Botany
Lamon-babae is a prostrate plant, with stout and creeping stems, 30 to 100 centimeters long, and with small bristly leaves throughout. Primary branches are rigidly erect, 20 to 60 centimeters long, much branched in the upper portion; the lower branches are divided and short, spreading or ascending, pendulous towards the tips. Leaves are inserted all around the stems and branches, crowded, narrowly linear-subulate, 2 to 3 millimeters long. Spikes (cone-like fruiting bodies) are numerous, solitary, and sessile on the tips of the branchlets, 5 to 15 millimeters long.

Distribution
- Widely distributed; abundant at medium and high altitudes, rare at low altitudes.
- Found throughout the warmer countries of the Old World.

Parts utilized:
· Whole plant.
· Collect the plants throughout the year.
· Rinse, cut into pieces and sun-dry.
· Compress before storing.

Constituents
Study yielded a new triterpenoid (16-oxo-21-episerratriol) and a flavonoid (cernoside) together with known alkaloids lycocernuine and cernuine, triterpenoids, aonocerin diacetate, serratenediol diacetate, serratriol triacetate and 21-episerratriol triacetate.

Properties
- Sweet tasting, cooling natured.
- Antirheumatic, antitussive, diuretic.

Uses
Folkloric
• Decoction of 15-30 gms of dried material used for acute hepatitis, reddening and swelling in the eyes, costochondritis, chronic cough.
• Decoction used as a lotion in beriberi.
• Decoction used for coughs and uneasiness of the chest.
• Embrocation of its ashes in vinegar used for skin eruptions.
• Decoction of plant used as diuretic; also for rheumatism, diarrhea, dysentery and tenesmus.
• Used medicinally throughout Malaysia for external application.
• In Fiji, traditional use as an antifungal.
• In the Antilles, powder is dusted on irritated parts of children from contact of urine.
• Powder used against diarrhea and dysentery.
• In French Guiana, used for leg pains, spider bites, fever, and in herbal baths
.• In French Polynesia, used in treatment for hay fever.
.• In India, spores are applied as antiseptic in wounds and injuries. Also, fresh plant infusion used for intestinal infection. Also, for rickets in children.
.• In Kerala, for chicken pox drink a lukewarm water concoction of 5 gm of Oryza meyeriana seeds ground to a paste with 5 gm of L. cernuum, a black ant's head (Monorium dichroum) and 100 mg Jumboldtia unijuga (root gall).
Others
• In the Philippines, in much demand among florists, especially around All Saints' Day, were it is used for making wreaths, baskets and other floral decorations.
• In India, used as an ornament.
• Spores mixed with gunpowder to increase efficiency of gunpowder and reduce the decibel of explosion.

Studies
• Antimicrobial / Anti-Helicobacter pylori: In vitro anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of Lycopodium cernuum (Linn) Pic. Serm: All fractions of LC extracts demonstrated antimicrobial activity suggesting the plant contains compounds with therapeutic activity. Pharmacologically active compounds such as alkaloids and serratene triterpenes have been found in L cernuum which may be responsible for its antimicrobial effect. 5 fractions from the hexane fraction (100% hexane) yielded the highest activity. Study suggests the plant is a potential source of an antibacterial agent for the treatment of H. pylori.
• Antifiungal: Fractionation of ethanol extract of L cernuum for Candida albicans secreted aspartic proteases (SAP) inhibition resulted in six new and four known serratene triterpenes and an apigenin-glucopyranoside. Two compounds, lycernuic acid C and and apigenin-4'-O(2',6' '-di-O-p-coumaroyl)-beta-D-glycopyranoside, showed inhibitory effects against C albicans secreted aspartic proteases.

Availability
Wild-crafted.