Facts and benefits of Devil’s Horsewhip (Chaff Flower)

Chaff Flowers or Achyranthes aspera also called Devils Horse Whip is a powerful healing agent that is widely used in ayurvedic medicine in India. It is a very important herbal remedy around the world. The plant is a species of the plant in the amaranthaceae family and is native to tropical regions of Asia as well as India. The plant is also widespread in Baluchistan, Ceylon, Tropical Asia, Africa, Australia and America. Few of the popular common names of the plant are Burweed, Chaff flower, Chaff bur, devil’s horsewhip, Prickly chaff-flower, Rough Chaff-flower, achyranthes, crocus stuff and crokars staff. The flowers, seeds, leaves and the roots all are used for healing. It is one of the 21 leaves used in the Ganesh Patra Pooja done regularly on Ganesh Chaturthi day. In Uttar Pradesh the plant is used for a great many medicinal purposes, especially in obstetrics and gynecology, including abortion, induction of labor, and cessation of postpartum bleeding. The Maasai people of Kenya use the plant medicinally to ease the symptoms of malaria.

Plant Description

Devil’s Horsewhip (Chaff Flower) is an erect or spreading long-lived perennial herbs or shrubs that grow about 0.8-4 m tall.  The plant is found growing in disturbed areas, hillsides, waste places, road sides, gardens, crops, grasslands, savanna, forest margins and riverbanks. The plant has cylindrical tap root, slightly ribbed, 0.1-1.0 cm in thickness, gradually tapering, rough due to presence of some root scars, secondary and tertiary roots present, yellowish-brown; odor, not distinct. Stem is 0.3 – 0.5 cm in cut pieces, yellowish-brown, erect, branched, cylindrical, hairy, solid, and hollow when dry.

Leaves

Leaves are opposite, simple and ovate, up to 10 cm long by 8 cm wide; tapering to a point at both ends and shortly stalked, the blades entire.

Flowers & fruits

Flowers are hermaphrodite, solitary in axils of acute, membranous, persistent bracts. Individual flowers are small, with five white to pink or greenish tepals and white filaments, and form narrow, elongated terminal spikes up to 60 cm long. As the flowers age, they bend downwards and become pressed closely against the stem. The bracts surrounding the flowers in the fruiting stage have sharp, pointed tips making the heads spiny to the touch. Flowers are followed by capsules that are 1-3 (-5) mm long. They are initially orange turning to reddish purple or brown as they mature. Seeds are sub-cylindric, truncate at the apex, round at the base, endospermic and brown.

Health benefits of Devil’s Horsewhip (Chaff Flower)

The medicinal properties are due to the chemicals present in the chaff flower. This includes triterpenoid saponins and long-chain alcohols. The taste is bitter and pungent and stimulates the digestive fire. Listed below are few of the health benefits of Chaff flower

1. Relieve nausea and Heal wounds

In case you are suffered from continued attacks of vomiting, you can use the herb to get relief. It will relieve your symptoms of nausea within a short time. The action of the herb on the superficial cuts, scrapes, and wounds helps to improve the healing time.

2. Asthma

Devil’s Horsewhip (Chaff Flower) open up the lungs making it wonderful for bronchitis and asthma. In India the flowers are made into a paste with equal amounts of garlic and black pepper to treat asthma and bronchitis. Take 1/2 teaspoon 3 to 4 times a day. It also works well for fevers associated with colds and flues.

3. Weight loss

If you want to lose weight, take the decoction of the herb in morning and evening. Soon, you will experience a loss of weight. This is due to the scraping effect of the herb on the cholesterol. Also, it reduces fat deposition, so your body begins to lose weight.

4. Detoxify the body

It is considered a strong herb that produces effective detoxification for the whole body. You can remove all the overrunning kapha and vatadoshas from the body.

5. Get relief from piles and itching

You can get relief from hemorrhoids and piles by using the Devil’s Horsewhip (Chaff Flower) herb. This is due to the balancing action of the doshas that prevents constipation and other conditions that lead to piles. The herb provides relief from external pain, scorpion bites, and itching. You can apply the paste on the site of the wound or bite locally to get relief.

