Components of Mimosa Pudica

Leaves and Stems

• The leaves of the Mimosa pudica have long fascinated people, by folding away and drooping when touched and then reopening a few minutes later. This plant employs both nyctinastic and seismonastic movements. Nyctinastic movement is when a plant folds up at night and reopens during the day, reacting to daylight. Seismonastic movement is the temporary movement of a plant in reaction to touch, warmth, or lack of water. This movement is accomplished by an electrical and chemical response in the plant.

  The prickly stem of the Mimosa pudica is slender and upright in a young plant and trails like a ground cover as the plant ages. The leaves grow in pairs on either side of three-inch stems branching off of the main stem. The leaves of the Mimosa pudica are used in homeopathic treatments for diabetes, skin rashes, and for the treatment of scabies.

Flowers

• Mimosa pudica blooms in mid to late summer, producing one-inch pink-purple flowers resembling puffy globes with red centers. Its flowers produce long seed pods, each with three to four light brown seeds.

Roots

• The roots are used in homeopathic treatments for many illnesses. These include urinary and vaginal infections, asthma, inflammations, and diarrhea. The bitter extract of these roots is used to treat parasitic infestations of Pinworm (Strongyloides) in mammals, including humans. The roots of the Mimosa pudica are used to treat skin rash, neurolgical disorders, and the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Extract of the root also slows bleeding, aids in healing wounds, and is used for the regeneration of nerves. The Department of Chemistry, Cotton College, Guwahati, Assam, India is researching the extract of the roots as a potential replacement for modern contraceptives. There are substances found in the roots that reportedly change the timing of the release of reproductive hormones in women.