Elephant's Foot
(Elephantopus Scaber L.)
Elephant's Foot
(Elephantopus Scaber L.)
Elephant's Foot is native to tropical America and is distributed across tropical Africa, Asia, and Australia. In Java, this plant grows wild alongside other herbaceous plants and has long been used as a medicinal plant due to the compounds and nutrients it contains. However, it also has potential side effects such as allergies and stroke. The young leaves can be cooked as a vegetable.
It grows well at altitudes up to 1,500 m above sea level (m.a.s.l.), with temperatures of 15–40
∘
C. It prefers vertisol or grumosol soil types, with a loamy or clay loam texture, and a soil pH of 5.8–6.7. It commonly grows wild in grass fields and dikes (pematang).
Root (Akar) Spear-shaped root, very strong.
Stem (Batang) Cylindrical, erect, hard, dark green color. The surface is covered with fine, white hairs.
Leaves (Daun) Simple (single), dark green to slightly bluish color, 35 cm long, 7 cm wide. The margin is lobed (berlekuk) for young plants, while on taller-stemmed plants, the leaves are smaller with an entire margin (tepi rata).
Flower (Bunga) Compound inflorescence, clustered in a head (bongkol) protected by 3 cup-like bracts (leaves).
Fruit (Buah) Tube-like shape, white color, 1 cm long, with white hairs at the tip.
Propagation is done by seeds and suckers/tillers (anakan).
Plant seeds in polybags, and when the seedlings become large, transfer them to individual pots.
Once the height is about 10 cm or more, plant them in the ground or their permanent location.
Antidote to snake venom, antibacterial (treats eczema, diarrhea, canker sores (stomatitis), cough), anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, fever reducer (antipyretic), diuretic (promotes urination), treats hepatitis, and treats bloating.
Elephantopin, deoxyelephantopin, stigmasterol, flavonoids, epiprielinol, lupeol, stigmasterin, triacontan-1-ol, sesquiterpenes, phenolic acids, and cyclosativene.
Socfindo Conservation. 2023. Tapak Liman. https://www.socfindoconservation.co.id/plant/484 (29-04-2023)