Sessile Joyweed – Frequently used medicinal herb in indigenous meals

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Alternanthera sessilis is an aquatic plant known as Mukunuwenna. It is used as a vegetable, especially in Sri Lanka. It is also used in indigenous ayurvedic treatments for many ailments. Leaves and young stems are frequently used to make recipes. The whole plant is used in many remedies and treatments. There two types of mukunawenna used in Sri Lanka is known as ” waga muguna” and “weda muguna“. Weda muguna is widely used as medicinal.

The plants are shredded finely and stir-fried with grated coconut and spices to make what is known as “Mukunuwenna mellum”. It’s frequently used mellum in local daily meals. Leaves obovate to broadly elliptic. It is also an excellent bee forage plant.

Mukuna wenna is an annual or usually perennial herb and grows about 30 cm tall in wetter places. This is a perennial herb with prostrate stems, rarely ascending, often rooting at the nodes. Stem and branches are green or purplish with a narrow line of whitish hairs down each side of the stem. Flowers are shiny white, glabrous and 0.7-1.5 mm long. Leaves are obovate to broadly elliptic, 1–15 cm long, 0.3–3 cm wide and glabrous. The seed discoid is about 0.75-1 mm, brown and shining.

BENEFITS

01. Treats for eye diseases

02. Beneficial for skin diseases

03. Burning sensation of feet

04. Reduces aggravation of pitha dosha

05. Increases production of lactation

06. Improves hair growth

07. Cools the body

08. Diuretic properties

09. Very medicinal tonic

10. Increases bowel movements

11. Treats for dysuria

12. Excellent food treatment for haemorrhoids

13. Uses for ancient eye cosmetic recipes

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Subfamily: Gomphrenoideae
Genus: Alternanthera
Species: A. sessilis
Binomial name: Alternanthera sessilis