Weed Herbarium

Bara dudhia

Common Name: Asthma-plant
Scientific Name: Euphorbia hirta L.
Family Name: Euphorbiaceae
Type: Broad Leaf

Identification Notes

EPPO Code

EPHHI

Life Cycle

Annual

Morphology

Stem: ascending, much branched from the base, branches often reddish, clothed with brownish crisp hairs, have milky sap. Leaves: opposite, elliptic-oblong to oblong-lanceoate, minutely toothed, nerves distinct. Inflorescence: cyathium, terminal or axillary, dense in cluster. Fruit: a capsule, three angled Seed: red brown.

Growing season

Rabi and Kharif

Germination period

January to December

Flowering period

January to December

Propagation

By seed

Habitat

Found in pulse crops, sunhemp, fallow lands, roadsides, homesteads and bank of ponds.

Weed potential

Traditionally used to treat respiratory system disorders including bronchitis, asthma, hay fever, emphysema, coughs, colds and laryngeal spasm, though in modern herbalism it is more used in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, including intestinal parasites, diarrhoea, peptic ulcers, heartburn, vomiting and amoebic dysentery. The plant is also used as a diuretic to treat uro-genital diseases, such as kidney stones, menstrual problems, sterility and venereal diseases.

Control measure

Manual weeding or Chemical weed control

Recommended herbicide

Oxadiazon at 0.75-1.0 kg/ha, 2,4-D at 500 g/ha or Metsulfuron at 4 g/ha

Distribution

Tropical and Sub-tropical America

Medicinal properties

Euphorbia hirta is often used traditionally for female disorders, respiratory ailments (cough, coryza, bronchitis, and asthma), worm infestations in children, dysentery, jaundice, pimples, gonorrhea, digestive problems, and tumors (Kumar et al. 2010).

References

[1] Kumar S, Malhorta R, Kumar D. 2010. Euphorbia hirta: Its chemistry, traditional and medicinal uses, and pharmacological activities. Pharmacogn Rev. 4(7): 58–61. 10.4103/0973-7847.65327

Department of Agronomy

Bangladesh Agricultural University