Youngia japonica (Nepali-Chaulaane/Dudhe, Popular-Oriental false hawksbeard/Asiatic hawksbeard/Oriental hawkweed)Asteraceae. Syn-Lactuca japonica, Chondrilla japonica, Prenanthes japonica. It is a slender annual herb with basal leaves in a rosette. Leaves are lance shaped, deeply toothed. The plant develops one hollow stem upto about 0.7 m with multiple tiny denolelion type flowers. It has multiple yellow flowers on a single stem. It is native to SE Asia. It is found in the Himalayas from Kumaun to Bhutan, India, Ceylon, China, Japan, Indochina, Philippines, Malaysia, Hawaii at altitudes of 230-2900 m. It is considered as invasive species in India. It grows all year round as a weed. It has antioxidant, antibacterial, anti inflammatory, antiviral, anticancer, febrifuge, antiallergic, diuretic, antitumor, antidotal, analgesic and CNS depressant activities. The main phytoconstituents are flavonoids, quinic acid derivatives, sesquiterpenoids, phenylpropanoid derivatives, benzyl alcohol glycosides and aromatics. Whole plant is used for medicinal purposes. It is used in the treatment of boils and snake bites. It clears heat and reduces inflammations. It is also used for detoxification. It has been used in folk medicine as a treatment for atopy (allergies, eczema, hayfever, asthma).Leaf paste is used in wound healing by Santals of Joypurhat in Bangladesh.
– Mukherjee Bk