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Corynanthe pachyceras

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Botanical Name: Corynanthe pachyceras
Family: Rubiaceae
Subfamily: Cinchonoideae
Tribe: Naucleeae
Genus: Corynanthe
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales

Common Names: False Yohimbe
Habitat :Corynanthe pachyceras is native to West tropical Africa – Sierra Leone to Central African Republic, south to Gabon and Zaire.It grows as an understorey tree in forests.
Description:
Corynanthe pachyceras is a tree with a low-branching spreading crown growing up to 21 metres tall. The bole is fluted and twisted, up to 2 metres in diameter. is native to The tree is gathered from the wild for local medicinal use.
The flowers are sweetly scented....CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURES

Propagation : Through seeds.

Medicinal Uses: 
The bark is said to have strong febrifuge properties. It is used internally used as a tea for feverish states and the common cold, and as an adjuvant for minor hypertension. It is claimed to be aphrodisiac and recommended for erectile dysfunction. In the Central African Republic, a macerate of the branch bark is drunk in palm wine as an aphrodisiac and as an agent for staying awake

Other Uses: The sap-wood is cream-coloured, the heart-wood reddish when fresh turning to yellow.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corynanthe
http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Corynanthe+pachyceras

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Achillea coarctata

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Botanical Name : Achillea coarctata
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily:Asteroideae
Tribe: Anthemideae
Genus: Achillea
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales

Common Names: Yellow Yarrow

Habitat : Achillea coarctata is native to Southeastern Europe to the Ukraine on dry hillsides and sandy places. Rather too large for the average rock garden.
Description:
Achillea coarctata is a flowering plant. Basal leaves 15-30cm long, pinnatisect with pinnatifid lobes; stem leaves to 8cm and less dissected; all fern-like and silky white-downy. Flowerheads about 5mm in diameter, yellow, densely arranged in broad corymbs, summer.
CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES :

Medicinal Uses:
Yarrow plants have astringent properties and act as a mild laxative.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillea
http://encyclopaedia.alpinegardensociety.net/plants/Achillea/coarctata

http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

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Nymphaea alba

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Botanical Name: Nymphaea alba
Family: Nymphaeaceae
Genus: Nymphaea
Species: N. alba
Kingdom: Plantae
Order:Nymphaeales

Synonyms : N. occidentalis. Castalia alba. C. speciosa.
Common Names: White Water Lily, European white waterlily, White water rose or White nenuphar

Habitat: Nymphaea alba is native to most of Europe, including Britain. It grows in marshes, ponds, slow moving streams, lakes and canals up to 1.2m deep.

Description:
Nymphaea alba is a perennial water plant. It grows in water that is 30–150 cm (12–59 in) deep and likes large ponds and lakes. The leaves can be up to 30 cm (12 in) in diameter and they take up a spread of 150 cm (59 in) per plant. It is in flower from Jul to August, and the seeds ripen from Aug to October. The flowers are white and they have many small stamens inside. It is found all over Europe and in parts of North Africa and the Middle East in freshwater.

The red variety (Nymphaea alba f. rosea) which is in cultivation came from lake Fagertärn (“Fair tarn”) in the forest of Tiveden, Sweden, where they were discovered in the early 19th century. The discovery led to a large scale exploitation which nearly made it extinct in the wild before it was protected.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES:

The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Flies, beetles, self.The plant is self-fertile.

Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It can grow in water.

Cultivation:
A water plant requiring a rich soil and a sunny position in still or slowly moving water. Best grown in 2 – 2.5 metres of water[200]. Prefers a pH between 6 and 7. Dislikes acid conditions according to another report. This species is hardy to about -20°c. There are two basic types of plant in this genus:- ‘crawlers’ are species with horizontal roots that often spread freely, with new plants being formed at intervals along the root. These species are useful for naturalising, but they do not flower very freely in the cool summers of Britain. ‘clumpers’ have vertical roots and form slowly spreading clumps and produce offsets around the crown. These forms flower much more freely in Britain. A very ornamental plant. The flowers, which only open in bright sunshine, have a soft delicate scent.

Propagation:
Seed – sow as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse in pots submerged under 25mm of water. Prick out into individual pots as soon as the first true leaf appears and grow them on in water in a greenhouse for at least two years before planting them out in late spring. The seed is collected by wrapping the developing seed head in a muslin bag to avoid the seed being lost. Harvest it 10 days after it sinks below the soil surface or as soon as it reappears. Division in May. Each portion must have at least one eye. Submerge in pots in shallow water until established

Edible Uses: Root – cooked. Eaten when several years old. It contains up to 40% starch, 6% protein. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute. Seed – cooked. It contains about 47% starch.
Medicinal Uses:
The rhizome is anodyne, antiscrofulatic, astringent, cardiotonic, demulcent and sedative. A decoction of the root is used in the treatment of dysentery or diarrhoea caused by irritable bowel syndrome. It has also been used to treat bronchial catarrh and kidney pain and can be taken as a gargle for sore throats. Externally it can be used to make a douche to treat vaginal soreness or discharges. In combination with slippery elm (Ulmus rubra) or flax (Linum usitatissimum) it is used as a poultice to treat boils and abscesses. The rhizome is harvested in the autumn and can be dried for later use. The flowers are anaphrodisiac and sedative. They have a generally calming and sedative effect upon the nervous system, reputedly reducing the sex drive and making them useful in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety and similar disorders. A complete cure of uterine cancer by a decoction and uterine injection has been recorded. According to one report the plant is not used in modern herbal practice, though it has been quoted as a remedy for dysentery.

