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10. Eupatorium triplinerve Vahl, Symb. 3: 97. (Fig. 129).
Eupalorium ayapana DC.
Engl: Ayapana Tea; Sinh.' Aiyapana; Tarn. Ayapcni; Sans. Ayiapana.
COMPOSITAE
A low, semi-woody undershrub, about I m tail, with thin, glabrous, reddish branches
rooting at nodes; leaves subsessile, opposite in pairs, 8—13 cm long, 1.5—2.7 cm broad,
lanceolate, tapering to both ends, veins reddish, main vein joined by 2 lateral veins about half
way giving a 3-veined appearance, glabrous on both sides; flqwers slate blue, regular,bisexual,
all tubular, in corymbose heads, each head bearing about 20 flowers; involucre bracts
sub-uniseriate, linear, acuminate, unequal, puberulous at the back; sepals reduced to numerous
bristles; petals 5, fused into a slender corolla-tube; stamens 5, epipetaious, syngenesious, anthers
appendaged; ovary inferior, 2-carpellary, unilocular with a single basal ovule, style arms long
and obtuse; fruit a truncate, 5-angled achene carrying a pappus of uniseriate scabrid hairs.
Illustrations. Kirtikar and Basu, Indian Med. Plants, pi. 518/1. 1933; Macmillan, Trop.
Agri. 26: plate on page 28. 1906.
Distribution. A native of the Amazon Valley, Brazil and other northern parts of South
America. It is cultivated in India and Ceylon.
India. Bengal, without the collector's name. Ceylon. Central Prov., Peradeniya, Bot.
Gard. cultivated. Western Prov., Colombo, Ferguson.
Composition. The leaves of this plant contain a volatile oil (ayapana oil), the principle
constituent of which is dimethyl ether of thymohydroquinone.
Uses. In Mauritius, an infusion of the plant is given for dyspepsia and other affections
of the bowels and lungs. The leaves are used for treatment of fevers, colds, diarrhoea and as a
sudorific and tonic in the Philippine Islands. An infusion of the plant is a stimulant and tonic in
small doses, and laxative when taken in quantity; the hot infusion is emetic and diaphoretic and
may be given with advantage in the cold stages of ague. It is an excellent cure for indigestion
and also used as a foment on skin affections.
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