It grows as a common weed in Australia, and is pulled out by the roots and left to die near garden beds or thrown on to compost heaps yet this incredible herb has been accredited with saving the life of a baby.
Sida Retusa
Such ignorance only exists because we don’t know enough about weeds and this saddens me. This weed grows at my place and it’s common names are Sida retusa and Paddy’s Lucerne yet I only learned of its usefulness a couple of weeks ago when talking to a friend about herbal medicine. We were standing under the shade of the trees in her garden when she told me a true story that happened about sixty years ago.
A baby was suffering from diarrhea and had been taken to the doctor several times but was unable to be cured. Every attempt the doctor made failed to produce the desired result so he told the mother there was nothing more that could be done for the baby and it would die as a result of the diarrhea. When the heart broken woman went home she told an old aboriginal woman what the doctor had said. On hearing this the woman gathered the herb, Sida retusa, and gave it to the mother telling her to make a drink from it and give it to her baby. The mother followed the instructions and the baby lived.
While telling me this story my
Sida Retusa Flower
friend bent down to show me this nondescript weed growing at the edge of her garden and I recognized it immediately as a herb that grows at my place. I have pulled it out as weed too but always felt a tug in my heart as though it was the wrong thing to do. My friend gave me a leaf to chew and it turned to jelly in my mouth so I knew straight away it was high in mucilage. This is indicative of the mallow family that includes marshmallow root, a herb that herbalists use to soothe irritated and inflamed tissue. As soon as I returned home I looked the herb up in a precious reference book (see below) that my youngest daughter bought me some time ago and to my delight, found it in there.
Native to Australia and other warm countries Sida retusa is a tough fibrous plant belonging to the same family as Hibiscus and mallows. The toothed leaves are variously shaped and are often gray underneath while the flowers are pale yellow and 1.5 cm in diameter. Stamens are united in a central column and the ten-ribbed calyx is helpful when identifying the plant.
According to this book the herb is widespread and is one of the best known native plant remedies that many people still swear by as a cure for diarrhea and claim that its action is far superior to that of any patent medicine. Because of the plant’s high mucilage content it was known as jellyleaf in colonial times.
Usually the young tips are chewed or the plant is taken as a decoction. In other countries the herb has been used to treat chest ailments including tuberculosis and it’s been claimed that it contains ephedrine, which is used in the treatment of asthma.
In Malaysia Sida retusa is used in folk medicine. The extract of roots and leaves are used for fever and the pulped leaves or roots are used as a poultice for a variety of sores and ulcers. It is also used for toothache and headache and has magical attributes including protection when hunting elephants.
Now I know how beneficial this herb is I will let it grow undisturbed and when the time is right make a tincture from it.
Ref: Wild Medicine in Australia A.B. & J.W. Cribb
What an interesting article, I have printed it out and putting it in my folder. I have never heard of this weed before. Is it only found in Australia?
Jennie
Hello Jennie, I’m glad you found this article interesting and you’re putting it in your folder. The plant is native to Australia and other warm countries – I have heard it grows in South England too but am not positive about that. I just love this plant
Belle
great thank you belle, I will wait for the photos and then keep an eye out for it. Or look for it on the internet!:)
Sida retusa or Sida rhombifolia is a common weed in kerala ,India.Here it is used in ayurvedic medicine since 3 or 4 AD. It is a wonder drug used in many degenerative conditions.it is rich in antioxidants.
Hi! Everyone, Would you recommend this herb to pregnant women for the removal of tissue toxins in the uterus and pelvis?
Thanks for this article.I have been trying to identify this plant for years. It was given me to chew by an Islander friend. It relieves nausea and gut pains.
Around this area of the Queensland Capricorn Coast it is called “Sydra Tuschia” (my spelling).
You’re very welcome Abe. It’s a wonderful herb and your pronunciation is what the locals call it in the South Burnett where I live and this seems to be a twist on one of its common names, Sida-retusa. I found the local pronunciation a bit tricky when I was trying to identify the plant
Wildlife carers have been using this for years to pull up diarrhea in orphaned joeys, wasn’t aware that it had been used for people too, thanks for the info.
That’s very interesting thanks Macropodmum, I wonder if the wildlife carers in my area use it for joeys, I’ll mention it to them in case.
Hi all, very interesting, I’ve always hated this plant for it’s ‘weediness’ inmy pastures, but can now consider it with a new perspective, however I was wondering, if Sida is such a useful plant, why do stock leave it untouched in the paddock and hence it’s extensive “weedy” habit. I think the sheep have occiasionally nibbled the tips, but the horses don’t touch it and I don’t think the cattle do either. Usually livestock will eat something “healty” when they instinctively need it. Any thoughts.
Hi Sandy, Not all animals will eat the same plants and they will only eat certain plants when they need them. I had a lovely dog once who I saw eating lemon grass but she only did this rarely and must have needed something from it. We had two other lovely dogs at the time too and they never touched the plant. Being high in mucilage Sida may not be a desirable plant for the digestive systems of cows and horses but you would know more about this than I do. They’re my thoughts anyway. Hopefully someone else may be able to add to this.
The plant is very fibrous and can form big fibrous balls in the gut of grazing animals (in fact you can make a good fibre from the stems – just rot the stems in water for a while and scrape the rotted bits off the fibre. It makes nice paper and rope). However in big droughts this tough weed is more likely to survive and has saved the lives of animals – graziers used to call it Paddy’s Lucerne.
Thanks for such interesting information Jan, I didn’t realize paper and rope could be made from it – might try that one day