About Sphagneticola calendulacea (L.) Pruski
Sphagneticola calendulacea (L.) Pruski is a perennial herb species in the genus Sphagneticola. This species is distributed across Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. It tolerates drought, humid conditions, and barren environments, and is a common herbaceous plant in China and Taiwan. S. calendulacea produces the compounds wedelolactone and demethylwedelolactone. In Vietnam, its leaves are sometimes used to treat infant eczema, though there is no clear scientific evidence supporting this use. In China and Taiwan, S. calendulacea is used as an ingredient in ้่่ถ/็พ่่ถ, a long-standing traditional herbal drink. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is classified as a heat-clearing herb, and is described as having the effects of relieving fever, detoxifying the body, cooling blood, and dissipating blood stasis. Modern scientific research notes that polyphenols found in S. calendulacea, including wedelolactone, apigenin, and luteolin, can inhibit the growth of prostate cancer, breast cancer, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A 2012 paper from India reports that the essential oil of S. calendulacea can prevent the development of lung cancer.