6. Tooth Powder

Devil’s Horsewhip (Chaff Flower) seeds can be ground with salt into a find powder, it cleans and whitens your teeth like nothing else and stops your gums from bleeding. And the dried stems of the plant can be used as a toothbrush.

7. Cure infections and Helps decrease sputum

It is useful for curing infections and getting rid of worms in the head and neck region. By having the herb regularly, you can break down and expel sputum.

8. Controls hunger

Devil’s Horsewhip (Chaff Flower) has the ability to control the vata and kapha doshas in the body. In those diseases where uncontrollable hunger plays a part, one may use this herb for therapy. Make porridge with the Chaff Flower and feed this to the patient. They will soon recover from their ailment. Also, you can digest the ‘ama’ in the body which is the leftover undigested food in the GI tract.

9. Improve appetite, Cure glandular growths and hiccups

The herb improves taste, and this is useful for relieving anorexia. If you have fibroid and growth in the glands, you can use the Devil’s Horsewhip (Chaff Flower) herb to cure this condition. If you develop hiccups, have the decoction of the herb, and your hiccups will vanish.

10. Treat Ear pain and excellent diuretic action

People use the oil of the Devil’s Horsewhip (Chaff Flower) to get relief from an earache. Put a few drops of the oil in the ear, and soon your earache will disappear. It helps people suffering from dysuria, urinary retention, water retention, and urinary stones. You can use the herb to break down the stones in the bladder and kidney.

11. Treat Anemia and cure bleeding disorder

This herb can improve the blood count. Make a paste of the herb and add it to the diet. Have it at least two to three times a week to relieve the symptoms of anemia. The fruit of the Devil’s Horsewhip (Chaff Flower) herb is difficult to digest. This is useful for controlling and curing bleeding disorders.

12. Strong purgative and antimicrobial action

Devil’s Horsewhip (Chaff Flower) is quite beneficial for removing the intestinal microbes. It helps remove the worms in the gut through its purgative action. This plant fights microbes anywhere in the body including the skin. It helps you fight eczema and removes all infectious conditions.

13. Relieve gas, cure jaundice and Helpful in Asthma

When there is an accumulation of gas in the intestines, it can lead to bloating and distension of the abdomen. By adding the paste of Chaff Flower to the diet, one may get relief from the gas problem.

When you have disorders of the liver and remain affected by diseases such as jaundice, you can use the herb to get a cure. Have the herb regularly morning and evening with tea. Your jaundice problem will soon disappear. The Chaff Flower helps relieve asthmatic problems. It helps enhance breathing by opening the air passages. You can use the decoction of the herb for this.

14. Helpful women medicine and Help treat many conditions

Chaff Flower finds a use for gynecology and obstetrics for induction of labor and abortion. It helps in the termination of postpartum bleeding. One can use Chaff Flower plant to treat a variety of conditions such as migraines, convulsions, and epilepsy. It also finds a use for treating psychological conditions. This is one of the best herbs for treating conditions affecting the head region.