The rhizome may be used to make a douche for vaginal soreness and discharge, or to make a poultice, often in combination with slippery elm or linseed, for boils and abscesses. The plant has been found to lower blood pressure in animals. The flowers are anaphrodisiac and sedative. They have a generally calming and sedative effect upon the nervous system, reputedly reducing the sex drive and making them useful in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety and similar disorders. A complete cure of uterine cancer by a decoction and uterine injection has been recorded.

Known Hazards: One report suggests that the plant is poisonous but gives no further details. The plant contains the toxic alkaloids nupharine and nymphaeine, these substances have an effect on the nervous system.
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaea_alba
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm
http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Nymphaea+alba

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Ipomoea digitata

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Botanical Name: Ipomoea digitata
Family: Convolvulaceae
Genus: Ipomoea
Species: I. mauritiana
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Solanales

Synonyms:
*Convolvulus paniculatus
*Ipomoea digitata
*Ipomoea eriosperma
*Ipomoea paniculata

Common English Names: Giant potato, Aligator Yam, Giant Potato, Milky Yam

Common Hindi Name : Bilaikand

Sanskrit Name: Vidari

Common Indian names :
Balaikand, Bhuikumra, Bhumikumra (Bengali) ; Bhukshmandi, Bhumikushmanda, Gandhaphala, Gajavajipriya, Gajeshta, Ikshugandha, Kshirakhanda, Kshirashukla, Kshiravatti, Kshiravidali, Kroshtri, Mahaveshta, Payasvini, Shreshtakanda, Shrigalika, Shukla, Sita, Svadukanda, Svadulata, Triparna, Vajivallabha, Vidali, Vidari, Vidarika, Vrikshavalli, Vrishyavardhini (Sanskrit) ; Mutalakkanta, Palmutakku (Malyalam) ; Nilappuchani, Palmodikka, Palmidanji, Pucharkkaraikkilangu, Valli (Tamil) ; Bhuchakragadda, Chirugummudu, Devakanjanamu, Nelagammudu, palamodikku (Telugu) ; Bhumichakragadde, Bujagumbala, Guddagenasu, Nelagumbala, Vidari (Kannada) ; Bhuikohala, Bhumikohola, Vidarikand (Marathi) ; Bhuinkokaru (Oriya) ; Balaikand (Urdu)

Habitat: Its origins are uncertain, but it has been recorded in West Africa including in Gambia  and riparian forests of Benin, as well as Australia’s Northern Territory. It is naturalised in many parts of the world including  India, Taiwan and Hawaii (where it is called Likam).

There have been specimens collected or observations from: Australia; Belize; Benin; Brunei; Cambodia; Cameroon; China; Colombia; DRC; Costa Rica; Côte d’Ivoire; Ecuador; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon; Ghana; Guinea; Honduras; Indonesia; Laos; Liberia; Madagascar; Mauritius; Micronesia, Federated States of; Myanmar; New Caledonia; Nicaragua; Nigeria; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Senegal; Sudan; Tanzania; Thailand; Togo; Venezuela.
It is grown in the east of India including Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Assam, and the west coast from Konkan to Kerala. It grows mostly in moist areas, monsoon forests and in coastal tracts.

Description:
Ipomoea digitata is an extensive perennial climber with large, ovoid and tuberous roots. The leaves are large, palmately 5-7 lobed, ovate, lanceolate, acute or acuminate, glabrous and with prominent nerves beneath. Flowers are widely campanulate and few to many in the axillary corymbose cymes. Corolla is purple and campanulate-infundibuliform. Ovary 4-celled. Capsules are small and ovoid. Seeds 4 in each fruit, black and woolly…….CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES 

Principal Constituents: b -sitosterol was identified1. Taraxerol and sitosterol were also identified2.

