Plants and Food
(If you wish to act on any of the information on this website, you must consult with a healthcare professional. Do not try to be your own doctor)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
"Western medicine is difficult to understand but easy to practice. Traditional Chinese medicine is easy to understand but difficult to practice" - - Dr. John H. F. Shen
Commelina spp.
PLANT NAME: Commelina diffusa N. L. Burm.
COMMON NAMES: Honohono, mäkolokolo [Hawai'i]; wandering jew, day flower [USA]; ya zhi cao [China]; ban kane [Nepal] mau'utoga [Samoa]; french weed [West Indies]; watergrass [Trinidad]; zeb gwa [Dominica]; curage [Guadaloupe]; codillo (Spanish); tsuyu kusa (dewy herb) [Japan]; kabocola [Fiji].
FAMILY: Commelinaceae.
TOXICITY: There is one reference to Commelina forsskalei as being toxic, [http: / / www.ars-grin.gov / cgi-bin / duke / ethnobot.pl] but other than that I could find no other evidence of toxicity within this genus. As far as I know C. forsskalei does not grow in Hawai'i.
CAUTIONS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS: Not during pregnancy.
GATHERING: Anytime.
PROPAGATION & CULTIVATION: Don't.
RESEARCH: Antitussive [Tang 1994].
NOTES 'N QUOTES
• There are 170 species of Commelina.
• The Japanese reportedly use Commelina flowers for making a kind of paper called Awobana.
• A favorite for moistening poultices. Vodka will also work.
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Much of this information is through the grace oand kindness of my
Hawaiian and Chinese teachers and my gratitude goes out to
them. Any errors are mine alone.
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