Acmella paniculata (Wall. ex DC.) R.K.Jansen

Legetan (Acmella paniculata) is a herb up to 0.6 meters tall of the Asteraceae family, native to tropical America and spread to Southeast and South Asia. Its flowers are traditionally used to address bleeding gums and toothache, while its root treats diarrhea. In India, its leaves are even eaten as a side dish and vegetable.

Legetan commonly grows in open places, such as grasslands, drainage areas, roadsides or water bodies, rocky soil, and rice fields in highlands up to elevations of 2,200 m above sea level. Prefers moist, well-drained soil, and full or partial sunlight.

• Root fibrous, small in size and branched.
• Stem cylindrical-shaped, smooth surface, green to purplish in color.
• Leaves green, hairy, oval to oblong shaped. Leaf length 1-10 cm and width 0.5-6 cm.
• Flowers clustered with a stalk length of 1-12 cm, yellow in color, thick pipe-shaped.
• Fruit hard, ovate, 3-angled.
• Seeds arranged in the flower sepal and each seed covered by 2 seed sepal segments.

Propagated generatively (seed), can also be propagated vegetatively using stem cuttings especially those that have grown roots.

Choline, spilanthol, sphilantin phytosterin, essential oil, acmelonate, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, tannin, alkaloid, saponin, flavonoid, sesquiterpene, taraxin, asparagine, violaxathin.

Treats mouth canker sores also to relieve toothache, strengthens the kidneys and digestion, natural remedy for stomach ache, headache, remedy for nosebleeds.

• Wet-sort legetan leaves of dirt and wash thoroughly with running water.
• Dry the leaves in an oven (temperature 40ºC for 5 days) until dry.
• Grind the dried leaves into powder.
• Store in an airtight container.

Gatang (Minangkabau), Jotang huma (Sunda), Gletang, Legetan, Srunen, Seruni sapi (Java), Rat-carat (Madura), Baga (Ternate).