Indian Copperleaf

Indian copperleaf is an erect annual herb of the spurge family, up to about 1.2 metres tall, recognised by the cup-shaped bracts that surround its tiny flowers in catkin-like spikes. It grows throughout the Old World tropics on waste land, roadsides and wall crevices, in moist, shaded places. It is best known for its root, which domestic cats react to very strongly, much like catnip but more so; several local names, such as the Tamil kuppaimeni, refer to this. The plant has many traditional medicinal uses: in Madagascar the crushed plant is used for skin parasites, in Mauritius the leaf sap with salt or a decoction for scabies and skin problems, and in the Seychelles and Réunion a root infusion for asthma.