Heliotropium indicum L.

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 37-38

Heliotropium indicum L.

Names.

Myanmar: sin-hna-maung, sin-let-maung. English: Indian heliotrope, turnsole.

Range.

Pantropical. In Myanmar, found in Yangon.

Uses.

Whole plant: Used as diuretic. A decoction used in treating gonorrhea; one is also used for the treatment of diabetes by Kawkareik inhabitants. Leaf: Applied to boils, ulcers, and wounds.

Notes.

In India the whole plant is used for ulcers, boils, insect bites, and throat infection; the leaf for insect and reptile bites ( Jain and DeFilipps 1991). In China the plant is widely used for poulticing, boils, carbuncles, and herpes; also anti-cancer ( Duke and Ayensu 1985). Perry (1980) discusses the medicinal uses of the species in China, Indo-China, the Malay Peninsula, and the Philippines.

The species contains an important anti-cancer ingredient, indicine-N-oxide, which shows significant activity against the P388 leukemia. "It is also active against the B16 melanoma, L1210 leukemia, and Walker 256" and "in 1976, no negative histopathologyic findings indicative of the heptotoxicology usually associated with pyrrolizidine alkaloids, had been demonstrated for indicine-N-oxide." Also, acetyl indicine, indicinine, and indicinine have been reported for this species ( Duke and Ayensu 1985).

References.

Mya Bwin and Sein Gwan (1967), Perry (1980).