Indian camphorweed

• Food: young leaves eaten raw, cooked in soup or as a vegetable side (known as ‘beluntas’ in Indonesia/Malaysia); the leaves have a distinctive aroma
• Folk medicine: leaves and roots for colds, headache, fever, dysentery and aches; roots contain β-sitosterol & stigmasterol (studied for lowering blood sugar and neutralising snake venom)
• Landscape & environment: planted for hedges, ornament, coastal windbreaks and sand binding; however it is invasive on some islands and needs control
• Culture & names: the Vietnamese ‘từ bi’ (compassion) reflects its healing use; it has distinct names and traditional-medicine roles in India, China and Southeast Asia

Form

Small coastal shrub

Product

Edible young leaves; leaves & roots as medicine

Hallmark

Camphor-scented leaves; pale-purple flowers; salt-tolerant

Uses

Vegetable, folk medicine, hedge/landscape

Indian camphorweed grows on damp, slightly salty ground: seashores, sand flats, salt marshes, estuaries, salt pans and coastal wasteland; it tolerates salt and waterlogging and prefers full sun. Native to South and Southeast Asia and Australia; introduced and invasive on many Pacific islands (Hawaii, Laysan…). In Vietnam it grows wild along the coast and is planted around gardens in many provinces.

Not individually assessed by IUCN but widespread and spreading; not threatened, regarded as Least Concern (LC). Note: it is treated as invasive in Hawaii and on some Pacific islands. Aster family (Asteraceae), genus Pluchea — the same family as dandelion and garland chrysanthemum.