Scientific name: Eleusine indica (Linn.) Gaertn.; Eleusine barbata Vidal. Common name: english: goose grass, paragis = tagalog, plagtiki = ilonggo, bila-bila = bisaya
What is Paragis?
Paragis is an annual, erect, tufted, glabrous grass, 10 centimeters to 1 meter
in height. Leaves are 10 to 30 centimeters long, sometimes involute when dry, 3
to 7 millimeters wide, distichous, rather flaccid, with flattened sheaths.
Spikes are 3 to 6, all in a terminal whorl, or one or two lower down, 2.5 to 10
centimeters long, 3 to 5 millimeters thick. Spikelets are very numerous,
crowded, 3- to 5-flowered, 3 to millimeters
long, the first glume 1-nerved and small, the second, 3-nerved, and the third
and succeeding ones ovate, acute.
What are the Health
Benefits of Paragis? Paragis is widely used in Africa as an alternative
medicine to different kinds of illnesses. Aeta people from Porac, Pampanga used
burnt dried leaves of Paragis as a repellent against insects. Leaves of Paragis
contain silicon monoxide, calcium oxide, and chlorine. Dried leaves contain
protein. Many declared it to be anti-inflammatory, a natural antihistamine, a
natural diuretic, antidiabetic, an effective anti-oxidant and has cytotoxic
properties.
Parts of Paragis that
Can Be Used as a Herbal Medicine. Leaves-
Drinking boiled leaves of Paragis or making a Paragis Tea will ease several
pains and illnesses. You can also patch the minced or pulverized leaves on some
conditions. Stems- Boil the stem with
leaves to achieve more effective results. Roots-
Drinking boiled roots can also cure several illnesses.
Health Conditions
That Can Be Cured by Paragis. Cancer- because of this plant’s
antioxidant properties, this can lower the risk of growing cancer cell in your
body. Ovarian Cyst and Myoma- patients
with ovarian cyst conditions have proven that drinking Paragis tea in a daily
basis has made the cyst completely disappear. Kidney Problems- paragis
is a natural diuretic which increases the amount of water in our body and
expells salt as urine. Arthritis- heat pounded leaves mixed with scraped coconut. Patch and bandage
on the affected area. Diabetes- drink Paragis tea regularly and say goodbye to diabetes. Wounds-
apply decoction to wound to stop
the bleeding. Parasitism- paragis is a strong laxative that can flush out worms
and parasites from your stomach. Urinary
Tract Infection- you may stop taking antibiotics and start drinking boiled
leaves to immediately cure UTI.
Hypertension-
lowers the risk of high blood pressure by drinking boiled leaves and stems
of Paragis. Fever- you won’t be
needing any medication to reduce your temperature. Just drink boiled roots of
Paragis for faster and more effective results. Sprain (Pilay)- to have an instant relief from a sprain, patch some
minced leaves on the affected area. Dandruff-
reduce the appearance of dandruff. Mix minced leaves and stems with coconut
oil. Use it as a shampoo and gently massage it on your scalp. It can also stop hair fall and help your hair
grow back to its original thickness. Dysentery-
this is a type of gastroenteritis that results in diarrhea with blood.
Drink boiled roots of Paragis to ease this alarming condition.
Other Illnesses that
Can Be Cured By Paragis: Asthma, Haemoptysis, Bladder Disorders, Problems, Jaundice,
Malaria, Infertility in Women, Epilepsy. Distribution. An abundant weed in waste places and along
river banks, roads, and settled areas throughout the Philippines. Strictly
xerophytic. Also found throughout warm countries. Constituents. Ash of leaves contain SiO, 16-47%; CaO,
10-13%; and chlorine, 6-7%. Study
showed the dry matter content to be 35.8%, crude protein 12.4%. Properties. Plant
considered diuretic, antihelminthic, diaphoretic, febrifuge.
Uses. Edibility /
Culinary. Roots and seeds are edible. Roots eaten raw, young seedling raw or cooked.
Grain is a famine food in India and parts of Africa.
Folkloric. Antihelminthic: Decoction of 20 gms in 1 liter
of water. Two tablespoons of fresh leave juice every hour. Decoction of the fresh plant used as a
diuretic and for dysentery. Dandruff: whole plant mixed with gogo; also
prevents hair loss. Post-partum: Decoction or fresh juice of leaves prescribed
after childbirth. Fever: Decoction of roots; boil 20 gms to a liter of water, 4
to 5 glasses a day. Sprains and lumbago: Apply poultice of leaves 4 times
daily. Hemoptysis: Boil the whole plant from root to flowers, boil 20 to 30
grams in a liter of water, as decoction.
Used for
hypertension. Bakwiri people of West
tropical Africa use infusion of whole plant for hemoptysis. In Singhalese
Materia Medica, reported as useful for sprains and dislocation. In Malaysia,
decoction of roots used for asthma. In coastal Guyana, decoction of plant used
to relieve pains from abdominal muscle strain; applied to wounds to stop the
bleeding. Decoction of grass used as tonic and to relieve bladder disorders. In
Malaya, leaf juice given after childbirth to help expel the placenta. In
Sumatra, used as anthelmintic. In Cambodia, used for fevers and liver
complaints. In Venezuela, seed decoction given to infants suffering from black
jaundice. In Nigeria, used for diabetes and malaria. In Colombia, decoction of
plant for diarrhea, dysentery and convulsions. In Sri Lanka, for muscle
sprains, roots or the entire plant mixed with scraped coconut and a piece of
Curcuma domestica is pounded well and heated till cooked, then packed over
sprained muscles and bandaged.
Study Findings. Airway Inflammatory Processes:
C-glycosylflavones from the aerial parts of Eleusine indica inhibit LPS-induced
mouse lung inflammation: Study may justify the popular use of EI against airway
inflammatory disorders. Apoptotic Induction Activity: Study of
grass extracts of D. aegyptium and Eleusine indica showed selective inhibitory
growth inhibition effect on human lung cancer and cervical cancer (HeLa) cells.
The activity was probably mediated through induction of apoptosis. Antiplasmodial / Antidiabetic: Study of
ethanolic leaf extract showed significant schizonticidal activity during early
and established infections. Treatment of alloxan-induced diabetic rats a leaf
extract caused significant reduction in fasting blood glucose levels in acute
and prolonged treatment study.
Nutritional Potential
/ Fodder: Study showed the dry matter content to be 35.8%, crude protein
12.4%. Forage was found to be fairly palatable when fed to goats, with no
adverse effect. E. indica presents a potential alternative for the problem of
green roughage scarcity. Hepatoprotective/
Antioxidant: Study evaluated an aqueous extract of E. indica against carbon
tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic injury in rats. Results showed
hepatoprotective effects which may be attributable to its antioxidant and free
radical scavenging property. The extract reduced the stable DPPH level in a
dose-dependent manner.