|  Botany
Kindayohan is an erect,
coarse, simple or branched, smooth annual herb, 0.5 to 1.5 meters high. Leaves are alternate, linear to lanceolate, entire and to 4 to 14 centimeters
long. Flowers, small, in dense erect spikes, 8 to 12 millimeters long, borne in solitary, erect, stout, dense, white, purple, or pink, glistening spikes, 3 to 30 centimeters long, 1.5 to 2 centimeters thick, without petals.Sepals are 6 millimeters long, and much longer than the bracts. Fruits are membranaceous, utricles, seeds shining black and about
1.5 millimeters in diameter.
Distribution
- In settled areas throughout the Philippines
at low and medium altitudes.
- Introduced; pantropic.
Parts used
and preparation
· Seeds. When the
fruits are ripe, harvest the whole plant and sun-dry.
Constituents
• Isolated from the seeds of CA, a cyclic nonapeptide, celogenamide
A.
• Alcoholic extract contain an alkaloidal principle precipitable by alkaliese, soluble in ether, giving a rose color with strong sulphuric acid.
• Ethanolic extract yielded flavonoids, saponins, glycosides and tannins.
Properties
• Considered antidiarrheal,
antibacterial, hypotensive, antiscorbutic, anthelmintic, cooling, and
vulnerary.
• Stem and leaves are astringent and antiinflammatory.
Uses
Edibility
Leaves are eaten as a vegetable.
In West Tropical Africa, considered an excellent pot-herb and a slightly bitter spinach alternative, rich in protein and vitamins.
In the Moluccas, cultivated as a vegetable.
In the Philippines, eaten as vegetable, but not given to women duriing menstruation.
Folkloric
· Redness and swelling of the eyes, photophobia, and frequent
lacrimation with intense headache: 6 gm of seed preparation mixed with
6 gms each of Morus alba and individual flower preparation of Chrysanthemum
sp. and lastly, stem preparation of Equisetum. (If the individual is
very old, the Celosia preparation should only be half in quantity.)
Boil in water and drink decoction once a day as needed until well. If
Celosia is not available, palung-palungangan may be used as a substitute.
· Stems and leaves, bruised and applied as poultice are used
for infected sores, wounds and skin eruptions.
· Poultice of leaves, smeared with honey, used as cooliing application to inflammed areas and painful affections such as buboes and abscesses.
· Seeds are used to relieve gastrointestinal disorders and are
antipyretic, improves vision, relieves fever associated with liver ailments.
· Seeds
when in decoction or finely powdered, are considered antidiarrheal and aphrodisiac.
· The juice of the seeds forced into the nostrils is a cure for
epistaxis.
· Whole plant used as antidote for snake-poison.
· Root used for colic, gonorrhea and eczema.
· Decoction of the seeds with sugar is prescribed against dysentery.
· Flowers and seeds used for bloody stools, hemorrhoidal bleeding,
leucorrhea and diarrhea.
· In Indian folk medicine, used
for diabetes. Seeds traditionally used for treatment of jaundice, gonorrhea, wounds and fever.
· In Sri Lanka, leaves used for inflammations, fever and itching. Seeds used for fever and mouth sores.
· In China, flowers and seeds used in treatment of gastroenteritis and leucorrhea.
· In Antilles, decoction of flowers used for phthsis.
Studies
• Antibacterial: Study of crude extracts of Datura alba and Celosia argentea leaves showed significant lysis zone against all pathogens, results comparable with antibiotic cream Silver Sulphadiazine.
• Antiinflammatory: Anti- inflammatory
activity of an isolated flavonoid fraction from Celosia argentea Linn.: Study showed the flavonoid content possesses
significant anti-inflammatory activity.
• Anti-metastatic / Immunomodulating Properties:
Water extract
of CA showed an anti-metastatic effect based on immunomodulating properties
including induction of cytokines such as IL-12, IL-2 and IFN-gamma which may provide the basis for its inhibition of cancer metastasis.
• Anti-diabetic: Chronic administration of an alcoholic extract of Celosia argentea significantly reduced the blood glucose in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.
•Antihepatotoxic and Immunostimulating:
Immunostimulating activity of celosian, an antihepatotoxic polysaccharide
isolated from Celosia argentea: Study indicates CA has antihepatotoxic
and immunostimulating effects.
• Wound Healing: Study showed wound closure occurred earlier in treated rats. The salutary effect may be due to mitogenic and motogenic promotion of dental fibroblasts.
• Antioxidant: Study of the methanolic extracts of nine edible vegetables in Southwest Nigeria showed C argentea to be pro-oxidant. The antioxidant activity was supported by the membrane stabilizing capacity of the extracts.
• Intraepithelial Lymphocyte Effect / Dietary Caution: Study showed that although a CA diet in normal mice did not affect the small intestine there was a increase in the intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL). Further studies are suggested before using it it as minor cereals.
• Celogentins / Antimitotic Peptides: Study yielded three new bicyclic peptides, celogentins A, B and C together with a known-related peptide, moroidin. The new celogentins inhibited the polymerization of tubulin, with celogentin C being four times more potent than moroidin.
• Prooxidant / Antioxidant: Study of varied extracts of nine edible vegetables in Southwest Nigeria showed all to be pro-oxidants at high concentrations. On cytoprotectivity effect, all demonstrated a very low hemagglutination titer value.
• Anti-Diarrheal: Study of the alcoholic extract of leaves of Celosia argentea showed dose-related anti-diarrheal effect. Results suggest it may act centrally and may inhibit PGE2. A charcoal meal test also suggests an anti-muscarinic activity.
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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