Boerhavia diffusa L. (1753)

(click for close-up view) A juvenile sooty tern has acquired some of the sticky fruit of B. diffusa after walking through them.

Boerhavia diffusa is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family which is commonly known as punarnava (meaning that which rejuvenates or renews the body in Ayurveda),^[2] red spiderling,^[1] spreading hogweed,^[1] or tarvine.^[1] It is taken in herbal medicine for pain relief and other uses. The leaves of B. diffusa are often used as a green vegetable in many parts of India.

Description[edit]

Boerhavia diffusa is widely dispersed, occurring throughout India, the Pacific, and southern United States. This wide range is explained by its small fruit, which are very sticky and grow a few inches off the ground, ideally placed to latch on to small migratory birds as they walk by.^[3]

Distribution[edit]

A true and accurate accounting of the native range of Boerhavia diffusa has not been determined. However, it is very widespread, and has become naturalized in many places. It is believed^[1] to be a native plant to the following places:

• Africa —

Botswana; Egypt; Ghana; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Mozambique; Namibia; Nigeria; Rwanda; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Somalia; South Africa (Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape provinces); Swaziland; Tanzania; Togo; Uganda; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.

• Asia —

Burma; Cambodia; China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces) India;Bangladesh; Indonesia; Japan (Ryukyu Islands); Laos; Malaysia; Nepal; the Philippines; southern Taiwan; Thailand; and Vietnam. Also, on the Arabian Peninsula: Oman; Saudi Arabia; and the United Arab Emirates; and Yemen (Socotra).

• North America —

Mexico; and the U.S. (in the states of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina).

• Caribbean —

Anguilla; the Bahamas; the Cayman Islands; Cuba; Dominica; Grenada; Hispanola (Dominican Republic and Haiti); Jamaica; Montserrat; the Netherlands Antilles (Saba); Puerto Rico; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and both the British and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

• South America —

Argentina; Belize; Bolivia; Chile; Costa Rica; Ecuador; French Guiana; Guatemala; Guyana; Nicaragua; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Suriname; Uruguay; and Venezuela.

• South Pacific —

Fiji; and New Caledonia.

Economic importance[edit]

B. diffusa is widely used as a green leafy vegetable in many Asian and African countries. B. diffusa can be used as a fodder for livestock, but has the potential for contaminating seed stocks, and may harbor pathogens for certain crops, such as eggplants.^[1]

Medical uses[edit]

This section needs more medical references for verification or relies too heavily on primary sources. Please review the contents of the section and add the appropriate references if you can. Unsourced or poorly sourced material may be removed. (November 2014)

B. diffusa is believed to improve and protect eyesight.^{[citation needed]}B. diffusa has diuretic properties^[4] and is used by diabetics to lower blood sugar.^[5]B. diffusa has shown antibacterial activity, mainly against Gram-negative bacteria.^[6] Extracts of B. diffusa leaves have shown antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties in pharmacological models.^[7]B. diffusa is a source of antioxidants, and may be effective against arsenic trioxide-induced cardiotoxicity.^[8][9]Experimental studies showed that B. diffusa also possess cardioprotective properties.^{[8][10][non-primary source needed]}

Chemistry[edit]

Boeravinones G and H are two rotenoids isolated from B. diffusa.^[11] A quinolone alkaloid, lunamarine, isolated from B. diffusa^[12] has shown some in vitro anticancer,^[13]antiestrogenic,^[14]immunomodulatory,^[15] and anti-amoebic activity (particularly against Entamoeba histolytica).^[16] The plant contains a protein called BDP-30, presumably a ribosome-inactivating protein [17]

References[edit]

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