Dayak Onion is a herbaceous plant which can reach up
to 40 cm high. The stem (bulb) is erect or drooping; subterranean,
elongated ovoid and red in colour. The leaves are radial, lanceshaped
and hairless measure 25-60 cm x 1-2.5 cm. The flowers are white or
yellow in colour and open in the evening for 2 hours. The flowers are
borne in long erect stems and each flower is about 3 cm across. Dayak
Onion is native to Caribbean to South Tropical America, widely
cultivated in SE Asia.
Medicinal uses: The red bulb is crushed and
mixed with water then drunk to kill intestinal parasites and worms. The
sap of the bulb is mixed with salt and used as a remedy for epileptic
fits. It is also sometimes mixed with rum and rubbed on the body for
that same purpose. The bulb is used in the form of a plaster to treat
sprains, to encourage cicatrization of wounds. The root is used in the
treatment of female infertility and haemorrhages.
Identification credit: Amber Srivastava
Photographed in Dehradun.
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The flower labeled Dayak Onion is ...