Bidens Pilosa is a perennial herb that is found to grow across the various temperate and tropical regions of the world. The plant is found to have extensive uses as a medicine and also as a food without any known side effects.
The origin of the plant is in tropical America and is a slender erect annual herb that is found to grow up to heights of 1.5m.The plant is found to be covered with yellow flowers which produce black seeds in all directions. The plant is popularly referred to as Cobbler’s pegs generally grows well in moist soils and is found to flower all round the year. A single plant is capable of producing 6000 seeds, majority of which germinate instantly. Although it is sometimes eaten by people especially in South Africa, it does not have great nutritive value (Arthur, 2012).
The medicinal value of the plant is widely accepted and the very reason which makes this plant important and famous It is rich in organic compounds such as phenylpropanoids, benzenoids and lipds and some of the chemicals within the plant arebehenicacid, capric acid ,germacrene D etc (Alves et al.2014). The plants are a subject of extensive research and study across the globe and have proven use against diabetes and ulcers. Latest research shows the plant’s anti-cancerous properties by some researchers in Taiwan wherein it was found that the plant was capable of inhibiting five different types of human and mouse cancer at a dose of 200mcg per ml in in –vitro form (Gertrude et al.2014).
Of the various medicinal actions that it has, some of the prime functions include:
Killing harmful bacteria
Useful against leukemia cells
Prevention of ulcers
Lowering Blood sugar levels
Helps in digestion
Bidens Pilosa
The standard dosage is 2gms twice daily in the form of capsules or 2-3 ml in the form of tinctures.
Works cited
Alves, M., Medeiros Filho, S., Manoel Neto, A., Brito, R., & Araujo, R. (2014). Allelopathic effect of essential oils of medicinal plants in Bidens pilosa L. Rev. Bras. Plantas Med., 16(3), 731-736. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1983-084x/12_134
Arthur,G,D (2012). Bidens pilosa L.: Agricultural and pharmaceutical importance. J. Med. Plants Res., 6(17). http://dx.doi.org/10.5897/jmpr12.195
Gertrude, M., Poné, J., Claire, K., Jeannette, Y., Alidou, M., & Mbida, M. (2014). In vitro Anthelmintic Activity of Bidens pilosa Linn. (Asteraceae) Leaf Extracts against Haemonchus contortus Eggs and Larvae. EJMP, 4(11), 1282-1292. http://dx.doi.org/10.9734/ejmp/2014/10421
