australe, which grows in open areas in Brazil and is considered an invasive weed in some crops and pastures (Lorenzi and Matos, 2002), is widely used in folk medicine for the treatment of diarrhea, skin diseases,
blennorrhagia, dyspepsia, parasitic worms and malaria, among other ailments (Rodrigues and Carvalho, 2001; Lorenzi and Matos, 2002).