kutira :

Flowering plant Photograph by: Cantiq Unique

Use in other system of medicine:

In Rajasthan, the leaves, after boiling, are used in preparing a bread by mixing with Bajra. In Tamil Nadu, leaves and tender shoots cooked and eaten as greens.

Edibility

- Like P. oleracea, leaves used as vegetable.

- Used as traditionally leafy vegetable and famine food in many African countries as Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, among others. In the Kusume and Derashe areas, when consumed in larger quantity and/or for prolonged periods of time, reported to cause anemia and body weakness.

Folkloric

- Plant use in skin diseases and diseases of the kidneys, bladder and lungs.

- Uses of seeds and leaves similar to those of Portulaca oleracea.

- Used for asthma, cough, urinary discharges, inflammations and ulcers.

- Poultice of plant applied to erysipelas, hemorrhoids and abdominal complaints.

- In Guam, plant is used as an antiscorbutic.

- In Egypt bruised leaves are used as an anticephalic.

- Zulus use a plant infusion as emetic.

- In Ayurveda, used for treatment of urinary and inflammatory disorders. Leaf juice applied to abscesses. Leaf decoction used in dysentery. Plant decoction used as anthelmintic and for treatment of stomach complaints and diarrhea.

- In Indo-China, leaf juice applied to abscesses and used as colyrium. In Nigeria, leaves applied locally to swellings.

Others

- Fodder: (Caution) Plant may contain oxalate in toxic quantities that may be fatal to livestock.