Cyperus

(Bot.) A large genus of plants belonging to the Sedge family, and including the species called galingale, several bulrushes, and the Egyptian papyrus.

Description

Cyperus refers to a family of marsh-dwelling grass-like plants known as sedges. Perhaps the best known member of this family is the reed, which ancient Egyptians used to make papyrus. However, many other members of this family have proved useful as food and medicine. Cyperus articulatus and Cyperus rotundus are the two species most often associated with healing.

C. articulatus, also called adrue or Guinea rush, is a tall sedge that mainly grows in Jamaica, Turkey, and along the Nile River in Egypt. The medicinal part of the plant is its root or tuber. This part is blackish in color and shaped like a top. Tubers are usually about 0.7-1 in (1.1-2.5 cm) long and about 0.5-0.7 in (1.3-1.7 cm) in diameter. The tubers may be connected in groups of two or three by underground stems. They are harvested and dried for healing. The herb is bitter in taste and aromatic, similar to lavender.

C. rotundus is used primarily in Asia and Africa but also grows in Australia, Europe, and North America. It grows in low, damp places near water. Like C. articulatus, the tuber is the part of the plant used in healing. Its Chinese name is xiang fu and it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. C. rotundus is also called tiririca, nutsedge, nut grass, musta, mutha, and a host of other local names.

General Use

C. articulatus is used mainly for digestive disorders. It is an antiemetic, meaning that it suppresses vomiting. This is useful in reducing the symptoms of morning sickness during pregnancy. Because it gives the body a general feeling of warmth, C. articulatus is sometimes used as a sedative, generally in connection with suppressingnausea. Cyperus is also used to relieve gas in the stomach and intestines. In the Peruvian Amazon, native people use the herb to treat infection and in Africa it is used to treat epilepsy.

There are few scientific studies of C. articulatus. An Argentinian study conducted in 1995 looked at the bacteria-killing properties of the herb. It concluded that decoctions of C. articulatus completely inhibited the growth of one species of Staphylococcus bacteria and partially inhibited the growth in one species of Pseudominas bacteria. Both of these bacteria strains are capable of causing severe, and sometimes fatal, infections. It was ineffective against five other infection-causing organisms tested.

Another study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in 1996 by Swiss investigators found that extracts of C. articulatus reduced certain types of spontaneous neuron firings in the brains of rats. These scientists suggested that this suppression might be the basis for C. articulatus's effectiveness in treating headache and epilepsy.

C. rotundus is used in Chinese medicine and Japanese Kampo formulations. It is rarely used alone and can be found in formulas that relieve pain, especially pain associated with menstruation. It is also used in formulas for stomachache and diarrhea, to improve menstrual function, to treat impotence or heighten sexual potency, to treat bacterial infections, dry or tired eyes, and in tonics for general wellness. In other Asian and African countries, C. rotundus is also used as a diuretic and to treat high blood pressure. It is also spread on the skin as a bactericide and a fungicide to prevent infection of wounds, but these properties have not been studied extensively in the laboratory. In two studies, one done in Thailand and the other in Tanzania, compounds found in extracts from the root of C. rotundus were isolated and several were found to have antimalarial properties. A recent Japanese study indicates that cyperus extract acts as an anticoagulant by preventing blood platelets from clumping together to form clots.

A recent Egyptian study of cyperus lends some support to the traditional Chinese use of the herb as a remedy for menstrual disorders. The Egyptian researchers found that cyperus extract has a moderate level of estrogenic activity.

Preparations

C. articulatus is usually prepared as a decoction or liquid extract to be taken internally. C. rotundus may be prepared two different ways. It can be boiled to make a liquid to be mixed with other herbs. The tubers can also be ground into a paste with or without other herbs. The paste can either be formed into pills to be taken internally or applied externally to wounds or skin rashes. This paste is also sometimes applied directly to the temples to treat headaches.

Precautions

No particular precautions have been reported as being necessary in using cyperus.

Side Effects

No side effects have been reported in using cyperus. However, this herb has a long tradition of folk use, but its effects on humans have not been studied in any structured way.

Interactions

Cyperus is often used in conjunction with other herbs in Chinese formulations with no reported interactions. Cyperus is, however, reported to be mixed with hallucinogenic plants by certain tribes living in the Brazilian rain forest, in order to prolong the action of the hallucinogens. As of 2002, there are no studies of interactions between cyperus and standard Western pharmaceuticals. A recent Korean report on several new compounds isolated from cyperus, however, indicates that it inhibits the action of benzodiazepine tranquilizers and modifies the effectiveness of several neurotransmitters in the central nervous system.

Resources

Books

Molony, David. Complete Guide to Chinese Herbal Medicine. New York: Berkeley Books, 1998.

PDR for Herbal Medicines. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, 1998.

Reid, Daniel. Chinese Herbal Medicine. Boston: Shambala, 1996.

