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Family • Rubiaceae
Pisek
Oldenlandia biflora Linn.
TWO FLOWER MILLE GRAINES

Scientific names Common names
Oldenlandia biflora Linn. Dalumpang (Sub.)
Hedyotis biflora Linn. Kaddok-na-kalinga (Ibn.)
Hedyotis dichotoma Cav. Palarapdap (S. L. Bis.)
Hedyotis media Cav. Pisek (Iv.)
Oldenlandia crassifolia DC. Two flower mille graines (Engl.)
Oldenlandia paniculata Linn.  
   

Botany
Pisek, a weed, is an annual, smooth herb. Branches are somewhat angled, ascending, and up to 30 cm in length. Leaves are shortly stalked, oblong, elliptical to narrowly elliptical, up to 5 cm long. Cymes with 3 to 7 flowers occur in the upper axils, somewhat paniculate, and with slender pedicels. Calyx is green. Corolla is white and small. Capsules are cup-shaped or ovoid, about 3 mm long, crowned by four small calyx teeth.

Distribution
Common weed in waste places, cultivated soil, etc., at low and medium altitudes.
Also occurs in India to China, Malaya and Polynesia.

Constituents
Contains an alkaloid.

Properties
 Considered a bitter tonic and febrifuge.

Parts used
Whole plant.

Uses
Folkloric
In the Philippines, plant is pounded an applied to wounds.
Decoction given internally for diarrhea and dysentery.
In India, used for remittent fevers, gastric irritation and nervous depression.
In Hindi medicine, used in prescriptions for fever, diarrhea, skin diseases. Decoction of plant used in bilious fever, stomach irritability, and delirium.

Studies
• Furocoumarins / Cytotoxic Compounds: Study of methanol extract isolated three new 6-oxygenated 8,9-dihydrofurocoumarin-type compounds, hedyotiscones A, B and C, together with 7 known compounds. Compounds 1-3 showed marginal cytotoxicity against Hep G2 cells (human liver cancer cells).

Availability
Wild-crafted.

February 2011
IMAGE SOURCE: Public Domain / Microfiche number: IDC 62.17 / Oldenlandia paniculata L. / Linnean herbarium (S-LINN)
Department of Phanerogamic Botany / Swedish Museum of Natural History (S)
IMAGE SOURCE: Public Domain /Oldenlandia uniflora / USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. Vol. 3: 254 / alterVISTA

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Nat. Order. Rubiaceae. Oldenlandia Herbacea, Dc. Oldenlandia biflora. Roxb / Health and Healing / The Materia Medica Of The Hindus
(2)
New Cytotoxic 6-Oxygenated 8,9-Dihydrofurocoumarins, Hedyotiscone A-C, from Hedyotis biflora / Yung-Husan Chen, Fang-Rong Chang et al / Letter / Planta Med 2006;72:75-78
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