The febrifugal properties of bark from trees now known to be in the genus Cinchona were used by many South American cultures prior to European contact, but malaria is an Old World disease that was introduced into the Americas by Europeans only after 1492. The origins and claims to the use of febrifugal barks and powders in Europe, especially those used against malaria, were disputed even in the 17th century. Jesuits played a key role in the transfer of remedies from the New World. The traditional story connecting cinchona with malaria treatment was first recorded by the Italian physician Sebastiano Bado in 1663.
|
|
Additional agricultural damage is caused by the fact that it can host the nematode Meloidogyne incognita and the Groundnut rosette virus. In China it is used as a medicinal herb that is said to have diuretic, febrifugal and anti-inflammatory effects, while in Pakistan it is used to cure swellings of the skin, leprosy and as a laxative.
|
|
They have several different effects like increasing appetite, tonic, diuretic, febrifugal, anthelmintic and anti-leukemic. It also leads to more activity from the gall bladder and has an effect against liver congestion. At external use, they act efficacy against parasites like pinworms. It is also a tribal remedy used in South America against debility, liver problems, malaria, snakebite, and back spasms.
|
|
Within China, Commelina diffusa is used as a medicinal herb with febrifugal and diuretic effects. A dye is also obtained from the juice of the petals for use in painting. Within Hawaii, "honohono grass" was used as medicine to aid with deep cuts. While other Hawaiian herbs just get superficial cuts, honohono grass is an herb to aid with deeper troubling issues.
|
|
Ukiyo-e woodcut by Suzuki Harunobu; the blue pigment used on the kimono is believed to be aigami made from petals of the Asiatic dayflower; the alternative would be ai derived from Polygonum tinctorum In China it is used as a medicinal herb with febrifugal, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and diuretic effects. Additionally, it is also used for treating sore throats and tonsillitis. Recent pharmacological investigations have revealed that the Asiatic dayflower contains at least five active compounds. One of these, p-hydroxycinnamic acid, shows antibacterial activity, while another, D-mannitol, has an antitussive effect.
|
|
To the observations of Gusinde may be added further information provided by another missionary active in Chile: Capuchin friar Ernest Wilhelm Mösbach (1882-1963) who notes in his Botánica Indígena de Chile that Vestia foetida causes sneezing and has a very bitter taste. He also lists three further medicinal uses, noting that infusions of the plant possess tonic, stomachic and anthelmintic properties.Mösbach, Ernesto Wilhelm, Botánica indígena de Chile, pub. Andrés Bello, Santiago de Chile, 1992) [Note: there is a page 'Ernesto Wilhelm de Moesbach' on Wikipédia España] Sanchez (2001), quoting several previous authors, supplies not only a rationale for the use of Vestia in medicinal baths (- as a type of topical analgesic for arthritic pain), but also an evocative definition of the folk ailment chavalongo: > Huevil: Febrifugal plant.
|
|