Periodicals

Ha, J. H., K. Y. Lee, H. C. Choi, et al. "Modulation of Radioligand Binding to the GABA(A)-Benzodiazepine Receptor Complex by a New Component from Cyperus rotundus." Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 25 (January 2002): 128-130.

Makino, T., H. Wakushima, T. Okamoto, et al. "Effects of Kangen-Karyu on Coagulation System and Platelet Aggregation in Mice."Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 25 (April 2002): 523-525.

Nassar, M. I., A. F. Abdel-Razik, Eel-D. El-Khrisy, et al. "A Benzoquinone and Flavonoids from Cyperus alopecuroides."Phytochemistry 60 (June 2002): 385-387.

Organizations

American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM). 433 Front Street, Catasauqua, PA 18032. (610) 266-2433

Centre for International Ethnomedicinal Education and Research (CIEER). .

Other

"Tiririca" Rain-Tree. info@rain-tree.com. http://rain-tree.com/tirirca.htm.

[Article by: Tish Davidson; Rebecca J. Frey, PhD]

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: type genus of Cyperaceae; grasslike rhizomatous herbs; cosmopolitan except very cold regions
  Synonym: genus Cyperus

Cyperus
Dwarf Umbrella-sedge, Cyperus albostriatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Monocots (unranked): Commelinids Order: Poales Family: Cyperaceae Genus: Cyperus L.
Species
About 600, see text
Synonyms
Pycreus

Cyperus is a large genus of about 600 species of sedges, distributed throughout all continents in both tropical and temperate regions. They are annual or perennial plants, mostly aquatic and growing in still or slow-moving water up to 0.5 m deep. The species vary greatly in size, with small species only 5 cm tall, while others can reach 5 m in height. Common names include papyrus sedges, flatsedges, nutsedges, umbrella-sedges and "galingales"

The stems are circular in cross-section in some, triangular in others, usually leafless for most of their length, with the slender grass-like leaves at the base of the plant, and in a whorl at the apex of the flowering stems. The flowers are greenish, and wind pollinated; they are produced in clusters among the apical leaves. The seed is a small nutlet.

Contents 1 Ecology 2 Use by humans 3 Selected species 4 See also 5 Footnotes 6 References 7 External links

Ecology

Cyperus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including Batrachedra cuniculata. The seeds and tubers are an important food for many small birds and mammals.

Cyperus microcristatus and C. multifolius are possibly extinct; the former was only found once, in 1995, and the latter has not been seen in the last 200 years. The "true" papyrus sedge of Ancient Egypt, C. papyrus ssp. hadidii, is also very rare today due to draining of its wetland habitat; feared extinct in the mid-20th century, it is still found at a few sites in the Wadi El Natrun region and northern Sudan.

Some tuber-bearing species on the other hand, most significantly the Purple Nutsedge (C. rotundus), are considered invasive weeds.

Use by humans

Papyrus Sedge (C. papyrus) of Africa was of major historical importance in providing papyrus. C. giganteus, locally known as cañita, is used by the Yokot'an Maya of Tabasco, Mexico, for weaving petates (sleeping mats) and sombreros. C. textilis and C. pangorei are traditionally used to produce the typical mats of Palakkad in India, and the famous makaloa mats of Niihau were made from C. laevigatus.

The Chufa Flatsedge (C. esculentus) has edible tubers and is grown commercially for these; they are eaten as vegetables, made into sweets, or used to produce the famous horchata of the Valencia region. Several other species - e.g. Australian Bush Onion (C. bulbosus) - are eaten to a smaller extent. For some Northern Paiutes, Cyperus tubers were a mainstay food, to the extent that they were known as tövusi-dökadö ("nutsedge tuber eaters").^{[verification needed]}

Most species are of little economic value. Some are grown as ornamental or pot plants, namely the Umbrella Papyrus (C. alternifolius ), the Dwarf Umbrella-sedge (C. albostriatus, formerly called C. diffusus), and related species. There is increasing interest in the larger, fast-growing species as crops for paper and biofuel production.

Some Cyperus are used in folk medicine. Roots of Near East species were a component of kyphi, a medical incense of Ancient Egypt. Purple Nutsedge (C. rotundus) tubers are used in Kampō. An unspecified Cyperus is mentioned as an abortifacient in the 11th-century poem De viribus herbarum^[1].

Selected species

Umbrella Papyrus (Cyperus alternifolius)

