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Latin (Botanical) name: Conyza dioscoridis (Linn) Desf. = Pluchea dioscoridis (L.) DC. = Pluchea dioscorides (L.) DC. = Baccharis dioscoridis (dioscorides) L. = Baccharis aegyptiaca Forssk. Ex DC.

Family: Compositae, Asteraceae (Aster family).

Common name: Conyza, Ploughmans spikenard, Conyze, Doerrkraut, Barnoof.

English name: Ploughmans spikenard.

French name (Français): Conyze.

German (Deutsch): Doerrkraut.

Italian: Coniza

Turkish: Barnuf, Kenevir otu.

Source: Wild Medical Plant in Egypt. An Inventory to support Conservation and Sustainable Use. BATANOUNY K. H.

Origin: Egypt

Plant description:

COMPOSITAE Giseke. All, or at least the central flowers tubular. Tubuliflorac. Heads all of the same kind. Leaves unarmed. The same spineless but not forming a tube. Pappus otherwise. With radiating ligulate margin-flowers or heads discoid. Stem wingless, or (in a few genera) absent. Leaves alternate. Pappus of hairs. With yellow or no ray-flowers. Pappus of simple hairs. Involucre not scarious, translucent. Taller. Flowers rose, white or verypale yellowisn (except Conyza aurita) CONYZA.

CONYZA Less. Flowers usually white, purple or pale yellow. Central flowers bisexual few. The numerous others male with filiform corollas. Ligules absent or inconspicuous and scarcely if at all exceeding the pappus ; this of scabrous hairs.

CONYZA DIOSCORIDIS (L.) Desf. (= Pluchea dioscoridis (L.) DC.) : Richly branched hairy shrub, often 2-3 m. high, with lanceolate acute serrate leaves. Heads numerous, corymbose, terminating the leafy branches. Flowers pale yellow or pink. (Frut.).

Pluchea dioscorides (L.) DC.

Baccharis dioscoridis (dioscorides) L.

Baccharis aegyptiaca Forssk. Ex DC.

Source: STUDENTS’ FLORA OF EGYPT second edition, by VIVI TÄCKHOLM, D. Sc. (Stockholm) Professor of Systematic Botany, Faculty of Science, Cairo University. Published by Cairo University. Printed by COOPERATIVE PRINTING COMPANY Beirut, 1974.

Propagation: Fruits (seeds).

Constituents:

A crystalline bitter principle “conyzin” from the leaves. P-a-hydroxysantamarin, santamarin, 11-b, 13-dihydro, P-angiloyloxy ludovicin, p-isovaleryloxy ludovicin, 3-methylvaleryloxy ludovicin. 1-b-angeloyloxy-q-A-hydroxy-A-cyclocostunolide. Quercetin-4-methylether and quercetin-3-xyloside, quercetin, quercetin-7-arabinoside and quercetin-3-rhamnoside, 3-7-disulphates of quercetin, isorhamnetin, kaempferol-3-rutinoside, quercetin-3-O-b-D-glucoside, apigenin-6, 8-di-C-glucoside.b-amyrin, b-amyrin acetate. Octacosanol, hexacosanol, tetracosanol. Stigmasterol, campesterol, cholesterol. A volatile oil.

Source: Wild Medical Plant in Egypt. An Inventory to support Conservation and Sustainable Use. BATANOUNY K. H.

Folk Medicine Uses:

Ibn El Bitar and Al Antaki reported the use of Barnoof in the treatment of epilepsy in children, in colic, as carminative and as remedy for cold.

A Conyza species, namely, C. figinoids DC (Hiero) is used in Mexico in the treatment of certain types of tumors. The plant is used in the treatment of diarrhoea, colic and rheumatic pains.

Source: Wild Medical Plant in Egypt. An Inventory to support Conservation and Sustainable Use. BATANOUNY K. H.

Biological Activities:

The following biological activities were reported for certain Conyza species, other than C. dioscoridis:

1-       Insecticidal activity exhibited by the aqueous extract of conyza chinensis towards American cockroach and house fly

2-       Insect repellent activity demonstrated by fresh leaves of C. lyrata towards mosquitoes.

3-       Slight antibiotic action shown by extract from C. cinerea L.

4-       Molluscicidal activity demonstrated by extract from the twigs of C. pauciflora Willd.

References:

1-       Boulos, L. and El-Hadidi, N. 1984. The Weed Flora of Egypt. The American University Press, Cairo.

2-       El Hefnawy, H.M. 1990. A Pharmacognostical study of certain Conyza and Cosmos species (Family Compositae) growing in Egypt, M. Pharm. Thesis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University.

3-       Ibn El Bitar. 1890. “Mofradat Al Adwiah wal Aghzia” , Boulac Press, Egypt.

4-       Saleh, M.R.I. 1957. Isolation of a crystalline “conugin” from the leaves of Conyza dioscorides (dioscoridis) Desf. Egypt. Pharm. Bull. 39 (13): 107.

Last Update October 17^th, 2002.

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