Morphological information

A much branched undershrub high, very prickly; prickles large with a long compressed base, sharp, often slilghtly recurved. Stem stout, often purple; branches covered with minute stellate hairs. Leaves 5-15 by 2.5-7.5 cm, ovate in outline, acute, sub entire or with a few large triangular-ovate subacute lobes, sparsely prickly on both sides, clothed above with simple hairs from bulbous bases intermixed with small stellate ones, covered below with small stellate hairs, base cordate, cuneate or trunate, often unequal sided; petioles 1.3-2.5 cm long prickly. Flowers in racemose extra axillary cymes, peduncles short; pedicels 6-13 mm long, stellately hairy and prickly. Calyx 3 mm long, stellately hairy; teeth triangular, 1.5 mm long. Corolla 8 mm long, pale purple, clothed outside with darker purple stellate hairs. Filaments very short; almost 0 ;anther oblong, lanceolate, opening by small pores. Ovary very hairy at the top; style stellately hairy, curved at the apex. Berry globose, dark yellow when ripe, glabrous or sometimes with a few stellately hairs at the apex. Seeds 4 mm diameter, minutely pitted.

Flowering                : January-August

Fruiting                   : October-April

History                    :

Parts                       : Whole plant.

Status                     : Low risk.

Phytochemistry      : Disogenin, β-sitosterol, lanosterol, solasonine, solamargine and solasodine isolated.

Ayurvedic               : The plant is used in pruritus, leucoderma, bronchitis, "Vata". "Kapha". asthma, fever, vomiting, loss of appetite, diseases of the eye.

Others

Root is carminative and expectorant, useful in coughs, catarrhal infections, dysuria and colic. A decoction of root is prescribed as a tonic and is also used in difficult parturition. Root is pounded and used for the treatment of nasal ulcers. It is one of the ingredients of "Dasamula". The smoke from burning is said to relieve toothache. The juice of the leaves with fresh juice of the ginger is administered to stop vomiting. The leaves and fruit rubbed up with sugar are used as an external application to itch.

 

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Reference