Botany
Dilang-butiki is a prostrate, nearly or quite smooth, somewhat succulent, slender, branched, herbaceous annual weed, rooting at the nodes. Leaves are narrowly oblong-obovate to narrowly elliptic, and 1 centimeter long or less. Flowers are stalkless, white, about 2 millimeters long, and borne singly in the axils of the leaves. Fruit is an indehiscent capsule, ovoid, about 4 millimeters long, crowned by the sepal, usually densely hairy and many seeded. Seeds are small, angular, reticulate and dark brown.

Distribution
- A weed in open, waste places in and about towns at low and medium altitudes throughout the Philippines.
- Introduced from Mexico.
- Also occurs in India to southern China and through Malaya to Australia and Polynesia.

Parts used
Roots.

Uses
Folkloric
- Malays used the plant for poulticing sores.
- In the Nalbari district, Assam, crushed warm leaf is given for loose motion in infants. Plant juice is taken once daily for blood pressure.

Studies
• Smooth Muscle Activities: Of 27 plants studied, 48% demonstrated smooth muscle relaxant activity and 17% contraction. The bark of Hedyotis congesta demonstrated the most potent contraction.
 
Availability
Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Medicinal weeds of crop fields and role of women in rural health and hygiene in Nalbari district, Assam / D K Bhattacharjya, P C Borah / Indian Journ of Traditional Knowledge, Vol 7(3), July 2008, pp 501-504
(2)
Dentella repens / GLOBinMed