Sesamum calycinum
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Sesamum calycinum is a plant in the Pedaliaceae family that grows from Nigeria south to Namibia and Mozambique.[1] It is "a usually erect herb, rarely straggling, sparingly branched to 1.3 m, occasionally higher" with long, narrow leaves, and funnel-shaped pink to reddish purple, hairy flowers.
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Cultivation in Kenya
In Kenya, it grows in abandoned cultivated land, grassland, and roadsides from sea level to 3000 m above sea level. It's common in light clay and sandy soils.
- "Uses: Food: Used as a vegetable (Luhya, Luo, Teso) which has a mucilaginous texture and a slight odour. It is normally cooked with Corchorus (Luo: apoth, Luhya: murenda). A useful oil may be obtained from the seeds.
- Medicinal: Oil used as medicine for ringworm (Uganda, Busoga). Leaves ground and applied to the scalp for baldness (Boni). Leaves rubbed in water to give a mucilage used for eye troubles and infant diarrhoea. Mucilage is used to treat burns and wounds. Crushed leaves are rubbed in the hair when washing to give it a glossy look. Used in the treatment of stomach-ache (Kamba)."[1]
Resources and articles
Related Sourcewatch articles
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Patrick M. Maundu, Grace W. Ngugi, and Christine H.S. Kabuye, Traditional Food Plants of Kenya, Kenya Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya, 1999, p. 208.
