Turnera subulata Sm.

Turnera subulata or white buttercup (pukul delapan putih) is native to the West Indies, Brazil, and Central America, and is now widely found in Java, Sumatra, and Kalimantan as both an ornamental and border plant. On plantations, this plant is often grown as a natural pest controller because it attracts predatory insects such as Sycanus, which preys on fire caterpillars destructive to oil palms. Communities in northeastern Brazil traditionally use it to treat amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea, besides its efficacy as a blood-circulation tonic.

T. subulata is found growing wild in abandoned land, fields, cemetery land, waterway edges, and generally grows in groups. Most easily found in dry sandy soil areas at elevations of 10-250 m asl, in places exposed to direct sunlight or slightly sheltered. However, this species must get full sun to bloom perfectly. White buttercup can grow in various types of soil.

• Roots a strong, solid taproot, dirty white.
• Stem upright, cylindrical, woody, smooth, brownish green.
• Leaves unifoliate, green, lanceolate shaped, margin toothed, tip acuminate, base rounded or obtuse, spiral arrangement, petiolate. There is a pair of round, greenish to yellowish glands at the base of the leaf blade on both sides of the petiole. Venation pinnate, slightly raised between veins. Leaf surface covered with short white hairs. Leaf size smaller than that of Turnera ulmifolia leaves.
• Flowers bisexual, large, dark-eyed, consisting of 5 oblong or obovate petals, cream-white with yellow coloring around the center of the flower, which is black or dark brown, the petals also slightly hairy. There are 2 flower forms, namely thrum flowers where the stamens (male, pollen-producing part) are higher than the style (female, egg-producing part) and pin flowers where the stamens are shorter than the style. The flower cannot self-pollinate, requiring pollen from other flowers to produce seed. The flower blooms around 8 a.m. and wilts around 12 noon. Its flowers appear in the upper leaf axils.
• Fruit broadly ovate shaped, with more than 30 seeds.

Plant propagation through seed, cuttings, and clump division.

Saponins, polyphenols, flavonoids, kaempferol, steroids, pheophytin, limonene, cineole, terpinene, phenolics, terpenoids, benzenoids, alkaloids.

Efficacious as a tonic and to improve blood circulation, treats boils, joint rheumatism with swelling, bruise-related swelling, relieves sore throat, relieves stress, addresses digestive disorders (such as bloating, loss of appetite), weakness after recovering from serious illness, diabetes, hypertension, chronic pain, amenorrhea (absence of menstruation), dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain), treats tumors, influenza, wounds, gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases. Has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antibiotic, and antioxidant properties.

• Prepare an adequate amount of fresh white buttercup leaves, wash clean with running water then drain.
• Dry under the sun or with an oven at 40°C until the moisture content reaches 10%.
• Store in a clean, airtight container.

Lidah kucing (Jawa), Sidagori.