Monochoria vaginalis (Burm.f.) C.Presl, 1827

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 143-144

Monochoria vaginalis (Burm.f.) C.Presl

Names.

Myanmar: beda, le-padauk, kadauk-sat. English: cordate monochoria, oval-leaf monochoria, oval-leaf pondweed, pickerel weed.

Range.

Throughout China, Bhuton, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; Russia (Siberia); Africa; and Australia. In Myanmar, the species in found in Taninthayi and Yangon.

Conservation status.

Least Concern [LC] ( IUCN 2017).

Uses.

Whole Plant: Provides a medicine used to treat diseases of the digestive organs, asthma, and toothache. Leaf: Juice used for fever. Flower: Edible and has a cooling effect. Root: Used for toothache and asthma; juice used to treat stomach and liver problems.

Notes.

In India the bark is eaten with sugar to relieve asthma; the root is chewed to relieve toothache ( Jain and DeFilipps 1991). In China the plant is used for cholera, stomachache, and sunstroke; the flower is edible and serves as a refrigerant ( Duke and Ayensu 1985). Perry (1980) discusses the medicinal uses of the species in China, Taiwan, the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

References.

Nordal (1963), Perry (1980).