Hypoxis hemerocallidea, the African star grass or African potato, is a medicinal plant in the Hypoxidaceae family. It is native to southern Africa from South Africa as far north as Mozambique and Zimbabwe.[2][3] This plant is the best known member of this genus.
| Hypoxis hemerocallidea | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Hypoxidaceae |
| Genus: | Hypoxis |
| Species: | H. hemerocallidea
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| Binomial name | |
| Hypoxis hemerocallidea | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Medicinal uses
editHypoxis is promoted as an alternative medicine treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia, but research has found no evidence of beneficial effect.[4] Additionally, one study suggests Hypoxis alters the activity of cytochrome P450, suggesting that it may interfere with the effectiveness of other drugs or supplements, such as antiretroviral drugs.[5]
References
edit- ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ Gillmer, M.; Symmonds, R. (1999). "Seed collection and germination: Hypoxis hemerocallidea". Plantlife. 21 (36): 37.
- ^ Keehn; Taylor; Lowe (2016). "Phytotherapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia". Curr. Urol. Rep. 17 (7): 53. doi:10.1007/s11934-016-0609-z. PMID 27180172. S2CID 25609876.
- ^ Mills E, et al. (2005). "Impact of African herbal medicines on antiretroviral metabolism". AIDS. 19 (1): 95–97. doi:10.1097/00002030-200501030-00013. PMID 15627040. S2CID 10051825.
External links
edit
- Hypoxis hemerocallidea research University Kwazulu-Natal [1] Archived 2018-01-25 at the Wayback Machine
- Hypoxis hemerocallidea South African National Biodiversity Institute [2]
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