A tropical annual weed, growing not higher than 1 foot tall. At the stem, which is scarcely branched, are short stalked, feather lobed leaves set like a whorl. Spikes with small purple flowers come out of the middle of the whorl; flowers are on one side of the spike and they open in the afternoon. Fruit is a 2-lobed, capsule with warty seeds.

Antifeedant, cardiac, cardiotonic, hypertensive, positive inotropic, narcotic, sedative, soporific, tonic, toxic and vermifuge.

Against angina, ascaride, cardiopathy, cough, endocardosis, gout, headache, inflammation, insomnia, low blood pressure, migraine, myocardosis, nervousness, neuralgia, neurosis, pain, palpitation, pericardosis, photophobia, pinworm, rheumatism, roundworm, scrofula, tachycardia, tapeworm, tophus and worm trouble.

James A Duke and Maryl Fulton. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs - 2nd Edition, P:796-797, CRC Press July 2002.