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Family Asteraceae
Agas-moro
Vernonia cinerea Linn.
ASH-COLORED FLEABANE
Ye xiang niu

Scientific names Common names
Vernonia cinerea Linn. Agas-moro (Ilk.) 
Vernonia vialis DC. Bulabod (Sub.) 
Conyza cinerea Linn. Kolong-kugon (S.L. Bis.) 
Conyza chinensis Linn. Magmansi (Pang.)
Eupatorium luzoniensis Llanos Sagit (Bon.) 
  Tagulinai, tagulinay (Tag.) 
  Tagulinau (Tag.) 
  Sahadevi (India)
  Ironweed (Engl.)
  Ash coloured Fleabane (Engl.) 
  Ye xiang niu (Chin.)
Tagulinau is a common name shared by tagulinaw (Emilia sonchifolia) and agas-moro (Vernonia cinerea).

Botany
Agas-moro is an erect, slender, sparingly branched, somewhat pubescent annual herb, growing up to 20 to 80 cm high. Leaves, smaller at higher altitudes, are oblanceolate to obovate, 2 to 6 cm long, with pointed or obtuse tips, with shallowly toothed margins. Heads are small, stalked, borne in open, lax corymbs, and about 7 mm long and 2.5 mm in diameter. Flowers are rather bright-purple, all perfect, the corolla all equal, tubular, slender 5-lobed, about 20 in each head, twice as long as the involucral bracts which are linear and silky. Fruits are achenes, striate, ribbed or angled; pappus hairs numerous.

Properties
Cooling, febrifuge, sedating, decongestant, anti-infectious.
According to Ayurveda, the herb is sweet, cold, tonic, stomachic, astringent.

Distribution
Open waste places throughout the settled areas at low and medium altitudes; common weed, flowering all the year.

Parts used
Whole plant.
Collect from May to August.
Rinse and sun-dry.

Uses
Folkloric
In the Philippines, infusion of plant taken internally for cough.
Plant also used for wounds.
Decoction of leaves used against humid herpes, eczema, etc.
• Used for colds and fever; also for acute jaunditic hepatitis.
Plant decoction used by Hindus to promote perspirationin febrile affections.
• Combined with quinine, used for malarial fevers.
• Expressed juice of plant used for hemorrhoids.
• In Chuta Nagpus whole plant used as remedy for bladder spasms and strangury.
• Root given for dropsy.
• Flowers used for conjunctivitis; also reported useful for fevers.
• In Patna, leaves employed as alexipharmic and anthelmintic.
• In the Nighantas plant used for asthma, bronchitis, and consumption.
• Neurasthenia, insomnia, night urination among infants, infected sores, mastitis, snake bites, sprains, furuncle.
• Dosage: 15 to 30 gms dried material (among infants, 9 to 15 gms), 30 to 60 gms fresh material in decoction. · · · • Poultice of fresh material used for eczema, carbuncle and snake bites.
• In India, whole herb juice is used most frequently – for eye problems. Also used for poisonous insect and snake bites. As a tonic, taken twice a month with milk. For ringworm, applied to affected parts with milk. Used for all types of fever and considered one of the best remedies for typhoid.
• In Ayurveda, used for consumption, asthma, bronchitis and fevers.
• In Senegal and French Guinea plant infusion used to wash newborn infants; also used for children with incontinence of urine.
• Bitter root used as vermifuge.
• In Ceylon, used for wounds and sores; taken internally to promote sweating.