Traditional uses and benefits of Chaff flower

• Plant is boiled, and the water drunk as an antipyretic, by the Guyana Patamona.
• Plant is boiled and the water used as an antiseptic or for washing the skin as treatment for cold sweat, by the Guyana Patamona.
• Plant is mixed with leaves of Gossypium and Lantana, boiled and used for herbal bath.
• Plant is dried, boiled, and the water drunk as a treatment for back pain.
• Plant is boiled, and the water drunk as a treatment for influenza.
• Root is inserted into the vagina for inducing abortion in bastar, India.
• It is considered one of the important medicinal herbs of Nepal and is widely used in the treatment of a range of complaints.
• Whole plant is used medicinally, but the roots are generally considered to be more effective.
• It is used in the treatment of dropsy, rheumatism, stomach problems, cholera, skin diseases and rabies.
• Juice extracted from the root of this plant, mixed with the root of Urena lobata and the bark of Psidium guajava, is used in the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery.
• Plant is astringent, digestive, diuretic, laxative, purgative and stomachic.
• Juice of the plant is used in the treatment of boils, diarrhea, dysentery, hemorrhoids, rheumatic pains, itches and skin eruptions.
• Ash from the burnt plant, often mixed with mustard oil and a pinch of salt, is used as a tooth powder for cleaning teeth.
• It is believed to relieve pyorrhea and toothache.
• Leaf is emetic and a decoction is used in the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery.
• Paste of the leaves is applied in the treatment of rabies, nervous disorders, hysteria, insect and snake bites.
• Plant’s juice is also used as a powerful laxative and for the treatment of rheumatic pains, hemorrhoids, itches and skin conditions.
• Root paste is used on the skin to treat snake bites or it can be ingested in an effort to induce vomiting.
• Take Chaff Flower seeds and boiled in water. Drink this juice after 2-3 hours after a meal and you will get relief in lever problem.
• It is extremely beneficial to take Chaff Flower leaves juice in cold and cough. According to aborigines if you take two to three time per day then it heals chronic cough.
• According to aborigines, use Chaff Flower root mixed with milk. If woman drink during menstruation then she leads to the child.
• It is believed that the roasted rough chaff tree seeds in a clay pot solves your appetite and helps in weight loss.
• Crushed trunk and mixed with 2-5 leaves of custard apple. Apply this mixture into the wound and you get relief.
• Bleeding occurs on a wound or injury. Apply juice of rough chaff tree on this wound and it will heal.
• Take 1 teaspoon of Harade or powder of baheda flower. Mixed with 50 grams juice of parval. Weight rapidly decreases and physical fatigue also reduces.
• Take 250 gram chichida juice, 50 grams garlic juice, 50 grams onion juice and 125 grams mustard oil and cook on fire. Add 6 grams realgar and 20 grams fine plaster and make paste of it. Put it on the piles and cover it with warts or leaf of warts. It will give you relive.
• Juice of rough chaff tree is beneficial in insomnia. A person who does not sleep due to stress, fatigue and irritation they get benefit by taking it.
• Inhaling seed powder is considered beneficial for taking out phlegm from the nose.
• Mixture of sesame oil and Devil’s Horsewhip oil when applied 2-3 drops on ear is beneficial for ear related problems.
• Juice extracted from fresh Devil’s Horsewhip leaves when applied over tooth with the help of cotton is quite beneficial for toothache.
• Brushing the teeth with fresh Devil’s Horsewhip root is beneficial for all the tooth related problems and makes teeth shiny.
• Leaf decoction of Devil’s Horsewhip is quite beneficial for stomatitis.
• 6 ml Devil’s Horsewhip root powder and black pepper powder when consumed with water every day is beneficial for cough.
• 2-3 g root powder when taken with water 2-3 times a day is beneficial for cholera.
• Leaf juice of 4-5 leaves of Devil’s Horsewhip when consumed with water and rock sugar is beneficial for Cholera.
• 3 g Devil’s Horsewhip’s seed powder when consumed for 2 times a day for one week is beneficial for curing excessive hunger.
• Porridge prepared from 5-10 gram powdered seeds is beneficial for curing excessive hunger.
• 3-6 gram of Devil’s Horsewhip root powder and rock sugar when consumed with water is beneficial for excessive hunger.
• 2 gram root powder when taken with honey is beneficial for abdominal pain.
• 5-10 ml of plant juice is beneficial for indigestion.
• Paste prepared from 6 Devil’s Horsewhip leaves and 5 black pepper when consumed is beneficial for piles.
• 50-60ml of plant decoction when taken before meal is beneficial for colic.
• Paste prepared from 5-10 gram fresh roots of Devil’s Horsewhip is beneficial for eliminating stones in urinary bladder.
• Cotton dipped on the juice prepared from fresh root of Devil’s Horsewhip is beneficial for menstrual problems.
• Paste prepared from fresh leaves of when applied on affected area is beneficial for menorrhagia.
• Paste prepared from Devil’s Horsewhip root when applied over vagina is beneficial during delivery.
• 5 ml leaf juice when consumed for 2-7 days is beneficial for dysmenorrhea.
• Root paste or root decoction when used frequently is beneficial for cramps of ankle, knee, hip.
• Root paste when applied over affected area is beneficial for oedema.
• Juice of 2-3 leaves when applied over bleeding wounds helps to stop bleeding.
• Bathing with plant decoction is considered beneficial for itching.
• Pills prepared from 10-20 Devil’s Horsewhip leaves, 5-10 black pepper and 5-10 gram garlic when taken 1-1 pills for 5 days is beneficial for fever.
• Leaf juice when applied over scorpion or other poisonous insect’s bite is beneficial to heal the poisonous bite.
• 10-30 ml Red Devil’s Horsewhip’s plant decoction is beneficial for indigestion.
• 10-20 ml red Devil’s Horsewhip’s root decoction is considered beneficial for dysentery.
• 1-2 gram stem and leaf powder when consumed frequently is beneficial for constipation.
• Whole plant powder or decoction is beneficial for cholera.
• 10-30 ml decoction prepared from Red Devil’s Horsewhip’s leaves along with Jaggery is beneficial for dysuria.

