Cyperus scariosus R.Br.

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 61-62

Cyperus scariosus R.Br.

Names.

Myanmar: nwar myay yinn, wet-myet-nyo. English: Annie’s lace.

Range.

Damp and marshy places in temperate zone. Also reported from Myanmar.

Uses.

This astringent plant, sharp in taste with cooling properties, induces perspiration, urination (and constipation). Root: Tubers used for phlegm, bile, fever and bowel problems. Their use protects against loss of appetite, thirst, burning sensation, and asthma. Tuber paste given orally or applied externally provides a remedy for venomous snakebites. The paste is also used for nausea, gastric ailments, sour stomach, swollen limbs, itching, leprosy, herpes, and scabies. Combined with a bit of salt, the paste is used as an antidote for poisoning caused by ingesting the wrong medicines or foods. Tuber paste is brushed onto a thu-nge-sar banana (smaller and shorter variety of banana than " standard banana" found in the United States), which is roasted and given to children with high fevers. Boiled by itself, the tuber is taken as a cure for gonorrhea; boiled together with oo-pat thagar ( Butea monosperma ), it is a component of a syphilis remedy. Tuber powder is used to relieve the swelling caused by scorpion venom. Drinking the milk made by stewing tubers in milk and water until only milk is left provides a cure for dysenteric stomachaches with discharge of mucus or diarrhea with of bits of blood.

Notes.

The species is used in the treatment of abdomenal tumors ( Duke 2009). Medicinal uses of this species in India are discussed in Jain and DeFilipps (1991).

Anti-inflammatory activity of the oil isolated from C. scariosus has been noted ( Gupta et al. 1972).

Reference.

Agricultural Corporation (1980).