Table 1.

Traditional uses of plants of the Asteraceae family

Plant1	Traditional uses by the tribes of Odisha	Other parts of India/world
Ageratum conyzoides (L.) L.	Herb infusion is given for gastrointestinal ailments such as diarrhoea, dysentery and intestinal colic with flatulence [117,120]. Cold decoctions from the aerial parts are used to cure malarial fever (unpublished observations).	As worm medicine in Cameroon [157].
Bidens pilosa L.	Fresh juice from the aerial parts is used for intestinal worm infections, abdominal pain and stomach ache (unpublished observations).	Juice form the root and whole plant is used for the treatment of malaria (Africa, China) [142,157]. Whole plant is used by the Bukusu community of Kenya for tick prevention and control on livestock [159].
Blumea lacera (Burm.f.) DC.	The tribes use fresh leaf juice of this plant for the treatment of all kinds of fever, including malaria (unpublished observations).	Leaf juice is used to kill worms in children by the tribes of Madhya Pradesh, India [136].
Calendula officinalis L.	Cold decoction of leaf is used for amoebic and bloody dysentery (unpublished observations).	Flowers are used for the treatment of intestinal worms and amoebal infections in pets and pigs in British Columbia, Canada [64].
Caesulia axillaris Roxb.	Whole plant extract is given to cure malaria [113].	The whole plant is crushed and juice is extracted, which is given orally three times a day, along with curd to cure amoebic dysentery by the tribes of Madhya Pradesh, India [155].
Centipeda minima (L.) A. Braun & Asch.	Root decoction is used for the treatment of all kinds of fever [112]. Leaf decoction is commonly used for hookworm and roundworm (unpublished observations).	In China, decoction from whole plant is used for malaria treatment. The seed or dried aerial parts are used as a vermifuge and amoebicide (http://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Centipeda_minima_(PROSEA).
Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk.	Treatment of malaria [112].	Leaf decoction is used by the Rakhain tribal healers of Chittagong Division, Bangladesh for the treatment of malaria [46].
Eclipta prostrata (L.) L. is a synonym of Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk.	Treatment of malaria: decoction of dried leaf with tea leaf tincture is administered orally twice a day for five days [118].	Infusion or juice of the plant mixed with honey is given for the treatment of malaria by the tribal communities of Pakistan [86].
Elephantopus scaber L.	Treatment of malaria: paste prepared from fresh root is taken orally once a day for three days [118]. Juice of leaf is used in the treatment of malaria [53].	Decoction from aerial parts is used to treat malaria by the tribes of Madagascar [86].
Sphaeranthus indicus L.	Helminths: whole plant paste with a pinch of salt is taken as an anthelmintic [107].	Root and seed powder is given orally to kill intestinal worms in children [39]. Whole plant paste with a pinch of common salt is taken as an anthelmintic [61].
Tagetes erecta L.	Cold decoctions of leaf and flower are used for all kinds of worm infections and dysentery (unpublished observations).	Plants used by native Amazonian groups from the Nanay River (Peru) for the treatment of malaria [61].
Tridax procumbens (L.) L.	Decoction prepared from leaves of Tridax procumbens and Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees is used for the treatment of malaria fever (unpublished observations).	Used for the treatment of malaria by the tribes of Ghana [59], and Kwale community of the Kenyan Coast [90].
Vernonia anthelmintica (L.) Willd. This name is a synonym of Baccharoides anthelmintica (L.) Moench. and Centratherum anthelminticum (L.) Kuntze	Fruit powder is used in malaria fever, and for stomach ache during amoebic dysentery [81]. Seeds are used as an anthelmintic, especially in children (2-5 g with water on an empty stomach twice a day for three days) [111,112].	The seeds are used as an anthelmintic against parasitic worm (including tapeworm) infestations [4].
Vernonia albicans DC. This name is a synonym of Cyanthillium albicans (DC.) H. Rob.	Filariasis: powdered plant (10-20 g) is advised to be consumed with 125 mL milk (mixed with 5-7 cardamom fruits and 10 g sugar candy) once daily in the morning, on an empty stomach, for about three months [37]. Water-extract of the whole plant is used in the treatment of malaria [53].	–
Vernonia cinerea (L.) Less. This name is a synonym of Cyanthillium cinereum (L.) H. Rob.	Treatment of malaria; root paste is mixed with honey and administered orally twice a day for three days [118]. The plant is also used for elephantiasis [120].	Leaf and bark are used by the tribes of Equatorial Guinea as febrifuge and vermifuge [2], while the tribes of Tanzania use it for the treatment of malaria [84].
Xanthium strumarium L.	Coastal tribes of Odisha use crushed fresh fruit for the treatment of filariasis (unpublished observations).	Tribes of Bannu district, Pakistan, use it for the treatment of chronic malaria [154].

¹All taxonomic names were verified in the Global Composite Checklist database (http://compositae.landcareresearch.co.nz/Default.aspx)