Ayurvedic Health benefits of Chaff Flower

• Cholera: Make powder of Devil’s Horsewhip roots. Mix one teaspoon of the powder with warm water. Drink it. OR Wash Devil’s Horsewhip roots with clean water. Grind it to make paste. Add one teaspoonful of the paste in lukewarm water. Let it infuse for 10 minutes. Drink the clear water. Use twice a day.
• Urine Retention: Wash the roots with clean water. Grind it to make paste. Add one teaspoonful of the paste in lukewarm water. Infuse for 10 minutes. Drink the clear water. Use it, twice a day.
• Cough: Prepare Devil’s Horsewhip leaves or flowers infusion. Take it, twice a day.
• Cold: Make an infusion of Devil’s Horsewhip flowers. Drink it, twice a day
• Piles: Add crushed seeds in your daily meal. OR Store the water after washing rice. Stir one teaspoon of crushed seeds in it. Drink twice a day. OR apply the ash after burning the roots on the affected area.
• Swelling: Prepare a decoction of the Devil’s Horsewhip root. Filter it. Take it, twice a day.
• Skin Diseases: Make fine paste of Devil’s Horsewhip leaves. Apply it on the affected part on the skin.
• Insect Bites: Apply paste of Devil’s Horsewhip leaves on the affected part.
• Stomach aches: Extract Devil’s Horsewhip leaf juice. Mix one teaspoon with 4 teaspoons of water. Take once in a day.
• Toothache: Regular use of Devil’s Horsewhip leaf powder extract provides relief from Toothache. Its roots are used for brushing Teeth. It helps to tighten the gums. Take quarter teaspoon each of dried leaf and root powder. Add a pinch of salt in it. Use it as a Tooth powder. Do it daily.
• Wounds: Wash the wounds with Devil’s Horsewhip leaf juice. After this, bandage it with leaves.
• Diuretic: Drink 30 ml decoction of Devil’s Horsewhip plant. Have it once a day.
• Abdominal diseases: Boil roots of Devil’s Horsewhip in water. Consume 40 ml of it once a day.
• Diarrhea: Take 3 g dried leaves of Devil’s Horsewhip with Honey. Take it twice a day.
• Antidote: Crush leaves of Devil’s Horsewhip to make paste. Apply it on the toxic bites.
• Acne: Crush Devil’s Horsewhip flowers. Add Honey. Apply on affected parts. Pat dry and wash with normal water.
• Diabetes: Crush Devil’s Horsewhip plant to extract its juice. Take one teaspoon of juice once a day.
• High Cholesterol: Take 5 ml plant extract of Devil’s Horsewhip once a day. It helps in lowering your elevated Cholesterol.
• Eyes: Make root decoction of Devil’s Horsewhip. Cool. Use it to wash your Eyes.
• Kidney: Crush leaves of Devil’s Horsewhip to extract its juice. Take half tsp of it twice a day.
• Asthma: Crush dried leaves of Devil’s Horsewhip to make powder. Add Honey in it to make paste. Take half tsp of it thrice a day.
• Pneumonia: Prepare a decoction of Devil’s Horsewhip plant. Drink 20 ml of it two times a day.
• Irritable Bowel syndrome: Make an infusion with roots of Devil’s Horsewhip. Consume 25 ml twice a day.
• Snake Bite: Grind the seeds of Devil’s Horsewhip with water to make paste. Apply it over bitten area.
• Night Blindness: Add 1 g dried root powder of Devil’s Horsewhip in a cup of lukewarm water. Drink it during bed time.
• Piles: Take leaves of Devil’s Horsewhip. Grind them to make paste. Add some Sesame oil in it. Mix it. Apply it twice a day on the affected area. Use for 7 days.
• Cough: Take dried roots of Devil’s Horsewhip. Grind to make a powder. Mix 50 gram powder with 50 gram Honey and 13 gram crushed Black Pepper. Take thrice a day.
• Cough: Burn dried roots of Devil’s Horsewhip. Mix half teaspoon of ash with one teaspoon of Honey. Take it, thrice a day.
• Deafness: Take the dried Devil’s Horsewhip plant. Burn it. Mix the ash with Sesame Oil in same quantity. Heat the mixture. Cool it down. Filter it. Use it as ear drops
