A pale green, much-branched annual, up to 2 ft. high, with leaves divided into narrow segments. Flowers pink or whitish with purple tips, in terminal or leaf-opposed racemes; fruits globose, l-seeded.
Herb Effects
Bitter, slightly acrid, astringent, laxative, diuretic and alterative (plant); for blood purification and in skin diseases, especially psoriasis (decoction)
Chemistry
Active Ingredients
Pentatriacontane, tannins, phlobaphenes, narlumidine and protopine (plant); myristic, palmitic, arachidic, oleic and linoleic acid (seeds).
Chemistry
of Active Ingredients
Name
CAS#
IUPAC Name
Formula
Structure
Pentatriacontane
630-07-9
pentatriacontane
C35H72
Protopine
130-86-9
Not Available
C20H19NO5
Myristic Acid
Not Available
Hexane
C6H14
Palmitic acid
66321-94-6
Hexadecanoic acid
C16H32O2
Arachidic acid
94266-33-8
icosanoic acid
C20H40O2
Oleic acid
8046-01-3
octadec-9-enoic acid
C18H34O2
Linoleic acid
8024-22-4
Octadeca-9,12-dienoi c acid
C18H32O2
Pharmacology
Medicinal Use
In dyspepsia and scrofulous skin affections (plant)