What plant is Aeschynomene indica? An introduction to the benefits, effects and uses of Aeschynomene indica

Aeschynomene indica is an annual herbaceous plant of the genus Aeschynomene in the Fabaceae family, also known as Tian Zao Jiao or Shui Zao Jiao, and is commonly found at the edges of rice paddies, beside ditches and on low-lying wet wasteland. Its stems are upright, with many branches on the upper part, and the plant usually stands between several tens of cm and 1 m tall; the whole plant is fairly smooth.

The leaves of Aeschynomene indica are very distinctive: they are pinnately compound, with small leaflets that are tiny and numerous, linear-oblong in shape. At night or when the light dims, the leaflets close in pairs, then open again during the day. In summer and autumn it bears small yellow pea-like flowers, often with purple stripes on the petals, and the seed pods it produces are distinctly segmented, dropping section by section as they mature.

Aeschynomene indica has fairly wide uses. As a leguminous green manure plant, its roots carry rhizobia and can fix nitrogen from the air, so it is often plowed back into the field to improve soil fertility, and its tender stems and leaves can also serve as livestock feed. In addition, the whole plant can be used medicinally, and traditional Chinese medicine considers it to have the effects of clearing heat and draining dampness, and of detoxifying and reducing swelling; specific use should follow a doctor's advice.

Many people mistake Aeschynomene indica for Mimosa pudica, but the two are clearly different. When touched, the leaf stalk of Mimosa pudica droops rapidly and its reaction is very sensitive, whereas the leaflets of Aeschynomene indica close much more slowly. The difference in flowers is even more obvious: Mimosa pudica bears small pink fluffy-ball flowers, while Aeschynomene indica has yellow pea-like flowers. In addition, Aeschynomene indica likes moisture and mostly grows by the water, unlike the relatively drought-tolerant habit of Mimosa pudica, so with careful observation the two are not difficult to tell apart.