Phyllanthus niruri L.

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 135-136

Phyllanthus niruri L.

Names.

Myanmar: flor-de-joja, kyet-tha-hin, yaung-ma-ywet. English: gale of the wind.

Range.

West Indies. Widely distributed in Myanmar.

Uses.

The plant is used as a diuretic and for menorrhagia.

Notes.

In India, the whole plant is used as a diuretic, for urinogenital tract diseases, gonorrhea, and dropsy; the milky juice is applied to putrescent sores; the leaf is used as a stomachic; the fresh root is used for jaundice; powdered roots and leaves are made into a poultice with rice-water and used to reduce ulcers and edematous swellings; and infusion of young stems used for dysentery ( Jain and DeFilipps 1991). Perry (1980) discusses the uses of the species in general and from Hainan to Indonesia; also the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, Guam, and the Northwest Solomon Islands.

Reported chemical constituents include potassium and phyllanthin (a substance said to poison fish) ( Perry 1980). An extract has shown some antibiotic activity on Staphylococcus ( Perry 1980).

Reference.

Nordal (1963).