Acheampong leaf is the common name amongst the Ghanaian village folks. It is used as a first-aid remedy to control bleeding. If you ever lived in the village and been to the farm then acheampong should be your friend.
Our great-grandparents had used this plant on several occasions but it beats my imagination where they got this kind of knowledge from. In the modern dispensation of technology, we have not been able to tap the health benefits from the plant. Its scienctific name is Chromolaena odorata.
Nutritional contents of Acheampong Leaves
Its phytochemical components are alkaloids, flavonoids, flavanone, essential oils, phenolics, saponins, tannins, and terpenoids. The other important constituents of this plant are Eupolin, chromomoric acid, quercetagetin, and quercetin(Sirinthipaporn and Jiraungkoorskul, 2017).
Acheampong Leaves, Science
Stop Bleeding
A recent in vitro study of 197 participants by Ofosu et al.(2023) found that Acheampong leaves are indeed effective in controlling bleeding.
A previous study by Pandith et al.(2012) in Thailand using alcoholic extract of Acheampong leaves on Wistar rats in vivo showed a significant reduction in bleeding time but did not yield the aggregation of platelets or clotting of blood in the in vitro study, which showed a clotting time greater than 0.6 minutes.
In another study conducted by Akomas and Ijioma (2014) on the efficacy of Acheampong leaves on bleeding and clotting times in albino rats, ethanol extracts were administered as oral dosages (150 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg) of body weights each day for 14 days. The results showed a significant reduction in the bleeding and clotting times of the albino rats.
A study by Ling et al.(2003) on Acheampong seed extracts showed its effectiveness on wound healing. However, a recent study by Rajkumar et al.(2017) revealed that different concentrations of aqueous Acheampong can also give significant wound healing activity
Contraceptive and termination of pregnancy
Dali et al.(2019) found that Acheampong leaves are used by some communities in Ghana to terminate pregnancy. It is also used as a natural childbirth control. Also, they found that the villagers administered this using an enema or by oral and vaginal insertion.
A previous study by Gul et al.(2015) to make people familiar with the natural abortifacients and their potent benefits over surgical abortion to give people an alternate way to end their undesired or unexpected pregnancy instead of going towards the infamous surgical abortion was conducted on 200 people including common public, medical student, healthcare practitioners, and different professionals.
They wanted to know their general opinion about herbal abortion and to make people aware of the beneficial aspects of natural herbs used in abortion in terms of safety, cost, and privacy issues.
46percent were aware of the fact that natural herbs can be used for abortion, while 54percent of the people had absolutely no idea at all. Whereas, 41.5percent think that these herbs can be harmful to our health, 45.5percent considered these herbs as a better option, and 13percent of the people had no idea about it.
The researchers concluded that natural herbs possess miraculous powers to compete with surgical abortion. Herbal abortion may prove to be a better option as compared to surgical abortion. They also found that it’s the job of our medicinal researchers and healthcare professionals to come forward and promote an herbal method of abortion, which can prove to bring revolution in the lives of people.
Spiritual usage
It is commonly used in Latin America as an incense to spiritually cleanse a household, especially in Santería in Cuba and Puerto Rico.
Emerging studies
It has also been shown to possess anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-hepatotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties((Sirinthipaporn and Jiraungkoorskul, 2017).
It also possess analgesic property(Asante-Kwatia et al. 2020)
Side effects
Acheampong leaves should be used with caution as it can induce abortion. Hence, those considering conceiving should be careful.
A report in 2012 by Peacefmonline says the Red Cross considers the plant as acidic, therefore, if the juice is squeezed and applied to fresh cuts with the idea of reducing blood flow, it burns the tissues and cells around the wound and as a result weakens the skin texture.
It is also regarded as a poisonous plant that contains exceptionally high levels of nitrates in young plants, at 5–6 times greater than the level toxic to wildlife.
Take Home
From the studies, the review article found Acheampong to be one of choices in the wound healing treatment. It is a top herbal remedy to stop bleeding. It is also a top natural contraceptive and can also act as an alternative remedy for surgical abortion. This plant can be developed into a potent natural remedy to heal wounds, and contraceptives and to induce abortion.
Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu is a full professor of Naturopathic Healthcare. E-mail: [email protected]. This article is for educational purposes and awareness only
References
- Ling, B., Zhang, M., Kong, C., Pang, X. and Liang, G. (2003) Chemical Composition of Volatile Oil from Chromolaena odorata and Its Effect on Plant, Fungi and Insect Growth. The Journal of Applied Ecology, 14, 744-746. (In Chinese)
- Dali et al. (2019) Plants Used as Abortifacients and Contraceptives in Some Communities on the Fringes of Subri River Forest Reserve in Ghana. (Afr J Reprod Health 2019; 23[4]: 92-98
- Vijayaraghavan, K., Rajkumar, J. and Seyed, M.A. (2017) Efficacy of Chromolaena odorata Leaf Extracts for the Healing of Rat Excision Wounds. Veterinární Medicína, 62, 565-578. https://doi.org/10.17221/161/2016-VETMED
- Somia Gul*, Bushra Rubab, Nameera Ahmad, Urooba Iqbal(2015) Herbal drugs for abortion may prove as better option in terms of safety, cost & privacy. Journal of Scientific and Innovative Research 2015; 4(2): 105-108
- Sirinthipaporn A, Jiraungkoorskul W. Wound Healing Property Review of Siam Weed, Chromolaena odorata. Pharmacogn Rev. 2017 Jan-Jun;11(21):35-38. doi: 10.4103/phrev.phrev_53_16. PMID: 28503052; PMCID: PMC5414454.
- OFOSU D, Asamoah A, Tuekpe Mawuli R, Addai A, Takyi Kofi E, Opoku Addo E. The Effect of Aqueous Chromolaena odorata (Acheampong leaf) extract use on Coagulation test parameters in Vitro [abstract]. https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/the-effect-of-aqueous-chromolaena-odorata-acheampong-leaf-extract-use-on-coagulation-test-parameters-in-vitro/. Accessed October 21, 2023.
- Pandith, H., Thongpraditchote, S., Wongkrajang, Y. and Gritsanapan, W. (2012) In Vivo and in Vitro Hemostatic Activity of Chromolaena odorata Leaf Extract. Pharmaceutical Biology, 50, 1073-1077. https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209.2012.656849
- Akomas, S.C. and Ijioma, S.N. (2014) Bleeding and Clotting Time Effect of Ethanolic Extracts of Chromolaena odorata versus Ocimum gratissimum Treated Albino Rats. Journals of Medical Sciences, 2, 9-13.
