Gen info
-- Murdannia is a genus of annual or perennial monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Commelinaceae. The genus is one of the largest in the family. It is distinguished from other genera in the family by their three-lobed or spear-shaped antherodes (non-functional anthers). It is the only genus with staminodes (non-functional stamens) opposite the petals. (9)
- The genus is named in honor of Murdan Ali, a plant collector who worked for John Forbes Royle and maintained the herbarium at Saharunpore, India. He was a munshi who became a proficient botanist who compiled a never-published vernacular flora of northern India and the Himalayas. (9)

Botany
Herbs annual. Roots fibrous, slender, less than 0.3 mm in diam., glabrous or tomentose. Rhizomes absent. Stems numerous, diffuse, creeping proximally, simple or branched, 10--50 cm, glabrous. Leaves nearly all cauline, sometimes 1 or 2 basal; leaf sheath mostly less than 10 mm, hirsute throughout, sometimes glabrous except for a hirsute line along mouth slit; leaf blade linear or lanceolate, 2.5--10 × 0.5--1 cm, glabrous or sparsely hispid on both surfaces, apex obtuse or acuminate. Cincinni several, in terminal panicles, or solitary, with several densely arranged flowers; peduncle slender, to 4 cm; proximal involucral bracts leaflike but smaller than leaves, distal ones less than 10 mm; bracts caducous; pedicels slender, straight, 3--5 mm. Sepals ovate-elliptic, ca. 3 mm. Petals purple, obovate-orbicular. Fertile stamens 2; filaments bearded proximally; staminodes 2--4; antherodes 3-sect. Capsule ovoid-globose, trigonous, 3--4 mm. Seeds 2 per valve, yellow-brown, deeply pitted, or shallowly pitted and radiate white verrucose. (Flora of China @ efloras.org) (2)

Terrestrial, annual or perennial, prostrate herb, up to 110 cm long, rooting at nodes. Roots fibrous, white or brown. Stem rounded, solid, glabrous, succulent. Stipules absent. Leaves simple, not lobed or divided, alternate spiral, sessile, glabrous on both sides, margin entire, apex acute, base clasping, parallel-veined, with close secondary venation, leaf sheath present, rounded in cross section, hairy, ligule absent. Flowers bisexual, single, terminal or axillary, stalked, petals 3, blue or purple, free. Fruit a capsule, opening with 3 valves. (5)

Distribution
- Native to the Philippines. (1)
- Also native to Andaman Is., Assam, Australia, Bangladesh, Bismark Archipelago, Borneo, Cambodia, Carolline Is., China, Himalaya, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, Nepal, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Pakistan, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam. (1)
- An annual and grows primarily in wet tropical biome(s). (1)
- Classified as one of the world's worst weeds by Holm et al (1977), infesting no less than 16 crops in 23 countries--a major weed in rice and other crops. It is a moderately invasive weed species in both agricultural crops and non-agricultural areas in South and Southeast Asia. (3)
- In Indonesia, a principal weed of peanuts, low and upland rice, tea and maize. (5)

Constituents
- Preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of carbohydrate, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, and flavonoids.
- Phytochemical screening of ethanol extract of leaves revealed tannins, flavonoids, saponins and alkaloids. (see study below) (7)

Properties
Studies have suggest analgesic, antioxidant, cytotoxic properties.

Parts used
Leaves, roots.

Uses
Edibility
- In Vietnam, young leaves are eaten as wild vegetable. In India, eaten as potherb. In China, young shoots are added to soups. (Because of oxalate content, plant should be cooked before consumption.) (8)
Folkloric
- No reported folkloric medicinal use in the Philippines.
- Used for treatment of asthma, leprosy, hemorrhoids, stomach complaints, giddiness, and as astringent. Root paste with goat milk used for asthma. Whole plant paste with common salt applied to affected areas in leprosy.
- Leaves used as poultice for burns, boils, cuts and wounds..
- In Bangladesh, leaf paste applied to bleeding wounded area. (10)
Others
- Fodder: Used as animal fodder in many countries.

Studies
• Analgesic Activity: Study evaluated the analgesic activity of whole plant extracts of M. nudiflora against hind paw licking or jump response in adult albino mice. Diclofenac was used as standard. Phytochemical screening of ethanolic extract yielded phenolic compounds, phytosterols, alkaloids, and flavonoids. Results showed significant analgesic effect. (4)
• Cytotoxicity / Antioxidant / Analgesic: Cytotoxic analysis with in vitro brine shrimp lethality assay showed LC50 of 158.63 µg/mL. On Toxicokinetic study, the extract showed moderate lethality of more than 60%.   Percentage of DPPH radical scavenging for antioxidant activity ranged from 96.825% to 82,539%, compared to ascorbic acid from 96,825% to 87.302%. IC50s for Murdannia nudiflora was 1.51x10-10 µg/mL compared to ascorbic acid at 4.209x10-13 µg/ml. Analgesic activity was evaluated in terms of inhibition of writhing. Percentage of writhing inhibition for M. nudiflora was 85.67% at 200 mg/kbw and 59.57% at 100 mg/kbw compared to diclofenac sodium standard of 80.74%. (4)
• Analgesic / Leaves: Study evaluated ethanolic extract of leaves of Murdannia nudiflora for analgesic properties using plate reaction time in mice. Results showed significant analgesic effects (p<0.05; p<0.001) compared to morphine sulfate (10 mg/kg) as standard drug. Phytoconstituents may be responsible for the analgesic effects. (see constituents above) (7)

Availability
Wild-crafted.
Herbal teas and supplements in the cybermarket.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Murdannia nudiflora / KEW: Plants of the World Online
(2)
Murdannia nudiflora (L.) Brenan / WFO: The World Flora Online
(3)
Murdannia nudiflora (doveweed) / CABI: Invasive Species Compendium
(4)
Phytochemical Standardization and analgesic activity of Murdannia nudiflora (L.) Brenan / Bhargab Patwari, Trishna Das, Dipankar Saha, Dr Bhabesh Das /
(5)
Riceweeds en-Commelinaceae-Murdannia nudiflora (L.) Bren. / Pl@ntNet
(6)
Comparative phytochemical evaluation and biological activity screening of Mudrannia nudiflora and Tradescantia pallida / Mohammad Shawkat Ali /  Thesis / DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.21547.05921
(7)
Phytochemical screening and analgesic effects of ethanolic extract of plant Murdannia nudiflora (L.) Brenan (Commelinaceae) in albino mice using hot plate method / Bharbag Nath Patwari, Abdul Baquee Ahmed et al / International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2014; 6(7) / ISSN: 0975-1491
(8)
Nakedstem dewflower / FloridaForaging
(9)
Murdannia / Wikipedia
(10)
Documentation of Medicinal Plants at the Village Kholabaria of Natore District, Bangladesh / Rajia Sultana, A H M Mahbubur Rahman / Academic Journal of Lilfe Sciences, 2017; 3(9): pp 52-78 /
eISSN: 2415-2137 / pISSN: 2415-5217
(11)
Murdannia nudiflora: common name details / PIR

DOI: It is not uncommon for links on studies/sources to change. Copying and pasting the information on the search window or using the DOI (if available) will often redirect to the new link page. (Citing and Using a (DOI) Digital Object Identifier)