MOLLUGINACEAE

(Carpetweed family)

• Medicinal / Folk-medicinal aspects: Mention has been made of the use of certain species of Mollugo in Indian traditional medicine for the treatment of itching and unspecified skin diseases. •
• Adverse effects:  •
• Veterinary aspects: One species of Glinus has been listed as being used in the treatment of unspecified skin disease in animals. •

According to Mabberley (2017), the family comprises 12 genera and about 120 species of mainly weedy herbs found mostly in the tropics. Members of this family were formerly placed in the Aizoaceae. The plants are of no commercial or horticultural importance.

Glinus hirtus (Thunb.) Sennikov & Sukhor.

[syns Glinus lotoides subsp. hirtus (Thunb.) M.R.Almeida, Mollugo hirta Thunb.]

Damascisa, Lotus Sweetjuice

In a treatise on Indian Materia Medica, probably repeated from Chopra (1933), Nadkarni (1976) noted that [an unspecified preparation of] Mollugo hirta is applied to itches and [unspecified] skin diseases.

Glinus oppositifolius (L.) Aug.DC.

[syns Mollugo oppositifolia L., Mollugo spergula L.]

Bitter Cumin, Bitter Leaf, Indian Chickweed, Slender Carpetweed

Referring to Mollugo spergula, Chopra (1933) and Nadkarni (1976) have noted that the plant has been used in India as a treatment for [unspecified] skin diseases. Lewis & Elvin-Lewis (1977), referring to Mollugo oppositifolia, noted that the plant has been used as a treatment for itching.

Sharma & Joshi (2004) included Glinus oppositifolius in a list of plants used to treat [unspecified] skin diseases in veterinary practices in India.

References

• Chopra RN (1933) Indigenous Drugs of India. Their medical and economic aspects. Calcutta: Art Press [url] [url-2]
• Lewis WH, Elvin-Lewis MPF (1977) Medical Botany. Plants affecting man's health. New York: John Wiley [WorldCat] [url] [url-2]
• Mabberley DJ (2017) Mabberley's Plant-Book. A portable dictionary of plants, their classification and uses, 4th edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press [WorldCat] [doi] [url]
• Nadkarni AK (1976) Dr. K. M. Nadkarni's Indian Materia Medica. With ayurvedic, unani-tibbi, siddha, allopathic, homeopathic, naturopathic & home remedies, appendices & indexes, Revised enlarged and reprinted 3rd edn, Vols 1 & 2. Bombay: Popular Prakashan [WorldCat] [url] [url-2]
• Sharma MC, Joshi C (2004) Plants used in skin diseases of animals. Natural Product Radiance 3(4): 293-299 [url] [url-2]

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