Sambong-gala
Sphaeranthus indicus · East Indian globe thistle
- Names in the book
- Sambog̃-gala, Tag.
- Used for
- WormsHair and scalp
- Colours
- flowerpurple, pink
- Native range
- Tropical Asia, Africa and Australia
- In the Philippines, per the book
- The rice fields. Blooms in January.
- Family
- Asteraceae, filed in the book under Compositæ
- Printed as
- Sphœranthus Indicus, L. (S. hirtus, Willd.; S. mollis, Roxb.)
- Sources
- Page 151 on Project Gutenberg · Wikipedia
The plant today
Sphaeranthus indicus, the East Indian globe thistle, is a flowering plant of the genus Sphaeranthus. It is distributed from Northern Australia throughout Indomalaya. The plant has been studied for its potential health-promoting properties, primarily as an anti-inflammatory. Sphaeranthus indicus Linn. (Asteraceae) is widely used in the Ayurvedic system of medicine in various conditions like epilepsy, mental illness, hemicrania, jaundice, hepatopathy, diabetes, leprosy, fever, pectoralgia, cough, gastropathy, hernia, hemorrhoids, helminthiasis, dyspepsia and skin diseases.
Excerpt from “Sphaeranthus indicus” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 1 record of this plant from the Philippines.
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1901 book says
A historical record, quoted as printed. Doses and remedies here are not medical advice.
Uses
This plant seems to possess anthelmintic properties and for this purpose it is administered in powder, 2–4 grams with a little molasses or syrup. It is bitter and aromatic and is given in diseases of the stomach and intestines for its tonic and stimulant effect. The odor of the drug is transmitted to both urine and sweat. In India it is used in “bilious diseases” and to dissipate all sorts of tumors. The Hindoos cook it with flour, lard and sugar and eat the mixture as a tonic and to prevent gray hair and baldness. They also give the seed, fried in oil, as an aphrodisiac. The aqueous distillate is a good preparation as it contains the active principle of the plant, a yellow, viscid, essential oil.
Botanical description
A plant about 1° high, stem and branches bearing 3 serrate wings. Leaves premorse, lanceolate, decurrent, downy. Flowers white, in a globose head, divided into 50 or more groups each with its own calyx of 9 or 10 leaflets surrounding 2 or 3 hermaphrodite, 5-toothed, campanulate flowers. Anthers 5, united. Style 1, thick at extremity. Stigma none. Corolla of pistillate flowers very minute, with 3 obscure teeth. Stigma of 2 down-curved divisions. One seed, 4-angled, imbricated.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- Exploring the bioactive potential leaves of Sphaeranthus indicus: Targeting immature stages of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito vectors through bioassay-guided screening and fraction isolation
- A proprietary blend of Sphaeranthus indicus flower head and Mangifera indica bark extracts increases muscle strength and enhances endurance in young male volunteers: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial
- Isolation and identification of the active constituent β-isocostic acid from the hexane extract of the leaves of Sphaeranthus indicus against mosquito vectors