Contents:
Common Names | Parts Usually Used | Plant(s) & Culture | Where Found | Medicinal Properties | Biochemical Information
Legends, Myths and Stories | Uses | Formulas or Dosages | Nutrient Content | How Sold | Warning | Resource Links
Scientific Names
- Cyperus articulatus L.
- Cyperus corymbosus Rottb.
- Chlorocyperus articulatus Rikli.
- Cyperus diphyllus Retz.
- Cyperus niloticus Forssk.
- Cyperus nodosus Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.
- Cyperus subnodosus Nees & Meyen.
Common Names
- Jointed flatsedge
- Priprioca
- Piripiri
- Piri-piri
- Guinea rush
- Adrue
- Waste (Shipibo-Konibo language)
- Aldrue
- Bum-ane
- Culeme
- Entede
- Kauju
- Kolime
- M’pofa
- Mampufam Contumo
- Mdulu
- Mlulu
- Modjote
- Mussumarre
- N’Buam
- N’popa
- N’ted
- N’ten-tede
- N’tende
- Ndrauru
- Tindzau
- Umbuan
- Umpopa
- Untende
- Ussoe
Parts Usually Used
The rhizome (underground stem) is the primary part used medicinally. The leaves are occasionally used for specific preparations, and the essential oil is extracted from the rhizome.
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Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Jointed flatsedge is a perennial rhizomatous sedge that grows 30-250 cm tall (1-8 feet) with stout, round, hollow culms that are transversely septate with 5-20 mm long intersections. Unlike most sedges which have triangular stems, this species has distinctly round stems. The plant produces small, white, wheat-like flowers at the top of its long stems and grows in clumps from dividing rhizomes that are approximately 2 cm long and 1.5 cm in diameter.
The plant grows in aquatic or marshy habitats, commonly found in ponds, ditches, rivers, marshes, lakes, and canal banks in shallow water. It thrives in stagnant or weakly running water and can tolerate both fresh and slightly saline conditions. The fibrous stems can be up to 18mm wide at the base and have traditionally been used in basket-making and other crafts.
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Where Found
Jointed flatsedge is widespread across tropical and subtropical regions including Africa, southern Asia, northern Australia, the southeastern United States, the West Indies, and Latin America. It grows naturally in warm temperate zones through the tropics, from sea level up to 1,700 meters above sea level.
The plant can be found growing alongside major rivers including the Amazon River in South America and the Nile River in Africa. It is particularly significant in Amazonian indigenous cultures, especially among the Shipibo-Konibo people of Peru, where it holds deep cultural and spiritual importance.
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Medicinal Properties
Jointed flatsedge has been extensively studied and documented to possess numerous therapeutic properties including anthelmintic (expels worms), antibacterial, antiemetic (stops vomiting), antifungal, antimalarial, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticonvulsant, anti-epileptic, antiproliferative, carminative (relieves gas), contraceptive, digestive, febrifuge (reduces fever), nervine (calms nerves), sedative, stomachic (aids digestion), tonic, and vulnerary (wound healing) properties.
Recent research has focused on the plant’s ability to mediate brain chemical reactions required in treating epilepsy and convulsions. Laboratory studies have confirmed anti-convulsant and sedative actions, supporting traditional uses for neurological conditions. The plant has also demonstrated significant antioxidant activity and effectiveness against various bacterial strains including Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas, as well as anti-yeast actions against Candida.
The rhizome extracts have shown high antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and anticholinesterase activities, while the essential oil possesses antimicrobial, anti-Onchocerca, antiplasmodial, and antimalaria properties.
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Biochemical Information
Jointed flatsedge contains diverse secondary metabolites including polyphenols, flavonoids, monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, saponins, tannins, and sugars. Many of its biological actions are attributed to various sesquiterpenes called cyperones, particularly cyperotundone and alpha-cyperone, which have demonstrated antimalarial actions and the ability to inhibit nitric oxide synthesis and prostaglandin synthetase.
Key chemical compounds identified include: α-corymbolol, α-cubenene, α-cyperone, α-phellandrene, α-pinene, β-pinene, caryophyllene oxide, corymbolone, culmorine, cyperene, cyperotundone, dodecanoic acid, iso-patchoul-4(5)-en-3-one, longifolenaldehyde, mandassindione, myrtenol, mustakone, and thymol.
The plant’s distinctive fragrance comes from its essential oil, which contains compounds like mustakone, α-pinene, β-pinene, caryophyllene oxide, trans-pinocarveol, myrtenal, myrtenol, ledol, cyperotundone, and α-cyperone. Some varieties may be infected by fungi that produce ergot alkaloids, which may explain some of the plant’s psychoactive effects.