Studies
Anti-Arthritic / Anti-Inflammatory: An alcoholic extract from the flower of Vernonia cinerea was tested in adjuvant arthritic rats. The extract reversed major histopathological changes in the arthritic hindpaws. Phytochemical studies revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, steroids and flavanoids. The study concluded that the extract contains a yet-unidentified anti-inflammatory principle.
Free Radical Scavenging: The levels of oxygen derived free radicals, antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalas, glutathione peroxidase amd glutathione) were studied in experimental rats.
Nephroprotective: Nephroprotective Activity of Herbal Extracts of Vernonia Cinerea in the Cisplatin Model of Renal Toxicity in Rats: Vernonia cinerea is a a plant widely used by the Indian tribal people of Tirumula for urinary complaints. A study on three extracts from the plant showed promising nephrocurative activity and nephroprotective activity in rat-model of cisplastin-induced renal toxicity. Cisplastin is a potent antitumor agent with limited clinical use because of its renal toxicity.
Toxicity Study: No toxicity was found on a methanol extract study of VC in mice and brine shrimp.
Antioxidant / Anti-Inflammatory: Methanol extract of VC was found to scavenge hydroxyl radicals and nitric oxide. It also significantly inhibited carrageenan-induced inflammation together with down regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine level and gene expression.
Diuretic / Anti-Diuretic Effects: The chloroform extract of leaf induced significant diuresis while the methanol and aqueous extracts induced significant anti-diuresis in rats. In both, the effects were dose-dependent.
Smoking Cessation Treatment: Veronia cinerea has been used in traditional Thai medicine to relieve cigarette craving. A 24-week, randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel trial on 64 subjects randomized to an infusion of 3-gm crushed dried whole plant of VC in infusion three times daily or placebo. Results were promising and suggest that VC may be a potential alternative to treatment for smoking cessation with significant cost savings. Large scale trials are needed to verify its efficacy.
Bioactive Constituents: Study isolated four compounds: (+)-Lirioresinol B, stigmasterol, stigmasterol-3-O-beta-D-glucoside and 4-sulfo-benzocyclobutene. Three of the compounds showed cytotoxicity on PC-12 and three compounds showed inhibition activity. Compound 4 induced NGF-activity.
Anti-Inflammatory: Methanol extract of the whole plant of VC exhibited significant dose-dependent activity against all phlogistic agents. In the chronic model, it exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity compared with the standard drug phenylbutazone.
Anti-Inflammatory / Analgesic / Anti-Inflammatory: Chloroform, methanolic and ether extracts of VC showed to possess analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects together with changes in behavioral activities.
Antibacterial: VC was one of 40 different medicinal plants that showed bioactivity against Corynebacterium macginleyi.

Availability
Wild-crafted. 

Last Update April 2011

IMAGE SOURCE Public Domain / File:Vernonia cinerea Blanco2.280.png / Flora de Filipinas / 1880 - 1883 / Francisco Manuel Blanco (O.S.A) / Wikispecies

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Sahadevi (Vernonia cinerea) as medicinal herb in Chhattisgarh, India
Pankaj Oudhia
(2)
Effect of Vernonia cinerea flower extract in adjuvant-induced arthritis / Latha RM, Geetha T, Varalakshmi P. / General Pharmacology • Volume 31, Issue 4, October 1998, Pages 601-606 / doi:10.1016/S0306-3623(98)00049-4
(3)
Effect of vernonia cinerea less flower extract on free radical scavengers in adjuvant induced arthritis in rats
/ Latha RH et al /

(4)
Toxicity study of Vernonia cinerea / Latha L et al / Pharmaceutical Biology (Formerly International Journal of Pharmacognosy), Volume 48, Number 1, January 2010 , pp. 101-104(4)
(5)
Vernonia cinerea L. scavenges free radicals and regulates nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokines profile in carrageenan induced paw edema model / P Pratheesh Kumar and Girija Kuttan / Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology, Volume 31, Issue 1 March 2009 , pages 94 - 102 / DOI: 10.1080/08923970802438391
(6)
Diuretic and antidiuretic diuretic of the leaf extracts of Vernonia cinerea (Less) (Fam. Compositae) / J O Adeboye et al / Phytotherapy Research • Volume 11 Issue 6, Pages 454 - 456 / Published Online: 4 Dec 1998
(7)
EFFICACY OF VERNONIA CINEREA FOR SMOKING CESSATION / Supakit Wongwiwatthanahukit et al / J Health Res 2009, 23(1): 31-36
(8)
Studies on bioactive constituents of whole herbs of Vernonia cinerea / Hua-xu Zhu et al / Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi 33(16):1986-8 (2008) /
(9)
Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of Vernonia cinerea Less. extract in rats / U. K. Mazumder / Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Calcutta-700 032
(10)
Analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory effects of methanol, chloroform and ether extracts of Vernonia cinerea less leaf / E O Iwalewa et al / Journal of Ethnopharmacology • Volume 86, Issues 2-3, June 2003, Pages 229-234 / doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(03)00081-3
(11)
Nephroprotective Activity of Herbal Extracts of Vernonia Cinerea in the Cisplatin Model of
Renal Toxicity in Rats
/ S Adikay and K Bharathi / School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sri Padmavathi Mahila Vishwavidyalayam, Thirupathi 517502, India
(12)
Bactericidal activities of different Medicinal plants extracts against Ocular pathogen viz
Corynebacterium macginleyi
/ Nagendra Kumar Koday et al / Drug Invention Today Vol.2.Issue.1.January 2010


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