Mimosa pudica is a Brazilian plant that grows thick and low to the ground, and its leaves are sensitive; they close up when touched or exposed to heat. Mimosa pudica has many other names in different cultures: In Hindi it may be called Lajak. In the island of Guam it is called Betguen Sosa, and it is called Mechiuaiu in Palau.
Effects
Because of its existence in many cultures, several medicinal uses have been developed. For example, Mimosa pudica has been taken as an antidepressant. Rodent studies have confirmed its efficacy. For example, in a study done by the University of Veracruz, Mexico, rats treated with tricyclic antidepressants showed similar benefits as rats did with treatment with Mimosa pudica in specialized diagnostic tests.
Potential
In the journal Acta Poloniae Pharmaceutica, ayurvedic concoctions containing Mimosa pudica have been shown to be helpful in the reduction of blood sugar in rodents with high blood sugar, suggesting that mimosa pudica might be helpful as a diabetic treatment in humans as well.
Prevention
The Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine reports of the cultural use of Mimosa pudica in relation to fertility. For example, the journal Contraception reports that Indian people use Mimosa pudica to prevent childbirth, and that in rodent studies, administration of Mimosa pudica prolonged the fertility cycles of the rodent and also resulted in fewer rodents per group of births at one time.
Considerations
Women use Mimosa pudica when they have particularly heavy periods. It has also been used anecdotally for hemorrhoids. As support for the use in bleeding-related conditions, the Journal of Ethnopharmacology reports that Mimosa pudica was able to assist wound healing in rats with experimental incisions.
Theories/Speculation
In addition to its medicinal uses, Mimosa pudica was reported in the Journal of Hazardous Materials to exhibit a property of being able to take up heavy metals from the environment with the help of its specialized root system. This property could prove beneficial in the plant's ability to detoxify contaminated industrial sites.
Tags: Mimosa pudica, blood sugar, have been, medicinal uses, Mimosa pudica, rats with, reports that