Stachytarpheta spp.

Plant Name: Stachytarpheta spp.

Hawaiian Name: ÖWÏWÏ

Family: Verbenaceae

Status in Hawai’i: Alien. Moderate pest factor.

Where it grows in Hawai’i: Wet side

Part Used:Whole plant

Uses:

• Öwïwï has pretty pale blue or purple flowers which can be added to salads or eaten right off the bush. They may taste alternately sweet or similar to button mushrooms depending on the season. Thus, one of the names for this plant in Hawai’i is “mushroom flower”.

• Öwïwï is used in Asia and the Americas for colds, flus and fevers. It is mild to moderately strong and is best used as a secondary or “back-up” herb in a formula.

• It is used for liver inflammation in Central and South America and in Malaysia; and for menstrual pain in India and the Caribbean.

• In Hawai’i, it is used as a substitute for its relative ha’oui (Verbena littoralis) in cases of sprains and contusions; usually mixed with Hawaiian salt (pa’akai). In China it is used with maile hohono (Ageratum conyzoides) for the same purpose.

Cautions: Do not use in pregnancy.