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3: Dye and tannin producing plants

Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk.

COMPOSITAE

Eclipta prostrata (L.) L.

False daisy (En). Indonesia: orang-aring (Javanese), urang-aring (Sundanese). Malaysia: biu, keremak jantan, nigus. Papua New Guinea: whiteheads (Pidgin). Philippines: higis-manok (Tagalog), karim-buaya (Ilokano), pia (Ifugao). Laos: hoomz kèèwx. Thailand: kameng (central), yaa sap, hom kieo (northern). Vietnam: ngô.

Pantropical.

The juice is used for dyeing hair black, and in tattooing. An extract of the leaves is given for constipation but also against diarrhoea, and as a tonic. The plant has purgative and emetic properties, and possesses antibiotic activity. The leaves are used as vegetable.

An annual or rather short-lived perennial herb, 10-80 cm tall with prostrate or erect branches and usually numerous, small, white heads. A very common weed of rice fields, sugarcane fields and coconut plantations; also found in humid localities along water courses and road-sides, from lowland up to 1500 m altitude.

Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 Volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Burkill, H.M., 1985. The useful plants of West Tropical Africa. 2nd ed. Vol. 1 (Families A - D ). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Great Britain. 960 pp.
Crevost, Ch. & Pételot, A., 1941. Catalogue des produits de l'Indochine. Vol. 6. Tannins et tinctoriaux. Gouvernement général de l'Indochine. 124 pp.
Dassanayake, M.D. & Fosberg, F.R. (Editors), 1980 -. A revised handbook to the Flora of Ceylon. Vol. 1 - 6. Published for the Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C., by Amerind Publishing Co., Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
Hui-lin Li et al. (Editors), 1975 - 1978. Flora of Taiwan. 5 Volumes. Epoch Publishing Co., Taipei.

J. Jukema, N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, R.H.M.J. Lemmens & J.W. Hildebrand

Jukema, J., Wulijarni-Soetjipto, N., Lemmens, R.H.M.J. & Hildebrand, J.W., 1991. Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk.. In: Lemmens, R.H.M.J. and Wulijarni-Soetjipto, N. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 3: Dye and tannin producing plants. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea