Scientific Name :elanthera scandens Vernacular Name :Icyumya yo mu gishanga Family name :Asteraceae Geographic Distribution :Talus, swamp,and marsh, mountain forest, fallow, stripped forest,1400 – 2000 m
Botanical Description Herbaceous, perennial and sarmentaceous plant which can reach 1-2.5 m tall . Opposite sessile leaves,scabrous. Inflorescence in head like flowers, solitary capitula or arraged in corymb. The leaf margins are irregularly toothed
It grows near the brooks, and marshes. The stems are quadrangular, the little branches and the main apex bear yellow central florets and the outer petals whorl is also yellowish
Medicinal Use Rwanda, Leaves are used to whiten the theeth, and to treat wounds, but in Uganda, burnt plant are used for indigestion by licking the ash. It is also used in ivory coast as eyedrops, in chickenpox. Infusion made from leaves , stems and roots are emetic. The leaves are a drastic purgative, and leafsap is used to accelerate childbirth and to treat for poisoning.Scientific studies has proven that the plant has antioxidant potential
