East Indian globe thistle (Sphaeranthus indicus)

Sembung delan or East Indian globe thistle (Sphaeranthus indicus) is a species of plant in Asteroideae, a perennial, multi-branched, strong fragrance with erect stems, winged and toothed wings, growing wild in rice fields forming colonies, dense open rugs in the tropics.

S. indicus has alternating sitting leaves, oval, narrow at the base, toothed and serrated, 1-3 cm long and green. Leaves 2-4 cm long with broad and deep wings, continuing into a large bone in the center of the leaf to a sharp tip and several lateral veins.

The flower is round, grows at the tip, has a large and long stalk, is purple in color, 8-15 mm in size, consists of many tiny flowers, is purple in color and has pale purple stamens. Head ovate-ellipsoid, 12-15 mm long and purple when blooming. Phyllaries are white and have purple crest.

Female flowers have a corolla tube 2-2.5 mm long. The bisexual flowers are 2.3-3 mm long and the hardened part of the basal extends a lot. Achenes with straight, eglandular hair.

East Indian globe thistle is widely used in the Ayurvedic system of medicine in a variety of conditions including epilepsy, mental illness, jaundice, hepatopathy, diabetes, leprosy, fever, pectoralgia, tuberculosis, bronchitis, asthma, gastropathy, hernia and hemorrhoids.

Also helminthiasis. dyspepsia, spleen disease, elephantiasis, anemia, pain in the uterus and vagina, hemorrhoids, leukoderma, dysentery, vomiting, hemicrania and skin diseases, laxatives, tonics, fattening, anthelmintic and alexipharmic. This plant herb is hot.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribe: Inuleae
Genus: Sphaeranthus
Species: Sphaeranthus indicus

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