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Botany
Gatas-gatas is a slender-stemmed,
annual hairy plant with many branches from the base to the top,
spreading up to 40 cms tall, reddish or purplish in color. Leaves
are opposite, elliptic-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, distichoous,
1 to 2.5 cms long, blotched with purple in the middle, toothed
at the edge. Involucres are numerous, purplish to greenish in color,
dense, axillary, short-stalked clusters or crowded cymes, about
1 mm in length. Capsules are broadly ovoid, hairy, three-angled,
about 1.5 cms.
Distribution
Abundant throughout the Philippines, in waste
places and open grasslands.
Pantropic.
Constituents
and properties
- Studies have isolated gallic acid, quercetin, triacontane,
cetyl alcohol, phytosterin, phytosterolin; jambulol, melissic, palmitic,
oleic, and linoleic acid.
- Phytochemicals screenings have yielded alkaloids, essential oil, phenols, sterol, flavones
and fatty acids.
- Flavonoids: euphorbianin, leucocyanidol, camphol, quercitrin and quercitrol.
Properties
Considered anti-asthmatic,
antidote, anti-spasmodic, anthelmintic, antidysenteric, diuretic, expectorant, pectoral, hemostatic, sedative, soporific.
 Parts used and preparation
Entire plant.
Uses
Folkloric
Called gatas-gatas because
of the healing property of the milky juice.
Juice used for colics.
Juice used as ophthalmic drops for conjunctivitis or ulceration of the
cornea.
Infusion or tea of the plant, 4 glasses daily, for bronchits and labored
breathing, asthma, chronic dysentery.
Used for boils and wounds.
Decoction of dry plant used for skin disease.
Decoction of fresh plant used as gargle for the treatment of thrusth.
Decoction of the root used to allay vomiting, chronic diarrheas, and
fevers.
Root decoction also beneficial for nursing mothers deficient in milk:
4-5 glasses of tea.
The same root decoction as an enema for constipation.
Root used for snake bites.
Used in sores, wounds, boils. As ear drop for pustular swellings in
the ear.
Leaves are mixed with Datura metel leaves and flowers to make the "asthma-cigarette."
Latex also prescribed for asthma.
Superficial bleeding: Crush leaves and apply on affected paret, as local
hemostatic.
In Brazil, decoction used for gonorrhea and asthma.
In Africa and Australia,
used to treat hypertension and edema.
In India, used
for treatment of syphilis; sap applied to warts.
Plant decoction: 25 gms of the whole plant to a pint of boiling
water; boil for 3-4 minutes; drink 3-5 glasses a day. Externally as
needed.
In traditional Indian medicinal systems, leaves used in the treatment of coryza, cough, asthma, bronchial infections, bowel complaints, helminthic infestations, wounds, kidney stones and abscesses.
Santals use the root to allay vomiting; also, used by nursing mothers with deficient milk supply.
In the Gold Coast, ground and mixed with water and used as an enema for constipation.
In La Reunion, used as astringent in chronic diarrheas and dysentery.
Roots used for intermittent fevers.
Recent
interests from the folk medicine grapevine
• Dengue
• A flurry of queries
and web blogs, gatas-gatas has found new interest for gatas-gatas (tawa-tawa)
for its use in dengue, with increasing anecdotal reports of "cures."
• Decoction preparation: Cut roots off 5 to 6 gatas-gatas plants.
Rinse. Put the tawa-tawa into a pot of boiling water for one minute.
Cool. Drink the decoction, 1 to 1 1/2 glasses, every hour for 24 hours.
(Also see: Papaya)
Studies
• Anti-Diabetic / Lipid Effect: Study of ethanolic extracts of leaf, flower and stem on streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice showed significant reduction in blood glucose levels. Biochem effects showed significant decreases in serum cholesterol with elevation of HDL. Results showed EH has antidiabetic action and suggests further study for isolation of responsible compound.
• Antibacterial:
(1) Antibacterial
Activities And Toxicological Potentials Of Crude Ethanolic Extracts
Of Euphorbia hirta: The study showed the ethanolic
extract to inhibit the growth of test isolates except Salmonella typhi.
The antibacterial effect was attributed to the presence of alkaloids,
tannins and flavonoids which have been shown to have antibacterial properties.
The results support its use in traditional medicine. (2) Study on the antibacterial effect of compounds extracted from C sinensis and the methanol extract of E hirta against dysentery causing Shigella spp showed the extracts to be non-cytotoxic and effective antibacterial agents.
• Diuretic: Euphorbia
hirta leaf extracts increase urine output and electrolytes in rats:
Studty suggests that the active components in the water extract of E.
hirta leaf had similar diuretic effect as that of acetazolamide. The
results validate its traditional use as a diuretic by the Swahilis and Sukumas.
• Anti-Allergic: Inhibition
of early and late phase allergic reactions by Euphorbia hirta L:
Study demonstrated that E. hirta possessed significant activity to prevent
early and late phase allergic reactions.
• Anthelmintic: Anthelmintic
efficacy of the aqueous crude extract of Euphorbia hirta Linn in Nigerian
dogs: Extract of E. hirta Study reduced the fecal egg count of the helminths
and suggests a potential as an anthelmintic agent.
• Antihypertensive / ACE Inhibition:
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibiting
and anti-dipsogenic activities of Euphorbia hirta extracts:
Study showed the extract from leaves and stems inhibited the activity
of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE).
• Anxiolytic:
Euphorbia hirta showed an activity profile different from that of benzodiazepines.
Study showed a central depressant and sedating effect with no hypnotic
or neuroleptic effects.
• Antidiarrheal: Study investigated the antidiarrhoeic
activity of Euphorbia hirta extract. An active flavonoid
constituent, quercitin, was isolated; it show anti-diarrheic activity
• Antibacterial / Antifungal: The ethanol extract was analyzed for antimicrobila activitity against S aureus, B cereus, S typhi, K pneumonia, P aeruginosa and fungus species A niger, A fumigatus, A flavus and R oryzae. Study of leaves isolated tannins, flavonoids, alklaloids, glycosides, proteins, sterols and saponins. Antimicrobial activity was attributed to one of these constituents. Leaves collected from August to December showed more significant antimicrobial activity.
• Galactogenic: E hirta study in female guinea pigs increased the development of mammary glands and induced secretion.
• Antifertility: E hirta has been shown to decrease sperm motility, density of cauda epididymal and testis sperm suspension with 100% infertility.
• Anti-Malarial / Flavonol Glycosides: Study of aerial parts isolated flavonol glycosides afzelin, quercitin and myricitrin. The three compounds showed inhibition of proliferation of Plasmodium falcifarum.
• Anti-Inflammatory: n-hexane extract of aerial parts and its main triterpene constituents showed significant and dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity.
• Anticancer / Antiproliferative: (1) Studies of extracts of E hirta have shown selective cytotoxicity against several cancer line. (2) Extracts screened showed anti-proliferativce activities against normal mouse fibroblast cells.
• Antioxidant: Studies of methanol and water extracts showed antioxidant activities comparable to that of green and black teas.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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