Categories
Herbs & Plants

Caesalpinia digyna

Botanical Name :Caesalpinia digyna
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Tribes: Caesalpinieae
Genus: Caesalpinia
Species: Caesalpinia digyna
Order: Fabales

Synonym(s):  Caesalpinia oleosperma Roxb.

Common Names : Vakerimool
English Names :Teri Pods
Sanskrit Names :Udakiryaka
Hindi Names : Udakiryaka
(Burmese) : tari
(Cambodia) : khvaw banla
(Filipino) : teri-pod plant
(Lao (Sino-Tibetan)) : kachaay
(Thai) : khee raet
(Vietnamese) : moc meo xanh (Dong Nai)

Habitat : Caesalpinia digyna is found in thickets, light forests and forest borders, in Indo-China up to 1200 m. In Indonesia C. digyna occurs in drier areas up to 200 m. The plant  has a distribution comparable with the preceding species, but is not found further north than Hainan in China.

It grows wild  in the scrub forests,of the eastern himalays, in Asam & West Bengal. It is also found in the Eastern Ghat in Andhra Pradesh & Madha Pradesh.

Description:
A prickly climber or scandent shrub, 2-5 m tall with long recurved prickles. Pinnae in 8-13 pairs, leaflets in 6-12 pairs, oblong-elliptic, 5-13 mm x 2.5-5 mm, subsessile. Flowers in long racemes, fairly large, with petals 8-10 mm long, yellow with red dot at base of red veins in terminal or axillary racemes, dark brown sub-globose seeds in short beaked fruits. Pods oblong-elliptic, 3-6 cm x 1.5-2 cm, constricted between the seeds (1-)2-3(-4)-seeded.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES..

Propagation:
Plants are propagated by seed. The seeds of C. digyna plant are very hard and must be scarified before sowing.

Constituents : They yield bergenin (vakerin). A novel supermidine alkaloid, caesalpinine A (C25H3103N3) has also been isolated.

Medicinal Uses:
The roots have marked astringent and anti-pyretic properties. They also have antioxidant activity and are given internally in debility.
Caesalpinia digyna is reported to treat tuberculosis and diabetes.

The plant is used for curing senile pruritis with excellent result. The drug is also reported to exhibit anti-fatigue effect in rats. The roots have marked astringent and antipyretic properties.

You may click to see :Antioxidant activity of Caesalpinia digyna root.

Other Uses:
Tannin or dyestuff: The pods of C. digyna and C. coriacaria are very rich in tannin, and is used in tanning industry. For tanning leather, the tan-stuff from the pods is generally used as a blend, mixed with other tanning materials. The pods can also serve to prepare a blackish or blueish dye and a black ink, and are sometimes employed as a mordanting agent. The wood is reported to contain a red dye.

Fodder: The seeds of C. digyna can serve as cattle feed. Lipids: Teri-pod contain an oil which can be used in lamps.

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://www.worldagroforestry.org/sea/Products/AFDbases/af/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=18054
http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Caesalpinia_digyna
http://www.la-medicca.com/raw-herbs-caesalpinia-digyna.html
http://www.himalayahealthcare.com/herbfinder/h_caesalpina.htm

http://www.mdidea.com/support/glossary_recipes_c.html

Enhanced by Zemanta
Categories
Herbs & Plants

Cadaba fruticosa

[amazon_link asins=’B0093DHY7W,1519376634,B06XCR9VTQ,B0181U8QLU,8121511151,0914602527,3638771261,0190243864,1895383005′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e60f0e95-098b-11e7-8f79-f52faf2288c2′]

[amazon_link asins=’3540011161,B017MDNZ22,B0176IM5QU,B0176IM3SU,3709196973,B0176IM2F4,3709196612,1141423251,380700212X’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’2830aef4-098c-11e7-bf86-51ab899528d7′]

Botanical Name : Cadaba fruticosa
Family: Capparaceae
Genus: Cadaba
Species: C. fruticosa
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Brassicales
Synonyms: Cleome fruticosa

Common Names
: Kodham, Pulika Indian Cadaba
Common Names in other languages:
Hindi: kodhab, dabi, kadhab • Marathi: habal, vaelivee • Tamil: Vizhuthi, Adamorinika, Chikondi, Piluka • Telugu: Aadamorinika, Chavukkuttiyanku, chekonadi, Chemudu

