Dominican Medicinal Plants: A Guide for Health Care Providers

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Juana la Blanca
OTHER COMMON NAMES
False buttonweed (English).
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Spermacoce verticillata L. or Spermacoce assurgens Ruiz and Pavón; synonym: Borreria laevis (Lam.)
Griseb. [Rubiaceae (Madder and Bedstraw Family)].
DOMINICAN MEDICINAL USES
In ethnobotanical studies conducted in New York City, Dominican interview participants reported using
or knowing about the use of this plant as a remedy for the following health conditions (Balick et al. 2000,
Yukes et al. 2002-2003):
- Excess or abnormal vaginal discharge
- Infertility
- Kidney infections
- Kidney stones
- Menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea)
- Vaginal infections
Plant Part Used: Whole plant.
Traditional Preparation: Typically prepared as a tea by infusion or decoction; may also be added to
complex multi-herb preparations.
Traditional Uses: Juana la blanca is used to treat infertility and is often added as an ingredient along
with other plants to botellas for women. It is also an ingredient in the popular purchased proprietary
herbal formula known as “La Sra. Mueller.” For menstrual cramps (dolores menstruales) and vaginal
infections or excess discharge (flujo vaginal), a tea is prepared of juana la blanca and horsetail (cola de
caballo). For kidney infections and kidney stones, boil juana la blanca and molasses (melaza) in water,
taken as a tea.
Availability: The dried herb can be purchased from select botánicas.
BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
Juana la blanca (Spermacoce assurgens) is a subshrub that grows upright or along the ground (30-50 cm
long). Leaves grow in opposite pairs and are narrowly oval (2.5-5.5 × 0.5-1.7 cm), thin and papery in
texture and smooth-surfaced with tiny, sharp hairs along the edges. Flowers grow in terminal clusters and
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