Hyo naona itakuwa scientific name sio? Kwann huwa unasinyaa ss madame ?
Mimosa pudica is a creeping annual or perennial herb of the pea family Fabaceae often grown for its curiosity value:
the compound leaves fold inward and droop when touched or shaken, defending themselves from harm, and re-open a few minutes later.
Scientific name: Mimosa pudica
Higher classification:
Sensitive plant
Rank: Species
Conservation status: Least Concern (Population stable)
Encyclopedia of Life
Did you know: Mimosa pudica can form root nodules that are habitable by nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
usesTraditional medicine
Mimosa pudica has been used widely in traditional medicine. Pulped leaves are used in India on glandular swellings and in the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) the entire plant is pulped and rubbed onto people suffering pains in their body sides and kidneys. In Senegal, the leaves are used for lumbago and nephritis. All parts of the plant have been used to combat glandular tumours and uterine cancer. In India leaf sap is applied for sinus disorders, and rubbed onto sores and piles.
In Southeast Asia sensitive plant has been used traditionally to treat sleep disorders, and in Senegal an infusion of the leaves is believed to be calming and sleep-inducing.
M. pudica has also been used for treating dysentery, urinary complaints and snake-bites. Root extracts have shown antibacterial action, and along with the seeds are purgative and emetic. However, high doses can be toxic. There are reports that the roots can be used as an aphrodisiac. Green parts of the plant are used as an analgesic, antispasmodic, antiasthmatic, a mild sedative and antidepressant. Despite its wide use in traditional medicine,
M. pudica is not yet used in Western medicine, as pharmaceutical companies are still researching its reported properties and potential uses.
Other uses
Sensitive plant is used as a green manure, and cultivated as pasture in Fiji.
In India it is used as forage for cattle, and is considered to lead to high meat and milk production. Regular grazing is necessary so that thorny stems do not develop. Despite its use as forage, trials in India and Hawaii have shown it can be toxic if fed in high quantities to cattle or horses.
M. pudica is also used in some areas as ground cover to prevent soil erosion.
Sensitive plant produces mucilage (a viscous secretion) and a greenish-yellow fatty acid. The oil contains linoleic acid (51%), oleic acid (31%), palmitic and stearic acids (9% each), and traces of others; it resembles soy bean oil, potentially having similar uses.