I was trying to learn more about a nasty weed that I
have been battling for years in my yard.  It is known
by various names 
Nut-sedge, Nut grass Umbrella Plant Yellow Nut-sedge;
Chufa Sweet Galingale the Egyptian Paper Plant Purple
or Red Nut-sedge; Coco Grass

Cyperus esculentus L.
CYPERACEÆ; Sedge Family

At the following web site:
http://www.farmingsolutions.org/successtories/stories.asp?id=45

I came accross an article by Dr. CR Chinnamuthu,
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Agronomy, Tamil Nadu
Agricultural University, 641 003 Coimbatore, India.

In the article - "Pigs manage the world's worst weed"
- he says 
......" The tubers are said to be eaten boiled or
toasted during times of famine. Essential oil is
obtained from the tubers and used in perfumery. The
stems and tubers are used in medicine as a stringent,
stimulant and vermifuge as well in the treatment of
bowel and stomach disorders. Applied externally to
breasts, they stimulate increased secretion of
milk.".......
He also mentioned that

"In certain parts of Tamil Nadu, where rice is grown
traditionally, farmers are effectively managing the
nut sedge problem by using pigs..........(The pigs)
are fed with market waste like cabbage and allowed to
collect the tubers in the waste lands. Since the
tubers are succulent and sweet in taste pigs are very
fond of them. Nut sedge tubers are very nutritious
food for pigs. They increase body weight and milk
production."

I found a very good picture of the weed in an article
by a Seattle writer and plant expert named Arthur Lee
Jacabson.  He mentions medicinal properties but does
not mention its galactagogue properties.  

The picture can be found at the end of the article at
the following website.  Many of you gardeners out
there might recognize it when you see the picture.

http://www.arthurleej.com/p-o-m-Nov04.html

Part of Jacobson's article states as follows.........
"In the Old World, the tubers are cultivated, they are
eaten raw or mashed into drinks (horchata de chufa) or
made into flour, or an oil is extracted. The tender
young leaf bases have been eaten in salads. The tubers
are 4% protein, 24% fat, 30% starch, 16% sucrose".

and one particular type 
............."C. rotundus, the Purple or Red Nut-sedge
or Coco Grass, also bears tubers. It is routinely
ranked as the world's absolutely worst weed. But this
species is more cold-tender, its tubers are aromatic
and taste bitter, its leaves are more slender, its
seeds darker, and it has far more significance in
medicinal applications than as a food. It has not been
found in Washington State, though it is worthy of
being cultivated at the University of Washington
Medicinal Herb Garden. It is an active tranquilizer
and blood pressure lowering herb. It has been used for
arthritis, conjunctivitis, a remedy for liver damage,
and as an aid to weight loss.".............

The tubers by the way, are very small, like little
nuts clustered at the end of the roots.

I would be very interested to know if anyone else is
familiar with this plant as a galactagogue.

Cathy Loughma RN IBCLC




		
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