxy-3,4’-

dimethoxyflavone and 5’-acetoxy-5,7,2’-trihydroxy-3, 4’- dimethoxyflavone) and mucilage and alkaloids. The plant is found to have antitumour , antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, anthelmentic, immunomodulator, abortifacient, antitrypanosomal and antileshmanial. properties.

Since this plant was conventionally used for the treatment of jaundice, malaria, cephalgias in its original country Brazil and other tropical countries, it is hereby recommended as medicines for these diseases in India also.

Reference:

Anup K Chakraborty, Amit V Gaikwad, and Karuna B Singh (2012) Phytopharmacological review on Acanthospermum Hispidum Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science 02 (01); 144-148

Mammen Daniel