Boraginaceae FAMILY

Heliotropium indicum

Edibility

1/5

Medicinal

3/5

Safety & Hazards

The plant contains the pyrrolizidine alkaloids indicine, indicine-N-oxide, acetyl-indicine, indicinine, heleurine, heliotrine, supinine, supinidine and lindelofidine. Safe in small doses, if consumed regularly or in large quantities they have been shown to have a cumulative toxic effect upon the liver[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].

Botanical Description

Heliotropium indicum is an erect, usually much-branched, annual to perennial plant growing up to 1.5 metres tall. The stems are usually woody at the base[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. The plant is often harvested from the wild and used locally for its medicinal virtues.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeS. America - Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru.

HabitatSunny localities, on waste land, in periodically desiccating pools and ditches and anthropogenic habitats, at elevations generally below 800 metres[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. It is widely considered a weed of fields and pastures[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].