Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Sclerocarpus divaricatus is a wild herb in the daisy family. It is named in lists of medicinal plants from Central America and Mexico. Almost nothing else about it is on record.
The plant is a weedy annual with small yellow flower heads. It grows in fields, roadsides and open ground in warm regions. Botanists have confirmed the name, which is why it appears in plant databases.
Here is the honest verdict on evidence. There are no human trials of this plant for any health use.
Traditional use is not proof that a remedy works, and it is not proof that it is safe. For this plant, even the traditional record is thin and vague.
If you came here hoping for a reason to try it, this page cannot give you one. What we can give you is a clear picture of what is missing. That gap is the main fact about Sclerocarpus divaricatus.
No mechanism has been shown for this plant in people or in animals. There is no published study of how it acts in the body.
Plants in the daisy family often carry bitter plant compounds called sesquiterpene lactones. In laboratory dishes, compounds of that type can slow some bacteria and damp down signs of inflammation. Whether Sclerocarpus divaricatus contains them in any useful amount has not been tested.
So any mechanism you read about this plant is borrowed from its plant family, not measured in the plant itself. That is a guess, not a finding. Treat it that way.
There is no standard commercial form of this plant. You will not find it in mainstream supplement shops.
Where it has been used at all, it was used as fresh or dried aerial parts, the leaves and flowering tops. Local use would have meant a water infusion or a crushed plant applied to skin.
Because no product is standardised, strength and purity cannot be checked. Material sold online under this name may also be misidentified.
Sclerocarpus divaricatus appears in modern survey lists of Central American medicinal plants. Those surveys record that local people used it, without saying clearly what for.
No detailed folk recipe, dose or indication has been handed down in the published record. The plant never entered European or North American herbal practice. It has no place in formal herbal medicine today.
That history tells you the plant was within reach of people who used plants as medicine. It does not tell you the plant helped them.
Stop at once and get emergency help if you have swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, trouble breathing, or a sudden spreading rash. These are signs of a severe allergic reaction.
See a doctor promptly if you get yellow skin or yellow eyes, dark urine, pain over the right side of your belly, or vomiting that will not settle.
See your doctor before you start if you take any regular medicine. Take the plant material with you if you can.
Sclerocarpus divaricatus is not an approved medicine in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada or Australia. It is not a recognised food. In the EU and UK it would count as a novel food, which means it is not authorised for sale as a food or drink.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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