Medicinal Uses:
The root has alterative, aphrodisiac, tonic, stimulant properties and used in male infertility and inflammations.
It is mucilaginous, bitter, and a nutritive tonic, useful in the management of abdominal pain, cramps, hysteria, nervous excitability, hormonal deficiency, impotency, senility, debility, liver and spleen complaints, fevers, infertility, colic, coughs, bronchitis, spermatorrhea, moderating menstrual discharges, general liver complaints, and emaciation in children. The tuberous root increases secretion of milk, emaciation, debility, poor digestion, increases weight, enlarged liver and spleen; moderates menstrual discharge, good for weak children. Also useful in leprosy, burning sensation, vomiting, blood disease. It improves voice and complexion. Flowers cause biliousness. According to Unani system of medicine, root is heating, dry, carminative, expectorant, anthelmintic, stomachic, appetizer, and useful in treatment of syphilis, gonorrhea and inflammation. Leaves enrich the blood.
Other Uses: The plant is also grown for ornamental purposes and trained against trellises and pillars.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.thefullwiki.org/Ipomoea_digitata
http://www.biodiversityofindia.org/index.php?title=Ipomoea_digitata
http://www.la-medicca.com/raw-herbs-Ipomoea-digitata.html
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

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Alnus tenuifolia

Botanical Name : Alnus tenuifolia
Family: Betulaceae
Genus: Alnus
Subgenus: Alnus
Species: A. incana
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Fagales

Synonyms: A. incana tenuifolia. (Nutt.)Breitung.
Common Names: Mountain Alder, Thinleaf alder, Alnus incana, Grey alder or Speckled alder

Habitat: Alnus tenuifolia is native to Western N. America – Alaska to California and New Mexico. It grows on moist soils by swamps, streams, ponds and lakes in foothills to well up in the mountains.

Description:
Alnus tenuifolia is a deciduous tree 15–20 m (49–66 ft) tall with smooth grey bark even in old age, its life span being a maximum of 60 to 100 years. The leaves are matte green, ovoid, 5–11 cm (2.0–4.3 in) long and 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) broad. The flowers are catkins, appearing early in spring before the leaves emerge, the male catkins pendulous and 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long, the female catkins 1.5 cm (0.6 in) long and one cm broad when mature in late autumn. The seeds are small, 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) long, and light brown with a narrow encircling wing. The grey alder has a shallow root system, and is marked not only by vigorous production of stump suckers, but also by root suckers, especially in the northern parts of its range. The wood resembles that of the black alder, but is somewhat paler and of little economic value.

It is in flower in March, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind.Bloom Color: Purple, Red. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Oval, Pyramidal. It can fix Nitrogen…..CLICK &  SEE THE  PICTURES

Suitable for: medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.
Cultivation:
Prefers a heavy soil and a damp situation. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Tolerates very infertile sites. A fast-growing but short-lived tree. There is some confusion over the correct name of this tree with one authority citing the European species A. incana as the correct name. Another report says that this species is closely related to A. incana, but distinct. Some modern works treat it as a subspecies (Alnus incana tenuifolia). This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil micro-organisms, these form nodules on the roots of the plants and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. Special Features:Not North American native, Wetlands plant, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms.

Propagation:
Seed – best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe and only just covered. Spring sown seed should also germinate successfully so long as it is not covered. The seed should germinate in the spring as the weather warms up. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots. If growth is sufficient, it is possible to plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer, otherwise keep them in pots outdoors and plant them out in the spring. If you have sufficient quantity of seed, it can be sown thinly in an outdoor seed bed in the spring. The seedlings can either be planted out into their permanent positions in the autumn/winter, or they can be allowed to grow on in the seed bed for a further season before planting them. Cuttings of mature wood, taken as soon as the leaves fall in autumn, outdoors in sandy soil.

Edible Uses:
Catkins – raw or cooked. A bitter taste.

Medicinal Uses:
The bark is astringent, emetic, haemostatic, stomachic and tonic. The bark also contains salicin, which probably decomposes into salicylic acid (closely related to aspirin) in the human body. This is used as an anodyne and febrifuge. The outer bark is astringent and is applied as a poultice to bleeding wounds, it also reduces swellings.

Other Uses:
Pioneer; Soil stabilization; Tannin; Wood.

This is an excellent pioneer species for re-establishing woodlands on disused farmland, difficult sites etc. Its fast rate of growth means that it quickly provides sheltered conditions to allow more permanent woodland trees to become established. In addition, bacteria on the roots fix atmospheric nitrogen – whilst this enables the tree to grow well in quite poor soils it also makes some of this nitrogen available to other plants growing nearby. Alder trees also have a heavy leaf canopy and when the leaves fall in the autumn they help to build up the humus content of the soil. Alder seedlings do not compete well in shady woodland conditions and so this species gradually dies out as the other trees become established. The tree has an extensive root system and can be planted to control banks from erosion. The bark and the strobils are a source of tannin. A dark dye is obtained from the bark. The colour can range from orange through red to brown. Wood – soft, straight-grained, very durable in water. It is of no commercial value, though it is used locally as a fuel.

Landscape Uses: Erosion control.
Known Hazards: The freshly harvested inner bark is emetic but is alright once it has been dried.
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alnus_incana
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Alnus+tenuifolia

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