Ageratum Conyzoides Medicinal Uses To Treat External Wounds

Ageratum Conyzoides is a weed plant from members of the Asteraceae tribe. Ageratum Conyzoides includes seasonal weeds, scientifically found in tropical America, especially Brazil. But in Indonesia, Ageratum Conyzoides medicinal uses in traditional medicine long time ago. Other names of the plant are Billygoat-Weed, Goatweed, Chick Weed or Whiteweed. The smell a goat-like odor, has long been use as an herbal ingredient in Asian. And you need to consider before throwing it away.

Ageratum Conyzoides contains amino acids, organacids, pectic substance, essential oils of coumarin, ageratochromene, friedelin, sitosterol, stigmasterol, tannins, sulfur, and potassium chloride. While plant roots contain essential oils, alkaloid compounds and coumarin. The characteristics of this plant as follows:

1. This plant has a strong odor, has trunks feature straight or lying down.
2. Root traits seen on the part that touches the ground, while the rare-haired stems, often branched off.
3. Characteristic of flower compounds that located at the tip, plant height reaches 120 cm.
4. The leaf size is 0.5 to 5 cm, the leaves are intermittent or dealing, especially at the bottom.
5. Leaf shape is round egg, like the heart and rounded or tapered, the tip of the blunt or tapered. Leaf edge features serrated, both long-haired surfaces with glands on the lower side.

Ageratum Conyzoides Medicinal Uses

The properties and characteristics of Ageratum Conyzoides have long been widely known as external wound remedies. One way to make simple herbs, Ageratum Conyzoides medicinal uses to treat as follows:

1. Take some leaves Ageratum Conyzoides, then puree and mixed with cooking oil. This herb used for external medicine, such as treating bruises.
2. Another way is by wringing Ageratum Conyzoides and mixed with lime powder. Then smeared on fresh wounds.
3. Boil the leaves for the treatment of pain, this herb applied to the chest. Decoction leaves can also used for eye medicine by washing.
4. Treatment to reduce fever. Take the roots, then smoothed. This herb applied to the body, the juice can be as eye drops.

Making Ageratum Conyzoides medicinal uses already commonly uses in Ivory Coast. Also used to treat stomach aches, wound healing, and heal broken bones.

Ageratum Conyzoides has a pesticide-class, toxin. Westerners have made insecticides and nematicides from extracts of Ageratum Conyzoides. Because this plant contains Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids, compounds produced by plants as a defense mechanism against insect herbivores.

Pyrrolizidine Unsaturated alkaloids are hepatotoxic, ie damaging the liver. This compound also causes Veno-occlusive liver disease and liver cancer, Tumorigenic or causes tumors. Its not recommended to consume herbal Ageratum Conyzoides. Although there are many benefits of Ageratum Conyzoides for ulcer, stomach, and other drugs. But the Ageratum Conyzoides medicinal uses are safe for external wounds.

Reference

• Plant sources of hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Jurnal Nature doi:10.1021/np50014a001
• Ageratum conyzoides: A tropical source of medicinal and agricultural products. By Ming, L.C., 1999.
• Ageratum Conyzoides, image by Wikimedia Commons.