Habitat : It is endemic on Indian Subcontinent: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Indo-China: Myanmar.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Description:
Indian Cadaba is a climbing shrub, height up to 5 m. Oval leaves with rounded tip are arranged alternately on the branches. Flowers usually in terminal racemes, or axillary solitary. Petals 4, clawed. Disk-appendix about as long as the petal claw, tubular, often trumpet shaped, apex generally petaloid and more or less toothed. Stamens 4-6, exserted, spreading; filaments on a short androphore or irregularly fused with the gynophore. Fruit is nearly cylindrical, leathery – internal tissues surrounding the nearly round seeds are often orange coloured. Flowering: January-March.

click to see..>…...(01)...…(1)..…....(2)..

Medicinal Uses:
Tamil  nadu it is  used in Siddha medicine for more than 2000 years. The juice of the leaves is especially used to cure gonorrhoes.

You may click to see :Herbal folk medicines used for urinary complaints in tribal

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://vaniindia.org.whbus12.onlyfordemo.com/herbal/plantdir.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaba_fruticosa
http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Indian%20Cadaba.html

Categories
Herbs & Plants

Bidens pilosa

[amazon_link asins=’B00PA3KUHA,B01HFF9HFQ’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’f43be011-fa49-11e6-9692-8d1f0c3f6ca6′]

Botanical Name : Bidens pilosa
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Bidens
Species: B. pilosa
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales

Common names
:   Anguad (Ig.)  Puriket (Bon.) ,Burbutak (Tag.)  Beggar ticks (Engl.,) ,Dadayem (Iv.)  Water marigold (Engl.) ,Nghuad (Tag.) Spanish needles (Engl.) ,Ñguad (Tag.) Black jack (Engl.) ,Pisau-pisau (C. Bis.) ,Chor pushpi,Picao Preto, Black-jack, Beggar-ticks, Cobbler’s pegs

Local names: Nguad (Ig.); dadayem (Jv.); pisau-pisau (C. Bis.); puriket (Bon.); beggar-ticks, bur marigold, Spanish needles, black jack (Engl.)

Habitat :   Bidens pilosa  is native to the Americas but it is known widely as an introduced species of other regions, including Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.It  is found in waste places, chiefly at medium altitudes, ascending to 2,200 meters, from the Batan and Babuyan Islands and northern Luzon to Mindanao. It is pantropic in distribution.

Description:
Bidens pilosa is an annual forb of gracile habit, growing up to 1.8 meters tall. It grows aggressively on disturbed land and often becomes weedy. The leaves are oppositely arranged and pinnate in form with three to five dentate, ovate-to-lanceolate leaflets. The petioles are slightly winged.This is an erect, branched, usually more or less hairy herb 0.2 to 1.5 meters in height. The leaves are 1- or 2-pinnatifid and 15 centimeters long or less, the upper one being usually much smaller; the segments are ovate-lanceolate, 2 to 5 centimeters long, and toothed. The flowering heads are about 8 millimeters long. The disc flowers are brown or yellowish and the ray ones, yellow or nearly white. The inner involucral-bracts have broad, scarious margins. The acheness are black, long and slender, linear, 1 to 1.5 centimeters long, and characterized by four projections at the apex.
click to see the pictures…..(01)...(1).(2).(3)…...(4)..…..(5)…....(6).…....(7)..
Edible Uses:
• In sub-Saharan Africa, fresh or dried tender shoots and young leaves are eaten as vegetable in times of scarcity.
• In Uganda, leaves are boiled in sour milk.
• Leaves are added to salads and stews.
• Young shoots used to make tea.

Constituents :Plant contains iodine; the leaves, tanin and aponin; the flowers, suflur.

Medicinal Uses:
Parts used:
· Entire plant.
· Collect before flower opens, rinse, sun-dry, section into pieces or compress.

Antibacterial, antidysenteric, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antimalarial, diuretic, hepato-protective, antipyretic, antifungal.
Sweet tasting, mildly refrigerant.

According to Gibbs and Agcaoili the flowers are mixed by the Igorots with the balls of boiled rice which they set to ferment in the manufacture of crude spirits.
Burkill says that the leaves contain a little tannin.