• Dysentery: Take dried leaves of Devil’s Horsewhip plant. Grind them to make a powder. Mix the powder with honey in equal ratio. Take twice a day.
• Diarrhea: Take dried leaves of Devil’s Horsewhip. Grind them to make a powder. Mix the powder with Honey in equal ratio. Take it, thrice a day.
• Nose Bleed: Burn the dried Devil’s Horsewhip plant. Mix 20 gram of the ash with 20 gram Sesame Oil. Heat the mixture. Cool it down. Filter it. Use it as nasal drops.
• Paralysis: Make fine powder of the roots of Devil’s Horsewhip. Mix quarter part of the powder with one crushed Black Pepper and one teaspoon of Milk. Use it as nasal drops. It is used mainly for Partial Paralysis. (Caution: Proper physiotherapy is must.)
• Fever: Take equal quantity of Turkey Berry root, Sandalwood and Devil’s Horsewhip. Make a paste of them. Prepare pepper size pills. Have 2 pills a day.
• Malaria: Grind Turkey Berry root, Sandalwood and Devil’s Horsewhip in equal quantity. Take 2 pinches thrice a day.
• Fever: Grind Devil’s Horsewhip leaves to make a paste. Take one teaspoon of the paste with 2 teaspoon of crushed Caryota Urens nuts.
• Spleen Enlargement: Take the dried plant of Devil’s Horsewhip. Grind it to make fine powder. Mix 2 teaspoon of the powder with beaten Yoghurt. Have it twice a day.
• Acid Reflux: Take 10 g Gmelina leaves, 4 g Bombax Ceiba bark and 8 g Devil’s Horsewhip root. Crush them using Milk to make paste. Take quarter tsp of the paste twice a day.
• Ear pain, Infection in ear: Take fresh leaves of Devil’s Horsewhip and wash to remove dirt. Grind and extract its juice. Put few drops in ear to cure infection of ear.
• Eye problem, redness in eye: Take fresh root of Devil’s Horsewhip and clean it carefully to remove dirt and soil. Grind it with rose water and apply in eyes to cure eye infection.
• Mouth ulcer: Chew few clean, fresh leaves of Devil’s Horsewhip.
• Migraine: Grind ripe seed of Devil’s Horsewhip to make powder. Smell this powder while suffering from migraine.
• Back ache: Take Devil’s Horsewhip leaves and rub in the affected areas on the back.
• Boils, wounds, eczema: Extract the Devil’s Horsewhip juice and rub it on the affected areas.
• Wound: Extract juice leaves and use them to wash wounds and heal quickly.
• Insect bites: Apply fresh leaf juices to the affected areas.
• Kidney problem, pneumonia: Take Devil’s Horsewhip (5 gm.) in water (200 ml) until the volume is reduced to 50 ml, filter and drink.
• Enlargement of spleen: Prepare the powder of the whole plant. Take this powder (2 tablespoons) with milk or butter twice a day.
• Bleeding piles: Take fresh Devil’s Horsewhip leaves and wash them to remove dirt. Grind with water and make pasta. Mix the oil in this paste and apply this in the affected areas.
• Cold and cough: Boil Devil’s Horsewhip leaves in water and cook for 15 minutes. Strain and drink warm.
• Fever: Take juice of Devil’s Horsewhip leaves (1 tablespoon) with gur.
• Cholera: Take the root powder of Devil’s Horsewhip (1 tablespoon). Add a glass of water and drink.
• Diarrhea, dysentery: Devil’s Horsewhip dry leaves in the shade and ground to make powder. Take this powder with honey or misri twice a day. Or drink fresh leaf juices (5-10 ml) every three hours to cure diarrhea.
• Abdominal pain: Remove juice leaves and take (2 tablespoons) with a glass of water.
• Dropsy: Take Devil’s Horsewhip (4 tablespoons) and boil in water (200 ml). Cook for twenty minutes. Strain and drink.
• Paralysis: Prepare the root powder of the herb. Take this with a glass of milk.
