Botany
· Creeping or floating, smooth herbaceous plant. Floating stem frequently exhibits cylindric white vesicles and 1.5 to 5 cm long.
· Leaves: obovate to oblong-ovate, rounded or obtuse, 1.5 to 5 cm long the floating stem frequently with cylindric white vesicles at the node.
· Flowers: 5-parted and borne in the axil of the leaves. Calyx-lobes lanceolate, about 7 cm long. Petals, obovate, white, pale yellow at the base and about 12 mm long. Stamens 8, inserted; ovary 4-celled.
· Fruits: capsular, linear, cylindric, 2.3 cm long, about 3 mm in diameter, narrow at the base, and somewhat longitudinally ridged.

Distribution
Found in the shallow waters of streams and lakes and freshwater swamps throughout the Philippines at low and medium altitudes.

Parts utilized
· Part utilized: entire plant.
· Collect the whole year round.
· Rinse, sun-dry or utilize fresh.

Characteristics and Pharmacological Effects:
Antipyretic, diuretic, blood refrigerant and antidote. Antibiotic, antiphlogistic, alleviates swelling. Plain or sweet tasting, slightly cooling to refrigerant in nature.

Folkloric uses
· Cold with fever, intense with cough, inability to urinate.
· Carbuncle, sprain, snakebites.
· Dosage: use 15 to 30 gms of dried material in decoction. Pounded fresh material applied as poultice to carbuncle, sprains, and snakebites.

Availability
Wildcrafted.