bidens_tripartita

Bidens tripartita L. - Bidens comosa (A. Gray) Wiegand; Bidens connata Muhl. ex Willd. - Asteraceae
three-part beggarticks, trifid bur marigold, Dreiteiliger Zweizahn

Erect, muchbranched annual herb, up to 70cm high, native to temperate northern hemisphere; leaves composed of three leaflets, lanceolate, coarsely serrate, opposite; small solitary flowerheads with bristly, tubular yellow to orange florets.

„Essential oils were obtained from fresh aerial parts and air dried flower heads of Bidens tripartita L. (Asteraceae). Volatile constituents of the oils were analyzed by GC and GC/MS methods. The 77 components were identified representing 98.5% and 80.9% of the total components detected, respectively. The major constituents of the oil of flower heads were p-cymene (16.6%), β-caryophyllene oxide (6.0%) and humulene epoxide II (5.3%). The main constituents of the oil of fresh herb were allo-ocimene (38.3%), (Z)-β-ocimene (30.6%) and α-phellandrene (8.5%).“
[Essential oils of Bidens tripartita L., Tomczykowa, M., Gudej, J., Majda, T., Góra, J., Journal of Essential Oil Research, Vol.17(6), 2005, 632-635]

„The herb of B. tripartita, commonly known as bur-marigold, is used in folk medicine as a diuretic, sudorific and an anti-inflammatory agent. It stimulates the immunological system. Bur-marigold herb is also an excellent remedy for ruptured blood vessels and bleeding of every description. It is very useful in the treatment of skin diseases, in treating fevers, gravel, stone, and bladder and kidney troubles. The methylene chloride extract of B. tripartita has demonstrated to have high activity in the inhibition of cancer L1210 (mouse leukemia) cells and against thrombin. Extensive phytochemical studies on B. tripartita have shown the presence of flavonoids, coumarins, essential oil, polysaccharides, carotenoids, lactones, amines and mineral elements. In the petroleum extract of the herb of bur-marigold, triterpenes, unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons, esters of fatty acids and sterols, with dominating stigmasterol, were identified. The green parts of B. tripartita afforded the identification of polyacetylenic compounds, linoleic acid and ocimene. Antioxidant activities of extracts from herbs and flowers and pure flavonoids: flavanomarein (isookanin 7-O-gluco-side), cynaroside (luteolin 7-O-glucoside) and luteolin, which had been isolated from this plant, were evaluated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy using stable 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. The report describes the antibacterial and antifungal properties of the extracts and essential oils of Bidens tripartita against numerous bacterial and fungal strains.“
[Antimicrobial and antifungal activities of the extracts and essential oils of Bidens tripartita., Tomczykowa, M., Tomczyk, M., Jakoniuk, P., Tryniszewska, E., Folia Histochemica et cytobiologica, Vol.46(3), 2008, 389-388] http://www.fhc.viamedica.pl/zamow_art_pdf.phtml?id=139&indeks_art=1521

„The anti-inflammatory potential of three doses of an aqueous infusion of aerial parts Bidens tripartita L. against carrageenan-induced acute paw edema in rats was investigated. A phytochemical study and qualitative-quantitative analyses revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, polysaccharides, phenols, amino acids, ascorbic acid, organic acids and polyacetylenes. Infusion doses of 20 ml/kg body wt. exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity in rats, as compared with indomethacin. In addition, the infusion showed analgesic properties in a hot-plate test and antipyretic properties in carrageenan-induced local hyperthermia, both in rats. The effects were dose-dependent. Our results provide evidence for the potential usefulness of B. tripartita infusion in the treatment of inflammatory disorders.“
[Anti-inflammatory activity of a HPLC-fingerprinted aqueous infusion of aerial part of Bidens tripartita L., Pozharitskaya, O.N., Shikov, A.N., Makarova, M.N., Kosman, V.M., Faustova, N.M., Tesakova, S.V., Galambosi, B., Phytomedicine, Vol.17(6), 2010, 463-468]

Bidens tripartita L. (left), Masclef, A., Atlas des plantes de France, vol.2 t.167, fig.A
http://www.plantillustrations.org/species.php?id_species=142924