Botany
Grama is an erect, loosely tufted grass, 0.8 to 1.5 meters high. Leaves are 12 to 20 centimeters long, 3 to 5 millimeters wide. Panicles are elongated, erect, 20 to 40 centimeters long; branches are slender, usually fascicled, often up to 12 centimeters long. Spikelets are pedicelled, very numerous, pale, 2 to 4 millimeters long; the flowering glumes, 6 to 10, about 1 millimeter long.

Distribution
- In open, wet grasslands, along streams, etc., at low and medium altitudes from northern Luzon to Palawan and Mindanao.
- Also occurs from tropical Asia and Africa to Japan and Malaya.

Constituents
- Study of methanol extract of aerial parts yielded isoorientin, isovitexin, and caffeic acid. Total phenolic content (TPC) and total antioxidant activity (TAC) were 10.63 ± 0.31 mg/g and 2.83 ± 0.06 mg/g, respectively. (see study below) (7)

Properties
- Used as fodder.
- Studies have suggested antioxidant, neuroprotective, and mild antimicrobial activities.

Parts used
Leaves, whole plant.

Uses
Folkloric
- Infusion of fresh leaves administered externally as a poultice for headaches.
- In Korea, whole plant use on wounds and as analgesic.
Others
- Fodder: Used to induce lactogene in cows. (•) In Pakistan, whole plant used as fodder by cattle, buffalo, sheep, and goats. (6)

Studies
• Antimicrobial / Dental Pathogens: In a study of Korean medicinal plants for antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities against dental pathogens, E. japonica exhibited growth inhibition of 29 ± 0.06 and 7 ± 1.1 % against Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans, respectively. (5)
• Neuroprotective / Antioxidant / Aerial Parts: Study evaluated the antioxidant and neuroprotective activities of aerial parts of seven Eragrostis species. While all showed antioxidant and neuroprotective activities, E. japonica was the most active of the species, with the highest TPC and TAC, and the second highest neuroprotective value (23.0 µg/mL.) (see constituents above) (7)

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Eragrostis japonica (Thunb.) Trin. / Chinese names / Catalogue of Life, China
(2)
Sorting Eragrostis names / Authorised by Prof. Snow Barlow / Maintained by: Michel H. Porcher / MULTILINGUAL MULTISCRIPT PLANT NAME DATABASE / Copyright © 1997 - 2000 The University of Melbourne.
(3)
A Textbook of Medicinal Plants from Nigeria / Edited by Tolu Odugbemi / Google Books
(4)
Eragrostis japonica / Synonyms / The Plant List
(5)
Antimicrobial and Anti-Biofilm Activities of the Methanol Extracts of Medicinal Plants against Dental Pathogens Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans / Hyoung-An Choi, Dae-Eun Cheong, Ho-Dong Lim, Won-Ho Kim, Mi-Hyoun Ham, Myung-Hwan Oh, Yuanzheng Wu, Hyun-Jae Shin, and Geun-Joong Kim / J. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 2017; 27(7): pp 1242–1248 / https://doi.org/10.4014/jmb.1701.01026
(6)
Ethnobotanical studies of fodder grass resources for ruminant animals, based on the traditional knowledge of indigenous communities in Central Punjab Pakistan / Nidaa Harun, Abdul Shakoor Chaudhry, Shabnum Shaheen, Kifayat Ullah and Farah Khan / Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2017; 13:56 / https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-017-0184-5
(7)
Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Activity of Aerial Parts of Seven Eragrostis Species and Bioactive Compounds from E. japonica / Chae Sun Na, Min Ju Lee, Seong Su Hong, Yu-Hyeok Choi, Jae-Eun Lee, So-Young Park, Yong Ho Lee and Sun Hee Hong / Rec. Nat. Prod., 2018; 12(1): pp 101-106 / DOI:  10.25135/rnp.05.17.04.070