Gen info
- Acanthaceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes.
- Hygrophila, commonly known as swampweeds, is a genus of flowering plants in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae. It contains about 80 to 100 species, many of which are aquatic plants. Many members are troublesome weeds if they become established without irrigation.
- Etymology: The genus name Hygrophila derives from Greek words hygros meaning "moist" or "wet". and philos meaning "loving". referring to plants that thrive in aquatic or swampy environments. The specific epithet phlomoides means "Phlomis," referring to another plant genus with flowers and leaves that look like that plant. The common name "Burman linseed" refers to the plant producing many small, mucilage-producing seeds that resemble linseed, and forming a gel similar to flax seeds when the seed get wet.

Botany
• Perennials to 1 m tall, erect. Stems 4-angled, brown strigose. Petiole 0-3 mm, hirsute; leaf blade elliptic, obovate, or oblong, 2-9 × 1-3 cm, papery, cystoliths dense, both surfaces hirsute, secondary veins 8-15 on each side of midvein, base usually attenuate and decurrent onto petiole, margin entire or undulate, apex acute to sometimes obtuse. Flowers axillary, several clustered or in whorls upward; bracteoles linear-oblong, ca. 5 × 2 mm, hirsute. Calyx ca. 1.1 cm, white hirsute, 5-lobed to middle; lobes linear. Corolla 1.8-2.2 cm, pubescent; lower lip oblong, sparely pilose, 3-lobed; upper lip triangular, 2-lobed. Stamens 4; filaments glabrous, longer pair ca. 5 mm, shorter pair ca. 3 mm; anther thecae ca. 2 mm. Ovary glabrous; style ca. 1.8 cm, pubescent. Capsule not seen. (Flora of China)

• Sage Swampweed is a perennial herb up to 1 m tall, erect. Flowers are borne in leaf-axils, several clustered or in whorls upward, like sage plants. Flowers are 1.8-2.2 cm, purplish, velvet-hairy; lower lip oblong, sparely hairy, 3-lobed; upper lip triangular, 2-lobed. Stamens are 4; longer pair about 5 mm, shorter pair about 3 mm; Ovary hairless; style about 1.8 cm, velvet-hairy. Bracteoles linear-oblong, about 5 x 2 mm, hairy. Sepal-cup is about 1.1 cm, white hairy, 5-lobed to middle; lobes linear. Stems are 4-angled, brown bristly. Leaf-stalks are 0-3 mm, hairy; leaf blade elliptic, obovate, or oblong, 2-9 x 1-3 cm, papery, both surfaces hairy, secondary veins 8-15 on each side of midvein, base usually narrowed and decurrent onto leaf-stalk, margin entire or wavy, tip pointed to sometimes blunt. (Flowers of India)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines. (1) (2)
- Lowlands, in open grasslands, fallow rice paddies, etc. (1)
- In Luzon: Bulacan, Laguna, NCR, Pangrasinan, Rizal, Zambales.
- Also native to Assam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, East Himalaya, India, Laos, Malaya, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam. (2)

Constituents
- Phytochemical screening of aerial parts revealed numerous secondary metabolites such as reducing sugars, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, proteins, alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, steroids, terpenoids, and acidic compounds. (see study below) (5)

Properties
- Studies have suggested analgesic, anti-inflammatory, laxative, anthelmintic properties.

Parts used
Seeds, leaves.

Uses
Edibility
- In Myanmar and Northeast India, leaves and tender shoots eaten as leafy vegetable.
- In Myanmar, leaves and shoots are used as pot herb.
Folkloric
- No reported medicinal use in the Philippines.
- Seeds used for making formulations for treatment of sore eyes, flatulence, and discoloration and fungal infections of the skin. Crushed seeds used as poultice over festering and long-standing sores. In East Asia, leaves used for poulticing fresh wounds, sprained limbs, swellings, abscesses, and headache. (3)
- In India, Meitei community use boiled extract of whole plant for treatment of diabetes. (7)

Studies
• Analgesic / Anti-Inflammatory / Laxative / Anthelmintic / Aerial Parts: Study evaluated crude extract of H. aerial parts for novel bioactivities. The extract at 250 and 500 mg/lg exhibited significant writhing inhibition by 35.82% and 58.96%, respectively. Extract also exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity in formaldehyde-induced paw edema up to 4. h. Extract at 250 and 500 mg/kg significantly increased stool production by 61.58% and 77.03%, respectively. In anthelmintic study, the extract paralyzed and killed parasites dose-dependently. Results showed the ethanol extract possesses analgesic, anti-inflammatory, laxative, and anthelmintic properties. (see constituents above) (7)

Availability
- Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Acanthaceae: Hygrohila phlomoides / Co's Digital Flora of the Philippines
(2)
Hygrophila phlomoides / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(3)
Sage swampweed / Flowers of India
(4)
Hygrophila / Wikipedia
(5)
Exploration of Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory, Laxative, and Anthelmintic Activities of Hygrophila phlomoides / Utpal Karmakar, Sonya Akter, Bishwajit Bokshi, Samir Kumar Sadhu / International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research, 2022; 77(2): pp 28-43 /
DOI: 10.47583/ijpsrr.2022.v77i02.006
(6)
Ethno-medicinal anti-diabetics plants of Northeast India: A review / Chitta Ranjan Deb, T Obeela Sharma, Narola Jamir / Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 2023; 12(3): pp 86-110
(7)
Antidiabetic plants used in Thoubal district of Manipur, Northeast India / Mohd Habibullah Khan, PS Yadava / Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 2010; 9(3): pp 510-514

DOI: It is not uncommon for links on studies/sources to change. Copying and pasting the information on the search window or using the DOI (if available) will often redirect to the new link page. (Citing and Using a (DOI) Digital Object Identifier)