The leaves are official in the Dutch (4) and Mexican (4) Pharmacopoeias.
According to Burkill the Malays boil the plant and take the infusion for coughs.
Caius reports that for sore eyes the pounded leaves are applied over the eyelids. In the Gold Coast and in Lagos the juice of the leaves is commonly squeezed into the eyes or the ears to cure complaints in those organs. In the latter case the leaves are first warmed in water with pepper. The leaves are also used as a styptic to stop bleeding from wounds. Watt and Breyer-Brandwijk say that the Zulus chew the young shoots for treatment of rheumatism. They also administer the powdered leaves in water as an enema for abdominal troubles, and rub the burnt seeds into incisions on the sides for the relief of pain. Caius reports that the leaves are used in Brazil as a styptic in stopping the floe of blood, and as a vulnerary. They are also applied to foul ulcers and swollen glands. In Columbia the infusion is used as a sudorific. Ridley quotes Holmes, who states that the Malays rub the leaves on the gums for toothache. Burkill adds the juice of the leaves is used in Java, Malaya, and Indo-China for eye complaints. In Java the leaves, heated, are applied to boils to ripen them. The leaves are said to be a substitute for tea in Mexico.

Crevost and Petelot state that in Indo-China the dried flower buds, ground and mixed with alcohol, are used as a mouth-wash in toothache. Caius says that among the Zulus the flower is used as a remedy for diarrhea.

Folkloric :
· Used as preventive for influenza or cold, used for treatment of swelling pain at the throat, fever among infants, fear of cold weather.
· Used for poisonous insects and snake bite.
· For enteritis, flatulence, diarrhea, appendicitis.
· For sprains, contusions, chronic ulcers.
· Used to stop wound bleeding.
· Leaves used for treatment of thrush and candida.
· For piles, chronic ulcers, various skin diseases.
· Dosage: use 30 to 60 gms of dried material or 90 to 150 gms fresh material in decoction. Fresh materials may be pounded and applied as poultice or boiled in water and applied as external wash.
· In Uganda, the sap from crushed leaves is used to speed up blood clotting in fresh wounds. Leaf decoction used for headaches. Plant sap is used for ear infections. Decoction of leaf powder for kidney ailments. Plant decoction used for flatulence.
· In southern Africa, used for malaria.
· In Zimbabwe, used for stomach and mouth ulcers, diarrhea and hangovers.
· In Peru, leaves are balled up and applied to toothaches.
· In the Amazon, used for hepatitis, angina, sore throat.
· In the Congo, plant used as poison antidote and to facilitate child delivery.
· In Nigeria, the powder or seed ash is used as a local anesthetic for cuts.
· In Brazil, the plant is traditionally used for conditions related to cancer.
Note: This plant closely resembles Bidens tripartita which may be differentiated on the shape of the leaves, however the medicinal function of this plant is identical with Bidens pilosa and hence may be used as a substitute.

Other Uses:
• Fodder for pigs.
• Seeds for chicken feed.
• Leaves used as stimulant alternative to tea.
• In Kenya, used for the extraction of natural dyes.
• In the Congo, roots are washed, dried and used as painting brush.

Studies:
• B. pilosa has been studied for antitumor activity. Some reports suggest antileukemic actions. Polyacetylenes from B. pilosa suggest antimicrobial activity. Some flavonoids have anti-inflammatory. Other studies have shown it to possess antibacterial, antidysenteric, antiinflammatory, antimalarial, diuretid, hepatoprotedtive and hypotensive effects.

• Hepatoprotective: Study of water extract from B pilosa on Wistar rats showed phytotherapeutic activity in hepatic damage induced by chronic obstructive cholestasis by hepatoprotective effects on liver function, decrease of rate of necrosis and liver fibrosis.

• Studies of anticancer and antipyretic activity of Bidens pilosa whole plant: Extracts from B. pilosa were tested for anticancer and antipyretic activity. Extracts were showed a significant cytotoxic effect against Hela cells by in vitro method and showed a comparable antipyretic activity.

• Anti-Tumor: (1) Study of an in vitro cytotoxicity using Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cell line assay, the chloroform extract showed the best antitumor activity.

Anti-Malarial Activity: (1) New evidences of antimalarial activity of Bidens pilosa roots extract correlated with polyacetylene and flavonoids: The results showed the in vivo activity of the ethanol extract depends on polyacetylene and flavonoids. (2) Study showed the presence of flanonoid compounds believed to be responsible for the antimalarial activity. Its proven activity against P falcifarum drug-resistant parasites in vitro and in rodent malaria in vivo, suggests it a good candidate for further testing as a phytotherapeutic agent.

