Cyperus brevifolius (Rottb.) Hassk is an accepted species. KEW: Plants of the World Online

Gen info
- Cyperus is a large genus of about 700 species of sedges, distributed throughout all continents in both tropical and temperate regions. They are annual or perennial plants, mostly aquatic and growing in still or slow-moving water up to 0.5 meters (20 in) deep. (17)

Botany
• Pugo-pugo is an annual herb with slender stems, 10 to 50 centimeters high, usually scattered, rising from slender creeping rootstocks. Leaves are narrow, 3 to 10 centimeters long and less than 3 millimeters wide; shining green. Spikes are mostly solitary, ovoid, green to white, 8 millimeters long or less. Spikelets very numerous, lanceolate, about 3 millimeters long, with the keel of the flowering glume not winged. Whole inflorescence is subtended by 3 long leafy bracts. Fruit is a nut, about 1 millimeters long and compressed.

• Growth form: Perennial sedge up to 0.3 m tall. Foliage: A few basal leaves occur at the base of the flowering stem (known as a culm). The 2-3 mm wide, linear leaves are usually shorter than the culm and have membranous leaf sheaths which are brown or purplish brown. Stem: The rhizome (an underground horizontal stem) is thin and long. It produces the flowering stems in small clusters or along the length of the rhizome with varying amounts of spacing. Flowers: The inflorescence is shaped like a round to slightly egg-shaped pompom which is light green and turning yellowish green at maturity (5-10 mm in diameter). It is composed of oblong to lance-shaped, flattened spikelets (3-3.5 mm long, 1 mm wide) which each have 4 glumes. At the base of the inflorescence, there are 3 leaf-like bracts of unequal size which are radially distributed from the inflorescence. Fruit: Dry, indehiscent, 1-seeded fruit is known as an achene. The brown, lentil-shaped (biconvex, flattened disk shape) fruit is 1.5 mm long. (20)

• Kyllinga leaves are glossier than turfgrass leaves. Also, they have a distinctive "minty sweet" scent when leaves are mowed or crushed.

Constituents
- Study for essential oil from underground parts yielded 23 components, the main components of which were manoyl oxide (44.08%), ß-pinene (13.58%), cyperene (7.63%), and y-terpineol (7.37%). (11)
- Study of leaf essential oil yielded 22 compounds accounting for 96.1% of the oil composition. Major essential oil constituents were occadinol (40.3 %), τ-muurolol (19.5 %), and germacrene D-4-ol (12.5 %) with smaller amounts of δ-cadinene (2.9 %), and germacrene D (4.0 %). (13)

Properties
- Prepared drug minty tasting and neutral-natured.
- Decongestant, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimalarial.
- Studies have shown antioxidant, antiviral, anxiolytic, CNS depressant, hepatoprotective, anti-aggressive properties.

Parts utilized
- Whole plant, rhizomes, leaves

Uses
Edibility
· In Paraguay folk medicine, rhizomes used for making a refreshing drink.
Folkloric
· Colds with fever; when taken internally, has a perspiring (sudorific) effect.
· Whooping cough, bronchitis, swelling pain in the throat, malaria.
· Snake bites, furuncles, sprains: Apply poultice of pounded fresh leaves.
· Skin pruritus: Decoction may be used as an external wash.
· In India, used for dysentery - ten fresh tubers made into paste and consumed with rice; once daily for three days.
· Used for liver disease.
· Malays used the rhizome for poulticing sore legs. Leaves used for diarrhea. For treating scurf, pounded roots applied to affected area. (10)
· In Paraguay folk medicine, used as digestive, diuretic, sedative, tonic, antispasmodic, and sudorific.

