Botany
Dayang is an annual, branched herb, reaching a length of 1 meter or more, with the stems prostrate and creeping below. Leaves are rhomboid-oblong, 2 to 8 centimeters long, and gradually tapering to an acute base. Spikes are terminal and axillary, slender, peduncles, and 5 to 20 centimeters long. Flowers are numerous, greenish, ovoid, and about 3 millimeters long. Sepals are hairy.

Distribution
- In waste places, thickets, etc., at low and medium altitudes, throughout the Philippines.
- Pantropic.

Parts used
Whole plant, roots.

Uses
Folkloric
Used by the Malays externally and internally.
Decoction used for coughs.
Decoction of roots used for dysentery.
Kroo people used the ashes of the burnt plants, mixed with water to smear on the body, for craw-craw, scabies, etc.
In Cameroon, plant used in prescriptions for articular rheumatism and dysentery.

Studies
• Glycinebetaine: A study of aerial parts of 23 species from 10 genera of Amaranthaceae was done to examine the presence of betaines. Glycinebetaine was the dominant betaine and the highest yield of the compound was from Cyathula geniculata, 2.11% of dry weight.
• Cytotoxicity / HeLa Cell Line: In a study on the cytotoxic effect of plant extracts on HeLa (cervix adenocarcinoma) cell line, Cyathula prostata was one of fivce plants that showed over 50% activity at 500 ug/ml.

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Betaine distribution in the Amaranthaceae / Gerald Blunden, Ming-he Yang et al / Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, Volume 27, Issue 1, January 1999, Pages 87-92 / doi:10.1016/S0305-1978(98)00072-6
(2)
CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY OF SELECTED NIGERIAN PLANTS / A Sowemimo, M van de Venter et al / African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, Vol. 6, No. 4, 2009, pp. 526-528