• Immunomodulation: (1) Study yielded flavanoids – centaurein and centaureidin, which stimulated IFN-gamma expression. (2) Study showed the butanol fraction of B pilosa has a dichotomous effect on helper T cell-mediated immune disorders, possibly through modulation of T cell differentiation.

• Anti-Herpes: Study showed the hot water extract of Bidens pilosa inhibited replication of the HSV.

Antiinflammatory / Antiallergic: Results of studies on suspension and boiling water extract of dried powder from the aerial parts of B pilosa L var radiata Scherff inibited histamine release and production of IgE, suggesting it may be clinically useful in the prevention of type 1 allergic disease.

• Anti-Diabetic: Results of study on water extract of B pilosa suggests it ameliorates type 2 diabetes in mice through regulation of insulin secretion and islet protection.

• Anti-leukemic: Study of hot water extracts showed inhibition of leukemic cell lines and suggests it may be a useful medicinal plant for treating leukemia.

• Flavonoids / Hepatoprotective: Study in carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in mice and rats showed the total flavonoids of Bidens pilosa had a protective and therapeutic effect on animal liver injiury and could be associated with its antioxidant properties and inhibition of NF-kB activation.

• Oxytocic: Study to validate the claimed uses of Bidens pilosa and Luffa cylindrica inducing labor during childbirth showed the aqueous leafy extracts of Bp and Lc increased rat uterine motility suggesting oxytocic activity and validates their therapeutic herbal uses in childbirth.

• Mutagenic Potential: A study to evaluate the capacity of teas of B pilosa and Mikania glomerata to induce DNA damages and mutagenic effects showed dose-dependent and preparation-form effects and suggests caution in the phytotherapeutic use of the plants.

• Vasodilating / Calcium Antagonist: Study showed the vasodilating properties of the neutral extract of B pilosa and indicate a potential as a calcium antagonist.

• Cytopiloyne / T Helper Cell Modulator / Anti-Diabetes: Study yielded a novel bioactive polyacetylenic glucoside, cytopiloyne. Results showed it functions as a T cell modulator, an activity that may directly contribute to its ethnopharmacologic effect on precenting diabetes.

• Anti-COX-2 / Anti-PGE2 / Anti-Inflammatory: In a study of interleukin-1ß induced inflammation in normal human dermal fibroblasts, B pilosa inhibited the phosphorylation of MAPKs, COX-2 expression and subsequently PGE2 production.

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:

Click to access dadayem.pdf

http://www.stuartxchange.org/Dadayem.html
http://vaniindia.org.whbus12.onlyfordemo.com/herbal/plantdir.asp
http://www.javaherbal.blogspot.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidens_pilosa

Enhanced by Zemanta
Categories
Herbs & Plants

Bauhinia malabarica

[amazon_link asins=’B002CPQ4O2,B003QB97IG,B01LW0G4VL,B001OI0YK8,B0014AU712,B003PQN5OY,B01JO4KXUO,B0014AY7XG,B0016BLT5C’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’b11dbc88-0165-11e7-8545-fb8a39e669e4′][amazon_link asins=’B00KBJ7T4K’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’a52963d4-0164-11e7-825e-91669dcdbdb4′]

Botanical name: Bauhinia malabarica
Family: Caesalpiniaceae (Gulmohar family)
Subfamily :       Caesalpinioideae
Genus : Bauhinia
Other scientifric names: Piliostigma acidum  ,Bauhinia tomentosa ,Bauhinia purpurea

Common Names : Almosa, Asmantaka
Vernacular Names :
Malabar: Bauhinia • Assamese: kotra • Bengali: karmai or kanchan• Garo: bakbakhol, beolphiu, migong thak • Hindi: amli,  Amlosa • Kannada:  basavanapaada, Mandara, Kudugulu, Cheppura • Konkani: korat • Malayalam: aarampuli • Marathi:  amli, koral • Nepali:  tanki • Oriya: gumbati • Sanskrit:  amlapatrah,ashmantaka,  ashmayukta,  yamalapatrah • Tamil:malai-y-atti,  puli-y-atti, Vellathi, Mantharai • Telugu: Pedda-ari, Pul-ari, Puli chinta, Pul-dondra

Local names: Alambangbang (Tag.); alibangbang (Tag., Bis., Pamp.); balibamban (Pamp.); kalibanbang (Pang., Tag.); kalibangbang (Ilk.).

