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Herbs & Plants

Sedum album

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Botanical Name : Sedum album

Family: Crassulaceae
Genus:     Sedum
Species: S. album
Kingdom: Plantae
Order:     Saxifragales

Synonym: Small Houseleek (Culpepper).

Common Names: White stonecrop,

Habitat : Sedum album   is found in the northern temperate regions of the world,(Europe. Long naturalized in Britain.) often growing in crevices or free-draining rocky soil. It is not very common, and is found wild on rocks and walls. As a rule, however, when growing on garden walls and the roofs of cottages and outhouses,

Description:
Sedum album is a tufted perennial herb that forms mat-like stands. Much of the year the stems are short, semi prostrate and densely clad in leaves. At the flowering time in July and August, the stems lengthen and are erect, occasionally branched and often pinkish-brown.The flowering stems are 6 to 10 inches high, with a few leaves growing alternately on them and terminated by muchbranched, flat tufts (cymes) of numerous, small, star-like flowers, about 1/6 inch in diameter, the white petals twice as large as the green sepals.

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The leaves are alternate, fleshy and nearly cylindrical with a blunt, rounded tip. They are also sometimes tinged with pink, especially in drought-stressed plants. The starry flowers form a dense cyme. The calyx has five fleshy sepals fused at the base, the corolla consists of five regular white petals, there are ten stamens, a separate gynoecium and five pistils. The fruit is five united, many-seeded follicles.

It owes its presence indirectly to human agency, and is to be considered a garden escape. The root is perennial and fibrous, the flowerless stems prostrate, of a bluish-green colour, round and leafy. The leaves are bright green and very succulent, oblong, cylindrical, blunt and spreading, 1/3 to 1/2 inch long.

This Stonecrop, which flowers in July and August, is not to be confounded with another white-flowered Stonecrop (Sedum Anglicum), which flowers earlier – June and July – and is an annual. It is a plant of smaller and compacter growth, the leaves shorter and less cylindrical, with less numerous flowers, the white petals of which are spotted with red.

Cultivation:     
A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils but prefers a fertile well-drained soil. Established plants are drought tolerant, they grow well in dry soils and succeed on a wall. Requires a sunny position. Plants spread rapidly and aggressively at the roots. If clearing the plant from an area it is quite important to try and remove every part of the plant since even a leaf or a small part of the stem, if left on the ground, can form roots and develop into a new plant. This species has white flowers. All members of this genus are said to have edible leaves, though those species that have yellow flowers can cause stomach upsets if they are eaten in quantity. Plants in this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits.

Propagation:   
Seed – surface sow in spring in well-drained soil in a sunny position in a greenhouse. Do not allow the soil to dry out. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. If sufficient growth is made, it is possible to plant them out during the summer, otherwise keep them in a cold-frame or greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in early summer of the following year. Division is very easy and can be carried out at almost any time in the growing season, though is probably best done in spring or early summer. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.

Edible Uses: Leaves – raw or cooked. Usually eaten as a pickle, though it can also be added to salads or cooked with other leafy vegetables.

Medicinal Uses:
Parts Used: Leaves, stalks.

Antiinflammatory;  Poultice.

The leaves and stems are applied externally as a poultice to inflammations and are especially recommended for treating painful haemorrhoids.

The older herbalists considered the White Stonecrop to possess all the virtues of the Houseleek. The leaves and stalks were recommended and used for all kinds of inflammation, being especially applied as a cooling plaster to painful haemorrhoids. Culpepper tells us: ‘it is so harmless an herb you can scarce use it amiss.’ It was the custom, too, to prepare and eat it as a pickle, in the same way as the juicy Samphire.

Other Uses:
The plant spreads aggressively and can be used for ground cover in a sunny position amongst plants tall enough not to be overrun by it. It is best planted about 45cm apart each way. Strong growing bulbs such as some lilies will grow happily through this ground cover

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

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum_album
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/stonec91.html
http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Sedum+album

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Herbs & Plants

Kalanchoe Pinnata(Patharchur)

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Botanical Name : . Bryophyllum pinnatum
Family : Crussulaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Saxifragales
Genus: Kalanchoe
Section: Bryophyllum
Species: K. pinnata

synonyms.: Bryophyllum calycinum, Bryophyllum pinnatum,also known as the Air Plant, Life Plant, Miracle Leaf, Goethe Plant and the Katakataka (Filipino)

Common names : Vernacular names for Kalanchoe pinnata include Cathedral Bells, Air Plant, Life Plant, Miracle Leaf, Goethe Plant and the Katakataka. The first two of these are also commonly names for plants of other species and genera. Also called “Wonder of the World” in the English speaking Caribbean.’Oliwa Ka Kahakai [Hawai’i], Mother Of Thousands, Air Plant [USA], Herbe Mal Tete [Dominica] Never Dead, Parvu,  Hoja Del Aire [Bolivia]

Sanskrit Name:: Pashanabheda;
Hindi Name:: Patharchur;

Pharmacutical Name:-
Western Functions: Anti-inflammatory, hemostatic; reduces swelling, promotes healing
Energetic Functions: Clears heat and toxin, clears heat and cools the blood, invigorates blood

Habitat :It is a succulent plant native to Madagascar. It is distinctive for the profusion of miniature plantlets that form on the margins of its leaves, a trait it has in common with the other members of the Bryophyllum section of the Kalanchoe genus.It is a popular houseplant and has become naturalized in temperate regions of Asia, the Pacific and Caribbean.

