Ruellia blechum L.

Green shrimp plant (Ruellia blechum) is an annual or short-lived herb under 50 cm tall from the Acanthaceae family native to Mexico through northern South America. This plant is popular as an ornamental in several countries though it has potential to become a weed. In Costa Rica, a decoction of green shrimp plant is traditionally popular as a diarrhea remedy.

Ruellia blechum is a weed plant generally found growing on roadsides, fields, disturbed areas, dump sites, open shrubland, and around old walls, at elevations from sea level up to 0-2,285 m asl. This species is commonly found in flat, open places with full sun. Climatically, this species is suited to wet tropical regions, but has the potential to survive in subtropical coastal areas such as Southeast Queensland.

• Stem often decumbent and producing adventitious roots at the lower nodes, branched, slightly hairy or nearly smooth.
• Leaves opposite, ovate shaped, thin, leaf base blunt or rounded and apex pointed, margins entire, slightly strigose (short, stiff hairs) on the upper surface and nearly glabrous below, petiole about 2 cm, stipules absent.
• Flowers solitary or paired in the leaf axil, small, bisexual, each flower with 2 linear bracteoles. Calyx divided into 5 linear lobes, hairy, slightly curved. Corolla gamopetalous, hardly longer than the bract, with a slender tube and 5 subequal, crumpled-in-bud lobes, finely short-hairy, white or pale purple, slightly curved. Stamens number 4, inserted above the middle of the corolla tube, anthers oblong. Bracteoles linear-lanceolate, pointed, up to 1 cm, ciliate with hairs 2 mm long or more. Inflorescence a dense terminal spike up to 6 cm long.
• Fruit an ovate capsule, finely short-hairy, with 2 loculicidal valves, dehiscent when dry, the placenta rising elastically from the base of the fruit, many-seeded.
• Seeds orbicular, about 1.5 mm in diameter, brown.

• Propagation is through seed and from plant fragments that have produced roots at the lower leaf nodes.
• Seeds can germinate at temperatures of 10-40°C, but optimally at 20-35°C.

Ethyl acetate fraction (1-triacontanol, palmitic acid, stigmasterol, ligulariaphytin A, stigmasterol-D-glycoside).

Treats blennorrhea, intestinal parasites, wounds, colds, cough, measles, snake bites, dysentery, bleeding, chills, fever, treats night sweats in children, colds, vomiting (antiemetic), treatment of cancer and diabetes, acts as an antiamoebic and diuretic.

• Prepare green shrimp plant leaves, wash clean with running water then drain.
• Dry under the sun or with an oven at 40° until the moisture content reaches 10%.
• Store in a clean, airtight container.

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