Habitat : Bauhinia malabarica    is very common on open, dry slopes in regions subject to a long dry season in Luzon (Ilocos Norte to Laguna). It also occurs in India to Indo-China, Java, and Timor. In open, dry slopes, in long dry seasons in Luzon.


Description:

Malabar Bauhinia is a small or moderate sized deciduous tree. Bark is rough brown, peeling in linear flakes, fibrous, red inside. Leaves are broader than long, 1.5-4 inches long, 2-5 inches broad, divided through 1/3 of the length, 7-9 nerved, slightly heart-shaped at base, rigidly leathery, glaucous and smooth beneath. Flowers are borne in stalkless racemes in leaf axils, 1.5-2 inches long, often 2-3 together. Flowers are 1/2 inch long, dull-white, often uni-sexual, on very slender stalks, which are 1 in. long. Male and female flowers are usually on different stems. Sepal cup has 5 equal triangular teeth. Petals are spade-shaped, equal. Pod is 7-12 inches long, 2-2.5 cm broad, on a stalk 1 in. long, flat flexible, many-seeded, more or less straight reticulate veins, which starting diagonally from both sutures meet in the middle. Seeds are 20-30.

You may click to see the pictures

Other informations:
There are many species of Bauhinia. They share the ‘butterfly’ configuration of the leaves.
Alibangbang is an Ilongo word for butterfly.


Chemical  constituents
:
• Bark contains a tannin, 9.5 %.
• From the methanol extract of leaves: 6,8-di-C-methylkaempferol 3-methy ether, kaempferol, afzelin, quercetin, isoquercitrin, quercitrin, and hyperoside. source
• Oil extracted from the seeds was 16%, with linolenic 0.81%, linoleic, 47.26%, oleic 15.26%, stearic 19.29%, palmitic 17.18%, myristic 0.02%.


Culinary / nutritional Uses:

Leaves are sour, commonly used as flavoring for meat and fish (sinigang and sinampalukan dishes).
Excellent source of calcium; good source of iron.


Medicinal Uses:

Parts used: Bark, leaves, flowers.
Digestive, emmenagogue, antibacterial, antioxidant, antifungal, pectoral, stomachic, anthelmintic, antiperiodic.

Folkloric
Infusion of fresh flowers for dysentery.
Decoction of root bark used for liver problems.
Bark also used for dystentery.
Leaves, externally, to the forehead for fevers.
The roots of Desmodium elegans, combined with the bark juice of Bauhinia malabarica has been used for the treatment of cholera. source
In traditional Thai medicine, used for wound healing, diuretic, emmenagogue, and for dysentery.

Studies
:
Flavonols from Bauhinia malabarica: Seven flavanols were isolated from the methanol extract of leaves. Of the isolated compounds, isoquercetin showed the highest scavenging activity.
• Antinociceptive / Antiinflammatory / Antipyretic
: A study of aqueous extract of Bauhinia purpurea leaves on animal models showed significant antiinflammatory, antinociceptive and antipyretic activities and confirms the folkloric use of the plant for pain and inflammation.
• Antioxidant: An extract study for the antioxidant activity of six Thai medicinal plants showed Bauhinia malabarica leaves
to have potent inhibitory effect in inhibition of hemoglobin precipitation caused by oxidants.

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://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Malabar%20Bauhinia.html
http://www.stuartxchange.org/Alibangbang.html
http://vaniindia.org.whbus12.onlyfordemo.com/herbal/plantdir.asp
http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/B/Bauhinia_malabarica/