Distribution and introduction

Kalanchoe pinnata has become naturalized in temperate regions of Asia, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, Macaronesia, Mascarenes, Galapagos, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Hawaii. In many of these, such as Hawaii, it is regarded as an invasive species. It is also widely distributed in the Philippines and it is known as katakataka or kataka-taka which is also an adjective meaning astonishing or remarkable.

Much of the reason for the widespread naturalization of this plant can be traced to its popularity as a garden plant. The writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – who also was an amateur naturalist of some repute – was “passionately fond” of this plant and liked to give the baby plantlets as gifts to friends who visited his home. He also discussed his air plant at length in an essay titled Geschichte meiner botanischen Studien (“History of my botanical studies”).

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Description : The plant is smooth, robust and un branched herb can grow 30-200 cm. tall.
The leaves are fleshy and leathery when older.The younger ones have simple arrangement, egg-shaped with cordate or rounded base while the upper ones is pinnate with -3-5 leaflets that are sized at 5-9(20) am x 2.5 – 5 cm.Its base is wedge shaped while the apex is blunt. The margin is notched with blunt or rounded teeth.

Medicinal Uses:
* Digestive: Vomiting blood [China]
* Ears, nose, throat: Tonsillitis, otitis media, opthalmia. Leaf poultice or juice in the ear for earache.[China, Caribbean, Trinidad]
* Infection: Boils and pyodermas, mastitis. [China, Caribbean]
* Musculoskeletal / Trauma: Traumatic injury – fracture. Strains, sprains, bruises, swellings, Mash leaves and apply externally to lesion.[China, Ecuador, Caribbean, Trinidad] Bleeding from wounds [China]
* Parasites: Heated leaves for “tay tay worms”. [Trinidad]
* Psychospiritual: Leaves in bath for “bewitchment”. [Trinidad]
* Reproductive: Leaf poultice for dysmenorrhea. [Caribbean]
* Respiratory: Poulticed for head cold. [Caribbean] Coughing blood [China]
* Urinary: Leaves decocted to clean the bladder. [Trinidad]
* Veterinary: Toxic to cattle
* Other: Topical for headaches. [Caribbean]
Part Used: Whole plant
Caution:
* Contraindicated in cases of impaired digestive function.
* Topical treatment may produce severe skin blisters
Preparation: Collect all year round. Use fresh and squeeze the juice, or prepare as decoction
Dosage: 30 – 60 gm
Notes:
* Anti-ulcer
* Anti-bacterial.

Toxicity and traditional medicine:
In common with other Crassulaceae (such as the genera Tylecodon, Cotyledon and Adromischus), Kalanchoe pinnata has been found to contain bufadienolide cardiac glycosides. These can cause cardiac poisoning, particularly in grazing animals.

In traditional medicine, Kalanchoe species have been used to treat ailments such as infections, rheumatism and inflammation. Kalanchoe extracts also have immunosuppressive effects. Kalanchoe pinnata has been recorded in Trinidad and Tobago as being used as a traditional treatment for hypertension and for the treatment of kidney stones in India where is goes by the name of Pather Chat or Paan-futti.

Bufadienolide compounds isolated from Kalanchoe pinnata include bryophillin A which showed strong anti-tumor promoting activity, and bersaldegenin-3-acetate and bryophillin C which were less active. Bryophillin C also showed insecticidal properties

Ayurvedic Uses:

It is madhura, tikta; cures polyuria; allays thirst, alleviates burning sensation and dysuria; sheetala (sheetaveerya); heals urinary calculi.

Part Used: roots

Therapeutic Uses: Leaves: externally applied after toasting in the treatment of bruises, boils and bites of venomous insects; poultice or powder applied to sloughing ulcers.

The roots are bitter, astringent, cooling ,diuretic, laxative, useful in haemorrhoids, renalaand vesical calculi, diabetes and venereal diseases.

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

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalanchoe_pinnata
http://www.ayurvedakalamandiram.com/herbs.htm#madayantika
http://www.medicineatyourfeet.com/kalanchoepinnata.html
http://www.globinmed.com/IMRContent/detail.aspx?id=BOT00065

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