• Infertility in women: Take fresh Devil’s Horsewhip (leaf, flower, stem, root and fruit) (10 gm.) and cook in milk (200 -300 ml). Eat this only during four days of period empty stomach in morning. Do this for next three menstrual cycles.
• Infection and swelling in uterus, vagina, Raktapradar: Grind leaves of Devil’s Horsewhip in water and wash affected area with this water. With help of cotton try to wash inside vagina this helps to cure infection and reduces swelling.
• Leucorrhoea or white discharge from vagina: Drink fresh leaves juices (1-2 gm.) of Devil’s Horsewhip empty stomach in morning. Do this for few days.
• Fever: Take Prickly flower leaves, pepper and garlic in equal proportion and grind them to paste. Prepare pea size tablets and dry them in shade. For ordinary fevers, take 2 tabs. For cold fevers take 3 to 5 tabs with warm water. One gets relieved from fevers.
• Breathlessness, continued cough: Dry entire Prickly flower plant, fry it to powder. Add 2 times equal quantity of sugar and take 3 gm. three times a day.
• Cough and Asthma: If Prickly flower root powder or seeds powder is stuffed in a smoking pipe and its smoke is breathed in.
• Bleeding Piles: Take red Prickly flower leaves juice 50 gm. and together with 50 gm. of cow’s ghee bleeding piles will subside. Avoid food items causing excess heat.
• Bleeding Piles: Take Devil’s Horsewhip, Nagakesara (Mesua ferrea), Satavari (Asparagus racemosus) and Vasa (Adhatoda vasica). Make decoction, it will be beneficial in bleeding piles (40-60ml).
• Anemia: Take 10 gm. of Prickly flower root extract with one cup cow’s butter milk. Anemia will be eliminated.
• Uterus problems: Pound Prickly flower leaves and roots taken in equal proportion and powder. Add equal quantity of candy sugar powder and store. Take 3 pinches with water one hour before food.
• Dysuria: Devil’s Horsewhip root powder (10-15 gm.) taken with milk overcomes dysuria.
• Tooth powder: Make powder of 100 gm. Prickly flower seeds and sieve. Add 10 gm. salt powder and store in a bottle. If one brushes his teeth with this powder, teeth will strengthen and also whiten.

Culinary Uses

• Fresh leaves together with other spinach greens are cooked and eaten.
• The seeds are also cooked and eaten believed to suppress hunger.
• Leaves are cooked and used as a spinach. 

Other facts

• Crushed leaves are used to treat dog bites.
• Stems tied together are used as coarse brooms.
• Slender roots served as a tooth stick to clean the teeth.
• Ash from the burnt plant, often mixed with mustard oil and a pinch of salt, is used as a tooth powder for cleaning teeth.
• Dried twigs are used as toothbrushes.
• Ash of the burnt plant is a rich source of potash. It is used for washing clothes.

Precautions

• Do not use Devil’s Horsewhip in pregnancy, it can cause abortion.
• Care should be taken when using Devil’s Horsewhip as side effects such as an allergic reaction might occur.
• If taken in excess it may cause nausea, vomiting, extremes of diarrhea, convulsions, spasms in abdomen and dehydration.
• If one is undergoing infertility treatment, then it is better to avoid its use.

References:

https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=20756#null

https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/133105/

http://www.hear.org/pier/species/achyranthes_aspera.htm

https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=401486

https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Achyranthes+aspera

https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/2664

http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2617475

https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ACAS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achyranthes_aspera

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