Bidens pilosa Family - Asteraceae
Certain edible plants are not getting any respect. If there were a contest for such plants, Bidens pilosa, would be a heavy-weight contender.
Bidens” - two-toothed.
pilosa - hairy, the feeling of hairiness
Common names - beggar ticks, bur-marigolds, stickseeds, Spanish needles, tickseeds, tickseed sunflowers. Some people call it pitchfork weed because its seed has two prongs on it that stick to almost anything (sometimes four).
Tamil Name : Mukkuthi poo, Selai kuthi mullu, Kothi mullu, Paimullu, Ottumullu
Nearly anyone you ask about Bidens pilosa who knows it will say it’s a weed good for nothing.
It is a naturalised and invasive weed. Bidens are “zoochorous” which means the seeds are spread by animals This mechanism has helped the plant become a cosmopolitan weed.
This is a very favoured plant of many butterflies and honey bees.
Certain edible plants are not getting any respect. If there were a contest for such plants, Bidens pilosa, would be a heavy-weight contender.
Bidens” - two-toothed.
pilosa - hairy, the feeling of hairiness
Common names - beggar ticks, bur-marigolds, stickseeds, Spanish needles, tickseeds, tickseed sunflowers. Some people call it pitchfork weed because its seed has two prongs on it that stick to almost anything (sometimes four).
Tamil Name : Mukkuthi poo, Selai kuthi mullu, Kothi mullu, Paimullu, Ottumullu
Nearly anyone you ask about Bidens pilosa who knows it will say it’s a weed good for nothing.
It is a naturalised and invasive weed. Bidens are “zoochorous” which means the seeds are spread by animals This mechanism has helped the plant become a cosmopolitan weed.
This is a very favoured plant of many butterflies and honey bees.
There are 230 to 240 known Bidens species. Among them, Bidens pilosa is a representative perennial herb and has been traditionally used in foods and medicines without any adverse effects.
It is an annual herb, growing up to 1.8 meters tall. The leaves are pinnate and arranged oppositely with petioles. The leaves have serrate margin.
The plant flowers at any time of the year. Flowers are borne in small head inflorescence with long peduncles. The heads bear many tubular yellow disc florets surrounded by four or five broad white ray florets. The seeds are black, flattened and linear.
The fresh or dried tender shoots and young leaves are eaten in some cultures. It is used as a medicinal plant in many regions of Africa.
It is used as an herb and as an ingredient in teas or herbal medicines. Its shoots and leaves, dried or fresh, are utilized in sauces and teas
Young leaves, tops and shoots are used as potherb. Some young leaves and flower petals are used raw in salads. The flowers are mixed with sticky balls of rice and allowed to ferment in water to make a spirit. The leaves are also used in making wine.
All parts of B. pilosa , the whole plant, the aerial parts (leaves, flowers, seeds, and stems), and/or the roots, fresh or dried, are used as ingredients in folk medicines.
In Trinidad and Tobago the aqueous solution of the leaves of B. pilosa is used to bathe babies and children. This plant is applied on a fresh wound
It is an annual herb, growing up to 1.8 meters tall. The leaves are pinnate and arranged oppositely with petioles. The leaves have serrate margin.
The plant flowers at any time of the year. Flowers are borne in small head inflorescence with long peduncles. The heads bear many tubular yellow disc florets surrounded by four or five broad white ray florets. The seeds are black, flattened and linear.
The fresh or dried tender shoots and young leaves are eaten in some cultures. It is used as a medicinal plant in many regions of Africa.
It is used as an herb and as an ingredient in teas or herbal medicines. Its shoots and leaves, dried or fresh, are utilized in sauces and teas
Young leaves, tops and shoots are used as potherb. Some young leaves and flower petals are used raw in salads. The flowers are mixed with sticky balls of rice and allowed to ferment in water to make a spirit. The leaves are also used in making wine.
All parts of B. pilosa , the whole plant, the aerial parts (leaves, flowers, seeds, and stems), and/or the roots, fresh or dried, are used as ingredients in folk medicines.
In Trinidad and Tobago the aqueous solution of the leaves of B. pilosa is used to bathe babies and children. This plant is applied on a fresh wound
Bidens pilosa is rich in a class of anti-pathogenic chemicals known as the polyacetylenes. Among these is phenylheptatriyne, which in some studies has been found to inhibit cytomegalovirus as well as gram-positive bacteria in general. Aliphatic acetylenes has been found to inhibit the growth of Plasmodium falciparum, the microbe responsible for malaria infections.
Whole plant extracts of Bidens pilosa have also been found to exhibit strong antioxidant and liver protecting properties.
Whole plant extracts of Bidens pilosa have also been found to exhibit strong antioxidant and liver protecting properties.
As for the medical implications, in 1991 Egyptian researchers documented Biden pilosa had antimicrobial activity against a wide array of bacteria including Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Neisseria Gonorrhea, Klebsiella Pneumonia, and against Tuberculosis. It is also good for malaria, snake bite and has anti-leukemia activity. Research shows it lowers blood sugar and blood pressure, stimulates the immune system and is anti-inflammatory. The powdered seeds are a topical anesthetic and aid clotting. On the other hand, Bidens is also shown anti-cancer activity.
In addition to anti-tumor flavones, polyynes found in B. pilosa have also been shown to possess anti-tumor properties.
B. pilosa is one of 1,200 plant species that have been investigated for antidiabetic activity
B. pilosa is thought to be an immunomodulatory plant and is reported to be effective in the treatment of immune disorders such as allergy, arthritis, and T1D
In some countries it is used to treat
1. acute appendicitis;
2. acute infectious hepatitis;
3. gastroenteritis, dyspepsia;
4. rheumatic arthralgia;
5. malaria; and
6. hemorrhoids, pruritis.
7. influenza, colds, fever, sore throat
This amazing “weed” is one of the world's greatest natural digestive tract healers and lymphatic and anti-allergy remedies.
B. pilosa is one of 1,200 plant species that have been investigated for antidiabetic activity
B. pilosa is thought to be an immunomodulatory plant and is reported to be effective in the treatment of immune disorders such as allergy, arthritis, and T1D
In some countries it is used to treat
1. acute appendicitis;
2. acute infectious hepatitis;
3. gastroenteritis, dyspepsia;
4. rheumatic arthralgia;
5. malaria; and
6. hemorrhoids, pruritis.
7. influenza, colds, fever, sore throat
This amazing “weed” is one of the world's greatest natural digestive tract healers and lymphatic and anti-allergy remedies.
The nutritional composition of the Biden pilosa per 100 g edible portion is: water 85 g, calories 43, protein 3.8 g, fat 0.5 g, carbohydrate 8.4 g, fiber 3.9 g, β-carotene 1800 μg, (Leung, W.-T.W., Busson, F. & Jardin, C., 1968). Another study found 111 mg of calcium and 2.3 mg of iron.
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