Entry for Pollia condensata C.B.CL. [family COMMELINACEAE]
Entry From
Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol 1
Description
A stout herb, stems decumbent or stoloniferous, or erect to over 1 m high, in forest shade, occurring in Sierra Leone to W Cameroons, and generally throughout tropical Africa.The Asante names refer to the blue bead-like fruits likening them to the eyes of a species of small black antelope (1).The plant is very mucilaginous. In Cameroun the stems are used as a wound-dressing (2), and in Gabon they are crushed and made into an infusion which is drunk for urethral discharge (3, 4). The leaves are put in water used in Ghana as a wash during pregnancy to ensure speedy delivery (1).In Gabon the plant is a fetish of elephant hunters (4).
