False daisy (Eclipta prostrata) – Herb garden

False daisy (Eclipta prostrata) Root well developed, cylindrical, greyish. Floral heads 6-8 mm in diameter, solitary, white,achene compressed and narrowly winged. It grows commonly in moist places as a weed allover the world. It is widely distributed throughout India, China, Thailand, and Brazil. In ayurvedic medicine, the leaf extract is considered a powerful liver tonic, rejuvenative, and especially good for the hair. A black dye obtained from Eclipta alba is used for dyeing hair and tattooing. Eclipta alba also has traditional external uses, like athlete foot, eczema and dermatitis, on the scalp to address hair loss and the leaves have been used in the treatment of scorpion stings. It is used as anti-venom against snakebite in China and Brazil .

Scientific Name: Eclipta prostrata

Common Name:
English: false daisy
Tamil: karisalaankanni
Malayalam: kayyunni

Uses of false daisy:

• The fresh plant in decoction helps in cases of asthma.
• Its fresh juice is given in doses of 1 to 2 teaspoons in oedema or excess of fluids in   the body,fever,and rheumatism.
• A paste is prepared from the herb,mixed with coconut oil,and applied over glandular swellings,elephantiasis,and skin diseases.
• The leaves are given in coughs,headache,hairloss and jaundice.
• The fresh juice of the leaves is rubbed into the scalp to promote growth of hair.

How to maintain false daisy:

Soil:

Grow false daisy in an area of the garden or landscape that is consistently damp throughout the growing season. This moisture-loving plant can also be grown in wet and boggy areas. In dry areas, water when the soil starts feel dry to maintain a consistently moist growing environment.It can be grown in any type of soil but it prefers red loamy soil, with little moisture.

Planting:

Plant false daisy in a partially shaded area of the garden. Pull up and remove the plants in winter when they die back and start new plants at the beginning of the next growing season.

Propagation:

In mild climates, false daisy will often reseed itself. The best way to control self-seeding is by removing the flower heads in fall before seed heads form.

In spring, sow false daisy seeds directly into a prepared garden bed after the last of the freezing weather has passed, or start seeds indoors and transplant out into the garden. False daisy takes up to three and a half months to mature from seed.

Harvesting:

The whole plant is plucked after 9 to 10 month. The fresh plants are chopped and dried in shade. The seeds are collected when it turns black in colour.