Ashy coloured ironweed, blue fleabane, inflammation bush, ironweed, little ironweed, small ironweed, strongman bush, tropical fleabane, vernonia, Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less.

Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less. is used medicinally for a variety of purposes, including to reduce fever, draw out pus, promote digestion, relieve dyspepsia, and as a tranquilizer and sedative. It is found commonly in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; Africa, Arabia, Australia, Pacific islands. It is commonly called as ashy coloured ironweed, blue fleabane, inflammation bush, ironweed, little ironweed, small ironweed, strongman bush, tropical fleabane, vernonia

Floral Description:

According to Flora of China

Herbs, annual or perennial, to 100 cm tall. Root vertical, ± woody, branched, with fibrous rootlets. Stems erect, usually branched above, or rarely from base, striate, gray ad pressed puberulent with T-shaped hairs, glandular. Lower and middle leaves: petiole 10-20 mm, leaf blade rhombic-ovate, rhombic-oblong, or ovate, 3-6.5 × 1.5-3 cm, abaxially gray-white or yellowish puberulent, especially along veins, both surfaces glandular, adaxially green, sparsely puberulent, lateral veins 3- or 4-paired, base cuneately attenuate into winged petiole, margin remotely mucronate-serrate, or repand, apex acute or slightly obtuse; upper leaves progressively smaller, shortly petiolate or subsessile, narrowly oblong-lanceolate or linear. Synflorescences terminal, flat-topped, panicles branching often rather divaricate. Capitula many, rarely few, 6-8 mm in diam.; peduncle 5-15 mm; bracteoles linear, sometimes absent, densely puberulent. Involucre campanulate, 4-5 × 6-8 mm; phyllaries 4-seriate, green or sometimes becoming purple, outer linear, 1.5-2 mm, puberulent and glandular, apex acuminate, median linear, inner linear-lanceolate, spinescent, 1-veined or sometimes conspicuously 3-veined in upper part. Receptacle flat, foveolate. Florets 19-28; corolla reddish purple, tubular, 5-6 mm, sparsely puberulent, glandular; lobes linear-lanceolate, puberulent and glandular at apex. Achenes cylindric, ca. 2 mm, densely puberulent and glandular.

Common Names:

in India: bairali bon, biranji, birinch, hopal, jurjuri, kali zizri, kuksunga, mookkuthipoondu, mukuttipoondu, poovan kurunnal, poovamkkurinnila, ranu, sahadevi, sahdela, sahdevi, seera chengashuneer, seera shengalaneer, shedevi, vaikranta bhasma

in Indonesia: buyung-buyung, maryuna, sasawi langit

in Japan: mura-saki-mukashi-yomogi, yambaru-higotai

in Malaysia: bujang samalam, chenderong hari, chongchong hari, ekor kuda, jenduang hari, rumput sabagi, rumput sepagi, rumput tahi babi, sebagi, sembong hutan, susor daun, tahi babi, tambak bukit, tambak-tambak, tombak bukit

in Nepal: pramalamram

in Philippines: agas-moro, bulak-manok, kolong-kugon, kulongkugon, magmansi, sagit, tagulinai, tagulinaw, yayulinau

in Thailand: kaan thuup, yaa dok khaao, yaa saam wan

in Vietnam: b[aa]c d[aaf]u, d[aj] h[uw][ow]ng ng[uw]u

in Kenya: budzi, chesuwarian, chibudzi, chibuzi, chikuse, eleleshwa-ekop, kibudzi, kifuka, lufia, n’dufulukwa

in Tanzania: kifuha, kifusa, mhadu

in Yoruba: jedi jedi, bojure, oorungo

in Pacific Islands: ayapana sauvage, chaguan Santa Maria, edngeong, enen chukó, etngeong, fisipuna, jãn-aelõñ-ñanaelõñ, janaelon-nan-aelon, janaelong, janailiñ ñönailiñ, janailin-nonailin, kaukamea, opusar, senailing nagailing, tho vuka, vutikaumondro

Uses:

Plant juice to cure malaria, fever and wounds. A decoction used in malaria, insomnia and diarrhea.

Plant infusion drunk as a cough remedy. The plant, mixed with young leaves of Lyonia ovalifolia, pounded and applied as a remedy for wounds. Seeds are anthelmintic, antiinflammatory and alexipharmic, used for coughs, arthritis, flatulence, intestinal colic, dysuria, leucoderma, psoriasis and other chronic skin diseases. It is said to be quite effective against roundworms and threadworms. Root decoction against diarrhea and stomachache. Root is made into a paste with black peppers and given internally to cure elephantiasis and against intestinal worms.

Ground leaves or a poultice of leaves a remedy for headache. Leaves, either ground or as a decoction, applied against skin diseases, eczema, herpes, conjunctivitis and in the treatment of constipation, asthma and bronchitis; leaf juice mixed with honey given for malaria. Leaf decoction or infusion given in fever, cough and insomnia. It is a veterinary medicine, whole plant given to cow suffering with esophagus troubles. Seeds are given as energetic food.

Phytochemical composition and characteristics:

It shows the presence of steroids, glycosides, triterpinoids, alkaloid, anthraquinone, courmarin, tannin, glycoside, xanthoprotein and sugar. It contains alpha-spinasterol, arachidic,  behenicacid, beta-amyrin, beta-amyrin-acetate, betasitosterol, linoleic-acid, lupeol, lupeol-acetate, luteolin-7-mono-beta-d-glucoside, myristic-acid, oleicacid, palmitic-acid, stigmasterol,  vernolic-acid, (-)- clovane-2,9-diol , caryolane-1,9beta-diol , apigenin , chrysoeriol , luteolin , thermopsoside , luteolin-7-O-beta-D-glucoside , quercetin, apigenin-4'-O-beta-D-glucoside , hyperin , beta-amyrin aceate , lupeol acetate

Alkaloids of  Vernonia cinerea shows antibacterial, emetic, amoebicides, expectorant, anaesthetic, antipyretic, analgesic, antihelmintic activity while Flavonoids have antihypertensive, antibiotic, antimicrobial, antitumour, astringent, anti inflammatory, antidiarrhoeal, antioxidant and antimicrobial effects.