Studies
• CNS Depressant Activity / Sedative Effect: Study of crude hydro-alcoholic rhizome extract of Kyllinga brevifolia on mice showed increase gastrointestinal transit, decrease spontaneous locomotor activity, piloerection, passivity, catatonia and stereotyped behavior. It also showed a significant dose-dependent increase in hypnotic effect induced by pentobarbital. Oral administration of doses up to 3,000 mg/kg did not provoke any toxic symptoms. Results explain it traditional use to alleviate stress and as a sedative agent. (1)
• Flavonoids / Antiviral: Study yielded two known flavonoids glycosides and a new quercetin. triglycoside, a compound that showed moderate antiviral activity.
• Anxiolytic / Sedative / Rhizomes: Study evaluated the putative sedative, anxiolytic effects of crude hydro-alcoholic extract and fractions of rhizomes of K. brevifolia in male male using open filed, hole board, rota-rod, and elevated plus maze (EPM) test. Results showed a weak sedative and interesting anxiolytic-like effect in mice and suggests a potential for use in the treatment of anxiety in humans. (5)
• Hepatoprotective / Whole Plant: Study evaluated a methanolic extract of whole plant of K. brevifolia in male Wistar albino rats showed significant protection against CCl4-induced hepatocellular injury. (7)
• Anti-Aggressive Activity / Rhizomes: Study evaluated the anti-aggressive activity of hydroethanolic extract of rhizomes and various fractions on aggressive behavior in isolated-induced aggression model in male mice. Results showed a general anti-offensive aggressive activity and suggests a potential in the treatment of reactive aggression in humans. (9)
• Antioxidant: In an in vitro study of 31 medicinal wetland plants in Taiwan, Kylinga brevifolia was one of seven that showed high antioxidant activity and high total polyphenolic contents. (12)
• Silver Nanoparticles / Methylene Blue Removal: Study reports on the green synthesis of nanocatalyst K. brevifolia-mediated silver nanoparticles. KBE functioned as capping agent for stabilization of AgNPs. KBE + AgNPs is more benign to the environment and is the preferred reducing agent. The NPs showed effectiveness for degradation of MB dyes, with potential to degrade other types of toxic dyes used in textile industry. (14) (15)
• Bioremediation of Textile Dyes Wastewater / Bacteria from Mining Soils and Wetlands: New bacteria obtained from contaminated soils surrounding coal, aluminum, salt mines, and wetlands were separated, synthesized and characterized. Study showed the soils and waters have five dispersed bacteria. The bacteria were evaluated for potential removal activity of basic blue 41 and disperse red 177 dyes. Study of removal mechanism showed biodegradation to be the governing mechanism. Results suggest natural and locally available bacteria showed great efficiency for removal of dyes from aqueous solution with any unsafe by-product, and can be utilized for other water pollutants. (16)
• Diuretic /  Rhizomes: Study evaluated the diuretic actiity of rhizomes extracts of C. brevifolius using doses of 150 mg/299g, 250 mg/200g and 500 mg/200g in rats. Furosemide was used as standard drug. Results showed the 250mg/200g aqueous extract showed maximum diuretic activity. (18)
• Anti-Inflammatory / Resin: Study evaluated the anti-inflammatory property of resin obtained from rhizomes of Cyperus brevifolius. The resin extract was tested on albino rats at doses of 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg. Results showed effective anti-inflammatory activity on higher concentration of 1000 mg/kg. (19)
• Antidepressant-like Effect / Rhizomes: Study Study showed K. brevifolia exhibited antidepressant-like effects in mice and suggests potential for treatment of depression in humans. The efficacy of 1.0 mg/kg KbF-ethyl-ac was similar to imipramine. Main constituents of KbF-ethyl-ac  were identified as catechins. Results  indicate an antidepressant-like profile of action for CEKb and KbF-ethyl-ac, and the effect may partially reside on catechins. Studies were suggested to pursue isolate molecules associated  with CEKb and JbF-ethyl-ac, and its anti-depressant-like effect. (21)

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Acute toxicity and general pharmacological effect on central nervous system of the crude rhizome extract of Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb. / M C Hellion-Ibarrola et al / Journal of Ethnopharmacology, September 1999;
Volume 66, Issue 3: pp 271-27 / doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(99)00002-1
(2)
Characterisation of new oligoglycosidic compounds in two Chinese medicinal herbs / Sandra Apers et al / Phytochemical Analysis• Volume 13 Issue 4, Pages 202 - 206 / DOI 10.1002/pca.642
(3)
Medicinal plants used against dysentery, diarrhea and cholera by the tribes of erstwhile Kament district of Arunachal Pradesh / A Kar and S K Borthakur / Natural Product Radiance, Vol 7(2), 2008, pp 176-181.
(4)
Kyllinga weeds defy some herbicides / Todd Lowe; Bert McCarty, Ph.D.; and Ted Whitwell, Ph.D. / Golf Course Management
(5)
Anxiolytic-like and sedative effects of Kyllinga brevifolia in mice / María del Carmen Hellión-Ibarrola; Yenny Montalbetti; Olga Y. Heinichen; María L. Kennedy; Miguel A. Campuzano; Derlis A. Ibarrola / Rev. bras. farmacogn., 2012; 22(6) / DOI: 10.1590/S0102-695X2012005000112
(6)
Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb., Cyperaceae / Common names / Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk / PIER
(7)
HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF KYLLINGA BREVIFOLIA ON CARBON TETRACHLORIDE INDUCED LIVER DAMAGE IN RATS / Bhattasri Sree Charan / International Journal of Pharmacology Research / 1(1), 2011, 16-20.
(8)
Kyllinga brevifolia / Synonyms / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(9)
Evaluation of Anti-Aggressive Activity of Kyllinga brevifolia in Rodent Model of Aggression  / M.C. Hellión-Ibarrola, M.L. Kennedy, M.A. Campuzano, Y. Montalbetti, O.Y. Heinichen and D.A. Ibarrol / Journal of Advanced Clinical Phamacology, 2014; 1: pp 3-7 / DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14205/2312-3710.2014.01.01.1
(10)
Kyllinga brevifolia / Traditional Malay Medicinal Plants / Muhamad bin Zakaria
(11)
Composition of the essential oils of three Cyperus species from Congo / Victor N’goka*, Pierette Lokanga Tchiyamba and Flore Victoire Foungui Otoungou / African Journal of Plant Science, Vol. 8(11), pp. 473-481, November 2014 / DOI: 10.5897/AJPS12.178
(12)
In vitro antioxidant properties and total phenolic contents of wetland medicinal plants in Taiwan. / Yu-Ling Ho; Shyh-Shyun Huang; Jeng-Shyan Deng; Yaw-Huei Lin; Yuan-Shiun Chang; Guan-Jhong Huang / Botanical Studies, 2012; Vol 53, Issue 1: pp 55-66.
(13)
Leaf Essential Oil Composition of Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb. from Nepal / Prajwal Paudel, Prabodh Satyal, Ganesh Khadka and William N. Setzer* / Journal of essential oil-bearing plants (JEOP), December 2012 /
DOI: 10.1080/0972060X.2012.10644131
(14)
Synthesis colloidal Kyllinga brevifolia-mediated silver nanoparticles at different temperature for methylene blue removal / Norain Isa, Siti Halima Sarijo, A Azizan, Zainovia Lockman / AIP Conference Proceedings, September 2017;  1877(1):070001 / DOI: 10.1063/1.4999887
(15)
Methylene blue dye removal on silver nanoparticles reduced by Kyllinga brevifolia / Norain Isa et al / Environmental Science and Pollution Research, April 2019; 26(11): pp 11482-11295
(16)
Bioremediation of Textile Dyes Wastewater: Potential of Bacterial Isolates from a Mining Soils and Wetlands / K Seifpanahi-Shabani, A Eyvazkhani, P Heidan / PCCC, Spring 2019; 12(3) Art 3: pp 155-161
(17)
Cyperus / Wikipedia
(18)
Diuretic activity of rhizome extracts of Pugo-pugo, Cyperus brevifolius Rottb. (1773), in albino rats. / Irish Marie M Ballesteros, Bea Maristine B Carreon / Thesis/Dissertation: BS Pharmary, 2017 / University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
(19)
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTY OF RESIN FROM THE RHIZOME OF CYPERUS BREVIFOLIUS LINNE, FAMILY CYPERACEAE / Chatherine Joy R Apigo, Mark Andrew Bartholome, Ma Theresa Frago, Lorna G Santos / Thesis/Dissertation: 2002 - College of Pharmacy, Manila Central University, Philippines
(20)
Cyperus brevifolius (Rottb.) Hassk. / National Parks: FLORA & FAUNA WEB
(21)
Antidepressant-like effect of Kyllinga brevifolia rhizomes in male mice and chemical characterization of the components of the active ethyl acetate fraction / MC Hellion-Ibarrola, Y Montalbetti, DA Ibarrola et al / Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2016; Vol 194: pp 1005-1011 / DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.10.086

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