Botany
Lindernia crustacea is a diffusely branched, smooth, suberect or spreading herb, growing to a height of 8 to 20 centimeters. Leaves are ovate, 8 to 15 millimeters long, pointed at both ends, and distantly toothed in the margins. Flowers are borne singly in the axils of the leaves, with stalks 1 to 3 centimeters long. Calyx is green or purplish, 4 to 5 millimeters long, with pointed lobes about 1.5 millimeters long. Corolla is purple, about 9 millimeters long. Capsules are oblong-ovoid to ellipsoid, 5 to 6 millimeters long, and included in the persistent calyx, whose length they approximate.

Distribution
- Common throughout settled areas in the Philippines, in open places, rice paddies, and disturbed soil, at low and medium altitudes.
- Introduced in the New World.
- Occurs in tropical and subtropical Asia from India to Australia and Polynesia.

Constituents
Plant yielded two bitter substances, neither a glycoside nor alkaloid.

Parts used
Whole plant.

Uses
Folkloric
- Malays used it for poulticing boils, sores, etc, especially those caused by forest ticks.
- Also used for ringworm and itches.
- Malays also use the decoction after childbirth.
- In Indo-China used for biliousness affections and dysentery; in poultices for boils, sores, ringworm and itches.
- In Kerala, expressed juice from crushed plant taken early morning on an empty stomach to clear the stomach.
- In India, leaf paste with lemon juice taken orally to cure excess bile secretion. Applied externally on ringworm and boils.

Availability
Wild-crafted.