Dentella repens (L.) J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.

Mata yuyu (Dentella repens) is a creeping annual or perennial herb up to 50 cm tall from the Rubiaceae family spread across tropical Asia to Polynesia. Though known as a common weed, this plant is traditionally used in India and Malaysia as a wound remedy. Mata yuyu is also believed to help stabilize blood pressure and cleanse the blood.

Mata yuyu is a weed commonly found in vacant land, dump sites, rice fields, abandoned land, sugarcane plantations, dry riverbeds, and in areas that are always wet or in areas with a distinct dry season, with a range of light to heavy soil. Can also be found growing in rainfed rice fields and highlands.

• Roots fibrous, white or brown.
• Stem prostrate, square, dense, hairless, strongly branched, forming large flat cushion-like mats, rooting at the nodes.
• Leaves simple, unlobed, opposite, elliptical-oblong to oblong-obovate, underside of leaf hairy, somewhat fleshy or succulent, smooth leaf margin, tip pointed (acute), base pointed (acute), single-veined.
• Flowers solitary in the leaf axils, bisexual, 5-merous, flower stalk very short. Calyx tube-shaped, with a deep 5-fid. Corolla gamopetalous, funnel-shaped, longer than the calyx, tube yellowish, hairy inside, petals white, usually with a purple spot and hairy at the base. Stamens inserted near the base of the corolla tube.
• Fruit an indehiscent capsule, subglobose, 3-4 mm long, crowned by the calyx, usually densely hairy, many-seeded.
• Seeds small, angular, reticulate, dark brown.

Plant propagation through seeds. Seeds are often dispersed by water.

Iridoid.

Treats external wounds, stabilizes blood pressure, cleanses the blood, improves vision damaged by high blood sugar, relieves toothache, laxative.

Kremah, Krokot putih (Java), Reundeu badak (Sunda).