Articals 2

Common name: Malabar Nut • Hindi: Arusa, Vasala अर्शा, वासाला • Manipuri: Nongmangkha angouba • Tamil: ஆடாதோடை Adatodai • Bengali: Basak
Botanical name: Justicia adhatoda      Family: Acanthaceae (ruellia family)
Synonyms: Adhatoda vasica, Adhatoda zeylanica

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Malabar nut is a small evergreen, sub-herbacious bush which grows commonly in open plains, especially in the lower Himalayas. The Leaves are 10 to 16 cms in length, minutely hairy and broadly lanceolate. A herbal plant which requires very little watering and is an extremely hardy plant is Malabar nut. If there is one herbal plant that needs to be singled out for propagation and planting on a large scale, it would be this one. Adhatoda in Tamil, meaning a plant shunned by herbivorous animals. Propagated easily by cuttings, grows to a height of eight to 14 feet and has attractive white flowers.
Medicinal uses: Adhatoda is useful for curing coughs, colds and asthma and is easy to administer.It has been used for centuries, and is mentioned in Sanskrit scriptures.

Identification credit: Thingnam Sophia

Common name: Gandarusa, Warer willow • Hindi: Nili nargandi, Kala bashimb • Marathi: tev, bakas, kalaadulsa • Tamil: karunochi, vadaikkutti • Malayalam: karunochchi, vada-kodi • Telugu: addasaramu, gandharasamu, nalla-noch-chili • Kannada: aduthodagidda, karalakkigidde, karinekki • Bengali: jagatmadan • Oriya: nilanirgundi • Assamese: tita-bahak, bishalya karani • Sanskrit: bhutakeshi, gandharasa, indrani, kapika, krishnanirgundi
Botanical name: Justicia gendarussa    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)
Synonyms: Gendarussa vulgaris, Adhatoda subserrata

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Gandarusa is an erect, branched, smooth undershrub 0.8-1.5 m tall. The leaves are lance-shaped, 7-14 cm long, 1-2.5 cm wide, and pointed at the ends. The rather small flowers are borne in 4-12 cm long spikes, at the end of branches or in leaf axils. The teeth of the sepals cup are smooth, linear, and about 3 mm long. The flowers are about 1.5 cm long, white or pink, with purple spots. The capsule is club-shaped, about 12 mm long, and smooth.
Medicinal uses: Gandarusa is reputed for its beneficial effects in Respiratory disorders like cough, cold, bronchitis, throat infections, pulmonary infections and allergic disorders like bronchial asthma. It is assumed to possess greater medicinal value to yellow vasa plant or Adhatoda vasica.

 

Common name: Water Willow • Marathi: करंबल Karambal, पित्तपापडा Pitpapada, कलमाशी Kalmashi • Tamil: ஆரம் arm, கந்தேறு knteyu, கோடகசாலை kotakacalai, குக்குரம் kukkurm • Konkani: घाटी पित्तपापड Ghati Pitpapad
Botanical name: Justicia procumbens    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)

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Water Willow is a slender, often tufted, prostrate or ascending, branched perennial herb. The stems are 10-40 cm long. The leaves are elliptic to oblong-ovate or ovate, 7-20 mm long, 5-20 mm wide, obtuse at both ends, and entire or slightly crenate as to margin. The flowers are pink, 6-7 mm long, and borne in terminal, rather dense, cylindric spikes 1-5 cm long and about 5 mm in diameter. The bracts and sepals are green, linear-lanceolate, and hairy. The fruit (capsule) is slightly hairy and about 4 mm long.
Medicinal uses: The herb contains a bitter alkaloid and that it is used as a substitute for Fumaria. It is alternative and expectorant and is given in the form of infusion (1 to 20) in asthma, coughs, and rheumatism. The juice of the leaves is squeezed into the eyes in cases of ophthalmia. The odor of the whole plant is unpleasant; it is used in decoction for backache, plethora, and flatulence.

Common name: Crested Lepidagathis • Hindi: बुख़ार जडी Bukhar Jadi • Marathi: भूई गेंद Bhui Gend, भू तेरडा Bhu terada • Tamil: Karappanpoondu • Kannada: Surya Kantha
Botanical name: Lepidagathis cristata    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)

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Crested Lepidagathis is a perennial herb, with almost no stem. Branches, 20 cm long, arise out of a globose head on the ground, and spread out. Flowers are also arise stalkless from this globose head. Flowers are pale pink, 2-lipped. The upper lip is notched, and the lower lip is divided into 3 lobes.
Medicinal uses: In Chattisgarh they use this herb in treatment of fever particularly in treatment of Malarial fever. The decoction of leaves is used internally for this purpose. Its utility in treatment of fever has given it the name Bukhar Jadi In reference literatures, the use of this herb in treatment of itchy affections of skin has been mentioned. The traditional healers of Chhattisgarh Plains are aware of this use. In many parts of Chhattisgarh, the cattle owners use the decoction of this herb to wash the cattle in rainy season in order to keep it free from flies.

Common name: Frilly Lepidagathis • Gujarati: Hiran-chaaro, Paniru • Hindi: पत्थरफोड़ बूटी Pathar-phor buti, Safed Raasnaa
Botanical name: Lepidagathis trinervis    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)

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Frilly Lepidagathis is a prostrae to suberect undershrub, up to a foot tall. Twigs are quardrangular, bristly or glabrous twigs, arising from a woody rootstock. Leaves are sessile, linear to narrowly lanceshaped, 2-4.5 cm long, 3-5 mm broad, hairless, 3-nerved from the base, lateral nerves weaker than midrib and run along entire margin. Flowers are light pink, in dense, one-sided stalkless oblong-ovoid spikes, 1-2 cm long, in leaf axils. The spikes are fascicled near rootstock or a little higher up. Flowers have a frilly appearance because of the long, spine-tipped bracts. Bracts are ovate or elliptic-ovate, 4-5 x 2.5-3 mm, with a 3.5-4.5 mm long recurved spine at the tip. Bracteoles are nearly as long as long bracts, outer oblong-lanceshaped, long-pointed, inner wedge-shaped, membranous. Sepals are 5, 7-8 mm long, membranous, pointed but not spine-tipped. Flowers are spotted inside, 5-6 mm long, densely long silky hairy in bud, upper lip slightly notched, lower lip with 3, patent obtuse lobes. Capsule is ovoid-lanceshaped, 5-6 mm long, 2-seeded, hairless. Flowering: September-February.
Medicinal uses: The plant is used as a bitter tonic. It is used for rheumatic affections.

Common name: Blue Pussyleaf
Botanical name: Nelsonia canescens    Family: Acanthaceae (Ruellia family)
Synonyms: Justicia canescens, Justicia brunelloides, Nelsonia brunelloides

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Blue Pussyleaf is a softly velvety trailing or erect herb of shaded locations, often stream-beds of the savanna grasslands in Africa. It is naturalized in India and many other parts of the tropical world. Stems are up to 35 cm long, most parts densely covered in soft spreading hairs. Oppositely arranged leaves are elliptic, with margin entire. Flowers are borne in cylindrical spikes at the end of branches, with ovate, glandular and hairy bracts. Flowers are 2-lipped, mauve-blue, purplish or white, with 5 petals. Capsule are oblong, slightly beaked.
Medicinal uses: It is known as a salt-substitute.The sap of the leaves is applied topically to guineaworm sores in Ivory Coast-Upper Volta to kill the causative parasite. Nupe of Northern Nigeria prepare a brew of the plant for treating smallpox, and in Tanganyika the sap is taken for diarrhoea and the root in decoction for schistosomiasis.