Morphological information

A perennial plant, with prostrate, creeping very slender, tough and flexible, woody stems extending to a great length, but not increasing in diameter, much branched in a dichotomous manner, the branches short, ascending, giving off at intervals from the under surface solitary, straight, simple, wiry, pale yellow roots. Leaves very numerous, small, persistent for many years, about 1/4 inch long, very closely placed all over the stem and densely imbricated, the points all turned somewhat upwards, sessile, linear- oblong, acute, the apex terminating in a hair like process often as long as the leaf, smooth, one veined, dry, pale yellow- green, the hair- points reddish. Fructification contained in cones which are borne singly or more usually in pairs at the extremity of erect slender stiff branches set with smaller, thinner, more distant, paler leaves without a hair- point; cones about 1- 2 inches long, cylindrical, linear, blunt, composed of an axis and very many closely placed, strongly imbricated bracts which are shortly stalked, triangular- ovate, terminated by a long filiform point and slightly produced at the base below the stalk so as to be somewhat peltate, faintly clenticulate at the margins, sulphur- yellow at first erect, but somewhat spreading after the discharge of the spores. Spores very minute, bluntly tetrahedral, finely reticulated, pale yellow contained, very many together, in small strong, reniform cases which open by a fissure along their whole length and are attached by short thick stalk one at the base of the inner surface of each bract of the cone.

Flowering                  :

Fruiting                     :

History                     :

Parts                        : Plant and spores.

Status                      : Vulnerable.

 

Phytochemistry

A novel triterpene- clavatol, mp277 -isolated and characterized as 3K, 8,14K, 21, - tetrahydroxy- 26, 27 bisnoronocerrane; a new alkaloid- lycoflexine- isolated and its structure determined; crystal structure of lycopodine; lycopodine; clavatine, lycooldoline; dihydrolycopodine, clavolonine, N-demethyl- K- obscurine and nicotine isolated in addition to two unidentified alkaloid; a new acylated apigenin- 4- o- ,-D-  glucoside (I) from leaves.

 

Medicinal              : In homeopathy it is used against disorders of the chest and urinary passage and against rheumatism,cramps and varices.

 

Other

The herb is considered to be diuretic, demulcent, antispasmodic and emmenagogue and found very useful in rheumatism, epilepsy and pulmonary diseases as also in irritable bladder and cystospasms. The spores of the plant that constitute the commercial lycopodium, are commonly used as dusting powder and absorbent in excoriations of skin. The plant is considered a good remedy for importance and chronic diarrhoea. It is also reported to be a sedative and emollient and useful in urinary disorders like catarrhal cystitis and chronic kidney diseases causing pain in kidney, ureter and bladder.

 

 

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