Euphorbia hirta
In this article, we will explore in detail the topic of Euphorbia hirta, with the aim of providing our readers with a comprehensive vision of this relevant aspect in today's society. We will address various aspects, from its origin and evolution to its implications in daily life, in order to offer a comprehensive look that allows us to understand its importance and impact in different areas. Through an exhaustive analysis, we aim to provide an enriching perspective that contributes to knowledge and reflection on Euphorbia hirta, inviting the audience to delve deeper into a topic of great relevance today.
| Euphorbia hirta | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Euphorbia |
| Species: | E. hirta
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| Binomial name | |
| Euphorbia hirta | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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List
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Euphorbia hirta (sometimes called asthma-plant[2]) is a pantropical weed, originating from the tropical regions of the Americas.[3] It is a hairy herb that grows in open grasslands, roadsides and pathways. It is widely used in traditional herbal medicine across many cultures, particularly for asthma, skin ailments, and hypertension.[4] It is also consumed in herbal tea form as folk medicine for fevers in the Philippines (where it is known as tawa-tawa), particularly for dengue fever and malaria.[5][6]
Description
This erect or prostrate annual herb can grow up to 60 cm (24 in) long with a solid stem that is furnished with many yellow to reddish coarse hairs, and produces an abundant white latex.[7] There are stipules present. The leaves have an oblique base and are simple, elliptical to slightly rhombic, hairy (on both upper and lower surfaces but particularly on the veins on the lower leaf surface), with a finely dentate margin, the veins upperside being deep-set and conspicuous on the underside, and the leaf surface somewhat leathery. Leaves occur in opposite pairs on the stem. The flowers are unisexual and found in axillary cymes at each leaf node, held as dense balls of flowers and fruit capsules usually close to the stem, the flower glands with tiny white/pinkish petal-like appendages. The fruit is a capsule with three valves (creating 3 sides), uniformly appressed hairy, containing tiny (0.7–0.9 mm), oblong, four-sided orange to pink or red seeds. It has a white or brown taproot. FNA
Taxonomy
Euphorbia hirta was given its scientific name by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It continues to be classified in the genus Euphorbia within the family Euphorbiaceae. It has no accepted varieties, but has some among its 33 synonyms.[1]
| Name | Year | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chamaesyce gemella (Lag.) Small | 1913 | species | = het. |
| Chamaesyce hirta (L.) Millsp. | 1909 | species | ≡ hom. |
| Chamaesyce hirta var. glaberrima (Koidz.) H.Hara | 1940 | variety | = het. |
| Chamaesyce hirta f. glaberrima (Koidz.) Hurus. | 1954 | form | = het. |
| Chamaesyce hirta var. laeticincta Croizat | 1943 | variety | = het. |
| Chamaesyce hirta f. litoralis Hurus. | 1954 | form | = het. |
| Chamaesyce karwinskyi (Boiss.) Millsp. | 1916 | species | = het. |
| Chamaesyce pekinensis var. glaberrima (Koidz.) Makino & Nemoto | 1925 | variety | = het. |
| Chamaesyce pilulifera var. glaberrima (Koidz.) H.Hara | 1938 | variety | = het. |
| Chamaesyce rosei Millsp. | 1916 | species | = het. |
| Desmonema hirta (L.) Raf. | 1833 | species | ≡ hom. |
| Ditrita hirta (L.) Raf. | 1838 | species | ≡ hom. |
| Euphorbia bancana Miq. | 1861 | species | = het. |
| Euphorbia capitata Lam. | 1788 | species | = het. |
| Euphorbia chrysochaeta W.Fitzg. | 1918 | species | = het. |
| Euphorbia gemella Lag. | 1816 | species | = het. |
| Euphorbia globulifera Kunth | 1817 | species | = het. |
| Euphorbia hirta var. destituta L.C.Wheeler | 1939 | variety | = het. |
| Euphorbia hirta var. glaberrima Koidz. | 1919 | variety | = het. |
| Euphorbia hirta var. typica L.C.Wheeler | 1939 | variety | ≡ hom., not validly publ. |
| Euphorbia karwinskyi Boiss. | 1860 | species | = het. |
| Euphorbia nodiflora Steud. | 1840 | species | = het. |
| Euphorbia obliterata Jacq. | 1760 | species | = het. |
| Euphorbia pilulifera var. arechavaletae Herter | 1910 | variety | = het. |
| Euphorbia pilulifera var. discolor Engelm. | 1859 | variety | = het. |
| Euphorbia pilulifera var. glabrescens Thell. | 1917 | variety | = het. |
| Euphorbia pilulifera var. guaranitica Chodat & Hassl. | 1905 | variety | = het. |
| Euphorbia pilulifera var. hirta (L.) Thell. | 1917 | variety | ≡ hom. |
| Euphorbia pilulifera f. humifusa Domin | 1927 | form | = het. |
| Euphorbia pilulifera var. obliterata (Jacq.) Hitchc. | 1893 | variety | = het. |
| Euphorbia pilulifera f. rubromaculata Domin | 1927 | form | = het. |
| Euphorbia pilulifera f. viridis Domin | 1927 | form | = het. |
| Euphorbia verticillata Vell. | 1829 | species | = het., nom. illeg. |
| Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym | |||
Names
Euphorbia hirta has many common names including garden spurge, pillpod spurge, and hairy spurge. Is is also called by the related names asthma weed, asthma plant and Queensland asthma weed. Additionally it is known as red milkweed and snakeweed.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Euphorbia hirta L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ "The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney PlantNET Database Entry". Royal Botanical Gardens Sydney. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
- ^ Kumar S, Malhotra R, Kumar D (2010). "Euphorbia hirta: Its chemistry, traditional and medicinal uses, and pharmacological activities". Pharmacognosy Reviews. 4 (7): 58–61. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.65327. PMC 3249903. PMID 22228942.
- ^ Yam, Hilton Y.; Montaño, Marco Nemesio E.; Sia, Isidro C.; Heralde, Francisco M. III; Tayao, Lotgarda (2018). "Ethnomedicinal Uses of tawatawa (Euphorbia hirta Linn.) in Selected Communities in the Philippines: a Non-invasive Ethnographic Survey Using Pictures for Plant Identification". Acta Medica Philippina. 52 (5). doi:10.47895/amp.v52i5.325.
- ^ "'Tawa-tawa': Herbal supplement that can help fight dengue". PhilStar Global. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
- ^ "Open Source for Weed Assessment in Lowland Paddy Fields (OSWALD)". Asia IT&C Programme of the European Union. 2007-07-21. Archived from the original on July 9, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- ^ Randall, Roderick Peter (2002). A global compendium of weeds. Melbourne, Australia: R.G. and F.J. Richardson. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-9587439-8-3. OCLC 50867942. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
Further reading
- Pratheepa, Vijayakumari; Sukumaran, NatarajaPillai (13 November 2014). "Effect of Euphorbia hirta plant leaf extract on immunostimulant response of Aeromonas hydrophila infected Cyprinus carpio". PeerJ. 2: e671. doi:10.7717/peerj.671. PMC 4232839. PMID 25405077.
- Quy, Trinh; Ly, Le (April 2014). "An investigation of antidiabetic activities of bioactive compounds in Euphorbia hirta Linn using molecular docking and pharmacophore". Medicinal Chemistry Research. 23 (4): 2033–2045. doi:10.1007/s00044-013-0794-y. S2CID 1918125.