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Legends, Myths and Stories
According to Brazilian folklore, the name priprioca came from Piri-Piri, a warrior who lived in an indigenous village in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. He gave off a wonderful smell that could attract any indigenous tribe and had the power to disappear when in danger or to escape admirers. When the daughter of a shaman named Supi fell in love with him, her father told her to tie Piri-Piri’s feet with her hair on a full moon night to capture him. Sensing danger, Piri-Piri disappeared in a cloud, never to return. In the place where the warrior was last seen, a plant sprouted that also gave off his magnificent aroma; in his honor, this plant was named piripirioca, later shortened to priprioca.
In Shipibo-Konibo culture, piripiri (called “waste” in their language) is said to have sprouted from the ashes of the Great Serpent, and many different varieties have their own origin myths. The plant is considered not just a material substance but an intelligent being with which practitioners must cultivate a personal relationship.
Indigenous tribes of the Amazon ascribe magical properties to piri-piri, using it as a good luck charm and love potion (called a pusanga). Women cultivate the plant and bathe their children with it to prevent sickness and injury, and give it to their husbands to bring good luck in hunting and fishing.
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Uses
Jointed flatsedge has been used medicinally across multiple continents for thousands of years. Its primary traditional uses include treating nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, intestinal gas, headaches, colds, flu, mouth sores and ulcers, and hypertension. The plant is particularly valued for its beneficial effects on the digestive system.
In South American traditional medicine, the fresh rhizomes are ground to extract juice used as a nerve tonic for stress, nervous and mental disorders including epilepsy. It’s used to treat digestive and gastrointestinal disorders, facilitate childbirth, induce abortion, serve as a contraceptive, and treat throat cancer. Externally, it heals wounds, treats snake bites, serves as a hair tonic, and prevents baldness.
Different indigenous cultures use the plant for specific purposes:
- Shipibo-Konibo people use it for enhancing artistic vision in their traditional kené geometric art
- Secoya Indians mix ground rhizome with water for fever, flu, and nervousness
- Ese’eja Indians use it for diarrhea and dysentery
- In Africa, it’s used for malaria, toothaches, headaches, diarrhea, indigestion, and coughs
- In Peru, it’s considered abortifacient, anticonvulsant, anti-epileptic, antivenin, and vulnerary
- In the United States, it was historically sold as “adrue” for nausea, vomiting, and digestive disorders
Beyond medicinal uses, the plant serves practical purposes including basket-making, mat weaving, perfumery (due to its aromatic rhizomes), and soil erosion control along riverbanks. The essential oil is used commercially in cosmetics and increasingly as a food flavoring.
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Formulas or Dosages
Traditional preparation methods vary by culture, but common dosages include:
Rhizome infusion: 1 cup twice daily
Extract: 2 ml (30 drops) 2-3 times daily
Capsules: 1-2 grams twice daily
For acute conditions like nausea and vomiting: 30 drops (2 ml) of rhizome extract or 1-2 grams in capsules, as needed
Traditional Amazonian preparation involves grinding fresh rhizomes using the tongue of paiche fish (Arapaima gigas) and applying the resulting liquid as drops in eyes, on wounds, or in baths. Indigenous practitioners emphasize the importance of asking the plant for permission and following proper dietary restrictions (dieta) when using it for spiritual or therapeutic purposes.
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Nutrient Content
While specific nutritional analysis is limited, the rhizomes contain various bioactive compounds including essential oils, flavonoids, polyphenols, tannins, and sesquiterpenes. The plant is noted more for its medicinal compounds rather than nutritional value, though the rhizomes can be eaten raw when peeled or dried and ground into flour.
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How Sold
Jointed flatsedge is typically available as fluid extracts, capsules, dried rhizome powder, and essential oil. In South America, it may be found in local pharmacies and herbal medicine stores. The plant material is sometimes available through specialized ethnobotanical suppliers, though availability varies by region due to its traditional use contexts.
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Warning
This plant has been traditionally used as a contraceptive and abortifacient. Women seeking to become pregnant or who are pregnant should avoid using this plant, as it may cause miscarriage or prevent conception.
People with epilepsy should not attempt to replace their prescribed medications with this natural remedy until further human clinical research is available, despite traditional and laboratory evidence of anticonvulsant properties.
According to Amazonian tradition, priprioca may be harmful to pregnant women, with adverse effects possibly including miscarriage. The plant should be used under guidance from qualified practitioners familiar with its traditional applications.
No specific drug interactions have been reported, but as with any medicinal plant, consultation with healthcare providers is recommended, especially for those taking prescription medications or having underlying health conditions.
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Resource Links
Jointed Flatsedge, Plant From the Amazon, Shows Powerful Anti-Inflammatory Benefits
Plants For A Future – Cyperus articulatus – L.
Wikipedia – Cyperus articulatus
The Healing Power of Rainforest Plants – Piri-Piri
LexiPlant – Adrue, Jointed flatsedge, Jointed cyperus, Priori grass
Green Unfolding – The significance of the medicinal plant piripiri in Shipibo-Konibo culture
