Leucas cephalotes (Roth) Spreng.

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 96-97

Leucas cephalotes (Roth) Spreng.

Names.

Myanmar: pin-gu-hteik-peik. English: gumma.

Range.

Eastern Asia: Himalayas from Afghanistan to western China. In Myanmar, found in Ayeyarwady, Bago, Chin, Kayah, Mandalay, Sagaing, Shan, Taninthayi, and Yangon.

Uses.

Whole plant: Used to treat bronchitis, asthma, dyspepsia, and jaundice. Headaches can be cured by brushing the forehead with the liquid from crushing all plant parts with a bit of pepper. The liquid can also be mixed with honey to cure coughs in children. The liquid from the plant boiled with one or two cloves will bring down fever. For jaundice and inability to produce semen, the plant can be utilized in several ways such as being boiled and taken; the liquid from crushing the plant taken; the root made into a paste or crushed and taken; the leaves, flowers and fruits eaten with a fish sauce dip, in a salad, or cooked. Leaf: Liquid from crushed leaves taken orally or poured into the nose will neutralize snake bite venom and cause its effects to wane. A little bit of the liquid from crushing the leaves mixed with peik-chin ( Piper longum ) fruit powder can be taken to cure inflammation of joints, tendons and ligaments. Use juice from crushed leaves as an ointment to cure itching.

Notes.

In India the whole plant is used as a diaphoretic and stimulant; the juice for scabies. The leaf is used to treat dysentery and diarrhea; the flower for cough syrup and fever. A twig with flowers and seed is pounded in mustard oil and 2-3 drops are put in the ear to stop pus formation ( Jain and DeFilipps 1991).

References.

Nordal (1963), Agricultural Corporation (1980).