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Botanical illustration of Ewe Akintola
MedicinalSourced entry

Ewe Akintola

Chromolaena odorata

Siam weed, used by the Yoruba to stop bleeding and on fresh wounds, and for malaria and skin disease. Its leaf extract killed wound bacteria in the lab.

Safety at a glance

  • PregnancyNothing recorded
  • BreastfeedingNothing recorded
  • MedicinesNothing recorded
  • Who should avoid itNothing recorded
  • AllergiesNothing recorded
  • ToxicityNothing recorded

Tap a box to read the safety notes below. “Nothing recorded” means our sources don't cover it, not that it's safe.

What is Ewe Akintola?

Plant family
Asteraceae, the daisy family
Parts used
The leaves
Where it grows
The Americas; now a widespread weed in Africa and Asia
Genus
Chromolaena
Species
odorata

Also called

Siam Weed

Regional names

Akintola

Traditionally used for

  • Bleeding
  • Wounds
  • Malaria
  • Skin disease (traditional)

Traditionally described as

  • Antibacterial leaf extract (lab)

Traditions that use it

What does the research say?

Traditional use

These are traditional uses, not proven treatments.

  • Among the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria, akintola is used to stop bleeding and on fresh wounds, and for malaria, toothache, skin disease, diarrhea, headache and hemorrhoids. It's also used in body creams.[1]Study

Laboratory & animal research

Lab and animal results show what might be worth studying in people. They don't show that the herb has these effects in humans.

  • Siam weed is one of the main plants studied for stopping bleeding and healing wounds. In lab tests its leaf extract killed Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, including when added to a liquid wound plaster. Most studies used crude extracts, not tested in people.[2]Study

In short

No human or safety studies were found.

Sources

  1. [1] Wandering through southwestern Nigeria: An inventory of Yoruba useful angiosperm plants · DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08668Peer-reviewed study
  2. [2] Plant-derived modulators of the hemostasis-wound healing axis: mechanisms, evidence, and translational potentialPeer-reviewed study

This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Unfamiliar word? See what these words mean.