Botany
Desmodium heterophyllum is a prostrate, spreading, slender plant, with stems 10 to 40 centimeters long, clothed with long, spreading hairs. Leaves are 3-foliate on top, and unifoliate lower down. Leaflets are oblong, elliptic, or obovate-oblong, 1 to 2 centimeters long, and hairy beneath. Flowers are purple, and 5 to 6 millimeters long. Pods are about 1.5 centimeters long, with 4 or 5 joints which are as broad as they are long; the upper suture is continuous and the lower indented.

Distribution
- In open, usually damp grasslands, old clearings, etc., at low and medium altitudes in Ilocos Norte, Rizal, and Quezon Provinces in Luzon; in Polillo; and in Palawan.
- Also native to China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea.

Constituents
- Moderate levels of tannins.
- Yields alkaloids.
- Study of aerial parts using spectroscopic methods isolated five isoflavonoids including one new, (3R)-2',4',5,7-tetrahydroxy-6-methylisolavanone (1). (see study below) (10)

Properties
- Considered carminative, tonic, and diuretic.
- Leaves considered galactagogue.
- Study suggested α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities.


Parts used
Roots, twigs, leaves, juice.

Uses
Folkloric
- Roots and leaves, pounded together, are applied to sores.
- Juice dropped into the ear for earache.
- Decoction taken for stomach aches and other abdominal complaints.
- In Cambodia, twigs and leaves used to treat urinary retention and digestive complaints. Also used for diarrhea and dysentery. Leaves used as galatagogue.
- In Mauritius, used as a diuretic, for dysentery, and as a cooling medicine.
- In Lombok, Indonesia, roots, stems, and leaves used for scabies and itches.
- In West Java, Indonesia, used as postpartum remedy. Also for lack of appetite.
- In India, whole plant used as galactagogue and expectorant. Also used as tonic and diuretic. Plant decoction used for stomach aches.
- In Malaysia, used for sores, earaches, stomach aches and abdominal complaints.
Others
- Fodder: For cattle grazing, low yield but good forage,with a nutritive value of 17-18% CP, and no reported toxicity.

Studies
• α-Amylase and α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity / Isoflavanoids / Aerial Parts: Study of aerial parts isolated five isoflavanoids including one new, (3R)-2',4',5,7-tetrahydroxy-6-methylisolavanone (1). Genistein (5) and dalbergioidin (2) inhibited both α-amylase and α-glucosidase with IC50 values of 110.4 and 162.8 µM for α-amylase and 257.3 and 412.6 µM for α-glucosidase. Antidiabetic drug acarbose was used as standard. (10)

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Desmodium heterophyllum / Tropical Forages
(2)
Desmodium heterophyllum DC - FABACEAE - Dicotyledon / OswaldAsia
(3)
Medicinal Plants / P P Joy, J Thomas, Samuel Mathew et al / Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Research Station
(4)
Trout’s Notes on the Genus Desmodium / K Trout / Trouts Notes
(5)
Initial Studies on Alkaloids from Lombok Medicinal Plants / Surya Hadi and John B Brenner / Molecules, 2001
(6)
Desmodium heterophyllum (Willd.) DC / Chinese names / Catalogue of Life, China
(7)
Desmodium heterophyllum (Wiild.) DC. / Vernacular names / GLOBinMED
(8)
Medicinal plants used by the villagers of a Sundanese community in West Java, Indonesia / Katrin Roosita, Clara M. Kusharto, Makiko Sekiyama∗, Yulian Fachrurozi, Ryutaro Ohtsuka / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 115 (2008) 72–81
(9)
Desmodium heterophyllum (Willd.) DC. / Synonyms / The Plant List
(10)
Isoflavonoids from Desmodium heterophyllum Aerial Parts / Le Minh Ha, Nguyen Thi Luyen, Ngo Thi Phuong, Do Thi Thanh Huyen, Le Mai Huong, / Pham Minh Quan, Nguyen Tuan Hiep and Nguyen Tien Dat / Natural Product Coommunication, 2018; 13(6): pp 699-700

                                                                          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)