Morphological information

Stem very long, rather stout, closely twining, branched, glabrous, pale greenish yellow sometime dotted with red. Flowers solitary or in umbellate clusters of 2.4 or in short racemes; pedicels short, glabrous, usually curved (rarely 0); bracts 1.5 mm long, ovate oblong, obtuse, fleshy. Calyx divided almost to the base; lobes 3 mm long slightly unequal, broadly ovate, obtuse, glabrous, fleshy. Corolla white tube 6- 8 by 4 mm; almost cylindric; lobes 2.5- 3mm long, deltoid, acute, reflexed; scales almost at the base of the corolla- tube, large, oblong, sub quadrate or somewhat obovate, fimbriate and incurved at the apex. Stamens in the throat of corolla tube; filament scarcely any; anthers about ½ inserted beyond the top of the corolla tube, ovary ovoid; style simple, very short and thick; stigmas 2, distinct, large, thick and fleshy, 1.5 mm long, ovoid; capsules 6- 8 mm diameter, depressed- globose,glabrous, circumsessile near the base. Seeds 2- 4, large, black, glabrous.

Flowering                    : September- December

Fruiting                       : December- April.

History                       :

Parts                          : Whole plant, fruit, seeds and stem.

Status                        : Vulnerable

Phytochemistry

 Antiviral substance containing protein, M.W 14,000- 18,000 isolated (Arch. Virol 1981, 70, 215; chem. Abstr. 1982, 96, 24701n)

 

Ayurvedic

The plant is acrid, bitter; astringent to the bowels, aphrodisiac, alternative, and tonic; useful in diseases of the eyes and of the heart, in biliousness, and "Kapha".

Unani

It is a carminative, tonic, anthelmintic, purgative; diaphoretic, diuretic; purifies the blood and cleanses the body; lessens inflammations; useful in jaundice, pains in the muscles and the joints, heat of the brain, headache, paralysis, diseases of the spleen, vomiting, lumbago. The seeds have a bitter bad taste; sedative, emmenagogue diuretic; useful in disease of liver and the spleen, quartan fever, chronic fever griping, hiccough; purify the blood and cleanse the bowels; the infusion is given in ophthalmia, the decoction in biliousness as a purgative.

Traditional

The juice extracted from the plant is given in case of jaundice (S.K. & Atal 1987). The entire plant part is used in case of rheumatic swelling (Yonzone et al 1985). 200 grams of fresh plant mixed with fodder is given to cattle suffering from haematuria (Chettri et al 1992).

Others

The seeds are regarded as carminative and for this purpose are boiled and placed over the stomach. They are also applied as an anodyne. A cold infusion is given as a depurative. They constitute part of the kasus or purgative medicine sold in the Punjab.The native doctors of Sind and the Punjab regard the seeds of this plant as alternative, used along with Sarraparilla to purify the blood.

The plant is purgative. It is used externally against itch and internally in protracted fevers, retention of wind and indurations; of the liver. The stems are especially useful in bilious disorders. In Lakhimpur, an infusion of the plant is said to make an excellent wash for sores. The native say that it cleanness and brings about rapid healing.

 

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