Cyperus capitatus

Variable Flatsedge, Cyperus difformis

Cyperus hillebrandii ssp. decipiens

Cyperus javanicus

Cyperus laevigatus

Cyperus luzulae from Brazilian Atlantic Coast restingas

Cyperus phleoides

• Cyperus acuminatus
• Cyperus albostriatus (syn. C. diffusus) – Dwarf Umbrella-sedge
• Cyperus alopecuroides
• Cyperus alternifolius – Umbrella Papyrus, "umbrella palm", "umbrella plant"
  • Cyperus alternifolius ssp. flabelliformis (syn. C. involucratus)
• Cyperus angustatus
• Cyperus aquatilis
• Cyperus arenarius
• Cyperus bipartitus – Shining Flatsedge, River Cyperus
• Cyperus bowmannii
• Cyperus breviculmis
• Cyperus bulbosus – Australian Bush Onion, "wild onion" (Australia)
• Cyperus capitatus
• Cyperus carinatus
• Cyperus cephalotes
• Cyperus compressus
• Cyperus concinnus
• Cyperus congestus – Dense Flatsedge
• Cyperus conglomeratus
• Cyperus conicus
• Cyperus crassipes^{[verification needed]}
• Cyperus cyperoides
• Cyperus decompositus
• Cyperus dentatus – Toothed Umbrella-sedge
• Cyperus diandrus – Umbrella Flatsedge
• Cyperus difformis – Variable Flatsedge, Small-flowered Umbrella-sedge
• Cyperus distachyos
• Cyperus dives
• Cyperus duripes
• Cyperus echinatus – Globe Flatsedge
• Cyperus enervis
• Cyperus eragrostis – Tall Flatsedge, Pale Galingale
• Cyperus erythrorhizos – Redroot Flatsedge
• Cyperus esculentus – Chufa Flatsedge, Tigernut Sedge, Yellow Nutsedge, Yellow Nutgrass, Yellow Umbrella-sedge, Earthalmond
• Cyperus fertilis
• Cyperus flaccidus
• Cyperus flavescens – Yellow Flatsedge, Yellow Galingale, Yellow Cyperus
• Cyperus fulvus
• Cyperus fuscus – Brown Flatsedge, Brown Galingale
• Cyperus gracilis – Slender Flatsedge
• Cyperus grayoides
• Cyperus giganteus – "piripiri", cañita
• Cyperus haspan (syn. C. halpan)
• Cyperus helferi
• Cyperus hillebrandii
  • Cyperus hillebrandii ssp. decipiens
  • Cyperus hillebrandii ssp. hillebrandii
• Cyperus holoschoenus
• Cyperus houghtonii – Houghton's Umbrella-sedge, Houghton's Flatsedge, Houghton's Cyperus
• Cyperus imbecillis
• Cyperus ixiocarpus
• Cyperus javanicus
• Cyperus laevigatus – makaloa (Niihau)
• Cyperus laevis
• Cyperus longus – Common Galingale
  • Cyperus longus var. badius
• Cyperus lucidus
• Cyperus lupulinus – Great Plains Flatsedge
  • Cyperus lupulinus ssp. macilentus
• Cyperus luzulae
• Cyperus malaccensis – Malacca Galingale
• Cyperus michelianus^{[verification needed]}
• Cyperus microcephalus
• Cyperus microcristatus
• Cyperus multifolius
• Cyperus niger
• Cyperus odoratus – Rusty Flatsedge
• Cyperus ornatus
• Cyperus pangorei
• Cyperus papyrus – Papyrus Sedge
  • Cyperus papyrus ssp. hadidii – Egyptian Papyrus Sedge
  • Cyperus papyrus cv. 'Perkamentos'
• Cyperus parishii
• Cyperus pedunculatus
• Cyperus pedunculosus
• Cyperus pennatiformis
  • Cyperus pennatiformis ssp. bryanii – Laysan Sedge
• Cyperus phleoides
• Cyperus platystylis
• Cyperus polystachyos
• Cyperus prolifer – Dwarf Papyrus
• Cyperus pulchellus
• Cyperus rheophytorum
• Cyperus rotundus – Purple Nutsedge, Red Nutsedge, Coco Grass, butones butones (Philippines)
• Cyperus scaber
• Cyperus scariosus
• Cyperus schweinitzii – Schweinitz' Flatsedge, Schweinitz' Umbrella-sedge
• Cyperus serotinus
• Cyperus sexflorus
• Cyperus sphaerolepis
• Cyperus sporobolus
• Cyperus squarrosus – Awned Cyperus
• Cyperus strigosus – Straw-coloured Flatsedge, Straw-colored Cyperus
• Cyperus subulatus
• Cyperus tegetiformis (syn. C. malaccensis var. brevifolius) – Shichitoi, Short-leaved Malacca Galingale
• Cyperus tetraphyllus
• Cyperus textilis
• Cyperus trinervis
• Cyperus umbilensis
• Cyperus unioloides
• Cyperus ustulatus
• Cyperus vaginatus
• Cyperus ventricosus
• Cyperus virens

See also

• Amphoe Nong Prue, a district in Thailand. The name of its capital Nong Prue (หนองปรือ) literally means "Cyperus swamp".
• The Cyperus-like Sedge (Carex pseudocyperus) is a related plant convergent in appearance to Cyperus. It is often called "Cyperus Sedge" in regions where no true Cyperus occurs.

Footnotes

1. ^ Riddle (1992)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cyperus

• Riddle, John M. (1992): Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.

External links

• CYPERUS interactive identification key by D. M. Ferguson @ LSU Herbarium
• CYPERACEAE interactive identification keys @ LSU Herbarium

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