Click to access alibangbang.pdf

http://www.indi-journal.info/archives/588

Enhanced by Zemanta
Categories
Herbs & Plants

Barleria cristata Linn

[amazon_link asins=’B00ADH26TI,B00BHHZNR0,B00946OMZA,B01G70MM3O,B005PB8DWQ,B01FR2ML4I,B06XGB89P1,B00ET86NPU’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4d423c1b-1443-11e7-bfd3-17347a575cd1′][amazon_link asins=’B01MG2AB40,B01K4LWZ0M,B01M1OGMS4,B00WX6D682,B00HNVB3Y6,B01LFDJ7UO,B01JCQJ2DS,B01MQ25TGF’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’18d81cc1-1443-11e7-8d8b-55360a6c8780′][amazon_link asins=’B00VICZ5VI,B01N6IOD9A,B007O0JI5C,B00A4M8UOM,B00VI8UOLS,B0008CR1ZC,B06WWRVSZ6,B0096SR80M,B06XKP7K87′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d31512ab-1442-11e7-9cdd-53682453a968′][amazon_link asins=’B01M5GEXMP’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e3c206df-f455-11e6-8546-4798be390adf’]

 

 

 

Botanical Name : Barleria cristata Linn”
Family   : Acanthaceae
Genus:
Barleria
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Lamiales

Synonims : Barleria ciliata Roxb. Barreliera cristata Blanco
Common Names:  Raktapushpa, Sweta saireyaka, Jhinti,  Violeta (Span.) ,  Kolintang-violeta (Tag.)bluebell barleria, crested Philippine violet, crested purple-nail dye • Hindi: tadrelu • Kannada: jhinte, kuruvaka • Malayalam: karimkurunni • Marathi:  gokarn,  koranti,  nilakoranta • Sanskrit:  kurantaka • Tamil:  uta mulli,  vellai-nilamparam • Telugu: gobbi,  kodi kannu, niru goranta,  pedda gorinta.


Habitat
: Grows in S. China, Nepal, Burma, Indo-China, Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.


Description :

Erect, unarmed, branched shrub, 1 to 3 meters high. The branches are sparingly hairy. Leaves are oblong to elliptic 1-2 cm long, hairy petiole; lamina elliptic-oblong to lanceolate, 3-12.5 cm x 1-3.5 cm, hairy both surfaces, attenuate at the base, entire, apically acute-acuminate. Flowers purple blue or pink or white, 4.5-5 cm long, in short, 1-5-flowered, axillary or terminal spikes; bracts absent or lanceolate, 8-12 mm long, bristly on margins, scabrous, acute; bracteoles absent. Calyx deeply 4-cleft, outer 2 lobes much larger than the inner pair, ovate-lanceolate, 1.5-2.5 cm x 6-8 (-10) mm, acuminate, bristly toothed on margins, hairy or glabrescent, inner 2-lobes linear, 7-8 mm long, pointed. Corolla glandular-pubescent outside, tube 3.5-4 cm long, infundibuliform, limb with oblong-obovate, up to 2 cm long, unequal lobes. Filaments hairy, anthers oblong, c. 3 mm long. Ovary oblong-conical, mm long; style c. 4 cm long. Capsule ellipsoid, 1.5-2 cm long, glabrous, pointed at the base and apex, 4-seeded. Seeds orbicular, c. 4 mm across, appressed hairy. Flowering period is November to February.

YOU MAY CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURE


Medicinal Uses:
Parts Uses :
Roots, leaves & seeds.

Folkloric

*Seeds used as antidote for snake bites.
*Roots and leaves used to reduce swellings.
*Infusion of roots and leaves used for coughs.
*Elsewhere, used for toothaches, anemia and inflammatory disorders.

You may Click to see
:Antiinflammatory activity of aqueous extract of Barleria cristata leaves


Other Uses :
Widely cultivated ornamental hedge plant.

Studies:-
Anti-Inflammatory: (1) Methanol extract of leaves of Barleria cristata was evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity. The effect was compared to the activity of indomethacin and cyproheptadine as reference standard. Results revealed BC possesses significant anti-inflammatory activity.

(2) Study of aqueous extract of BC leaves exhibited anti-inflammatory activity with significant dose-dependent inhibition of carrageenan-induced paw edema, prostaglandin activity, vascular permeability.

Phytochemicals / Antioxidant Activity: Phytochemical screening yielded alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, phenols and tannins in the ethanol and aqueous extracts of BC. The 50 % ethanol extract of leaves showed significant antioxidant activity probably from the occurrence of secondary metabolities.

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://www.stuartxchange.org/KolintangVioleta.html
http://vaniindia.org.whbus12.onlyfordemo.com/herbal/plantdir.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barleria
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=200021992

Barleria prattensis Santapau

css.php