Indian Medicinal Plants/Natural Order Chenopodiaceæ

Syn. : — C. viride, Linn.

Sans : — Vastuk.

Vern. : — Bathu sâg or bathuâ sak, chandan betu (B. Bathûa bâthû, jansâg, lunak (Pb.) ; Bethuá, charái, jansâg, H.) ; Bhatua, arak' (Santal) ; Châkwat, ghânen, (Bomb); Jhil (Sind) ; Khuljeh ke baji (Duk) ; Parupu kire (Tam.) ; Pappu kura (Tel.).

Eng. : — The white goose-foot.

Habitat :— Common throughout India.

Erect or ascending, scentless herbs, mealy or green. Stems l-10ft, rarely slender or decumbent, angled, often striped green, red or purple. Leaves extremely variable in the cultivated forms, 4-6in. long, with petiole sometimes as long or longer ; rhombic, deltoid, or lanceolate, acute or obtuse, entire, toothed or irregularly lobulate, upper narrower, more entire. Clusters in compact or lax panicles ; spikes, which in cultivated forms become thyrsoid. Sepals 5, herbaceous (not succulent in fruit). Seeds very vertical. Forms vary from green to red.

Use :— Considered laxative and recommended for use by Sanskrit writers in the form of pot herb in piles. (U. C Dutt.)

Chemical investigation of the composition of Chenopodium oil.

There is a pronounced increase in specific gravity and decrease in optical rotation after samples have been kept, for a year at the ordinary temperature. For example, in the case of one oil with a specific gravity of 0.9700 and a D= —6.20, at 25°C, the corresponding values after a year were sp. gr. 0.9804 and a D= —5.5°. When the oil was kept in a refrigerator these changes were less pronounced. The formation of the glycol produced on hydrating ascaridol with ferrous sulphate has been found to correspond to the same re-arrangement of the molecule which takes place when ascaridol is heated. In addition to this glycol, two other crystalline products were also formed. One of these, termed B-glycol, melted in the anhydrons state at 103° . ​N. 0, CIIEN0PODIACK/E. 1005

105° C. It crystallised with one mol. of water and had the composition C₁₀H₁₈O₃+H₂0. When warmed with dilute sulphuric acid it was decomposed, with the formation of thymol. The other new body was an erythritol, melting at 128° to 131°C , after drying in vacno, and having the composition C₁₀H₂₀O₄ + H₂O. When boiled with dilute sulphuric acid, it was decomposed, the products of decomposition including a ketone with a strong odour of menthone, and a crystalline phenolic substance, melting at 80° to 81° C. The formation of more than one glycol by the hydration of the re-arrangement product of ascaridol may be explained by adopting the view of Wallach, whose results indicate that ascaridol is a 1— 4-and not a 3— 6-peroxide. Oxidation of the erythritol yielded an acid, C₁₀H₁₈O₆ , which was regarded as one of the modifications of â-metylisopropyl a â-dihydroxyadipic acid differing in its properties from the two modifications previously described by Wallach. Oxidation of the a-glycol yielded an acid agreeing in its reactions with the structure of 1—4 cineolic acid (J. Ch. I. April 15th, 1913, p. 379.)

Eng. : — The Jerusalem Dak.

Habitat :— Temperate Himalaya, from Kashmir to Sikkim ; Peshawar and Bombay. A weed in fields.

Very aromatic, erect, glandular, pubescent herbs. Stem grooved and ribbed, 6-18ft., stout, slender. Branches spreading and recurved. Leaves l-3in., very obtuse ; lower leaves petioled, ovate-oblong, deeply sinuate, or lobulate, upper oblanceolate, more entire. Petals variable. Cymes spreading and recurved, short, branched. Flowers solitary or clustered, minute. Embryo incompletely annular.

Use: — It has been used in France with advantage in catarrh and humoral asthma. The officinal preparation is an oil (U. S. Dispensatory.)

Used as a substitute for C. anthelmenticum, and to possess the same properties as those of C. ambrosioides. (Watt, 11. 267.)

Eng. '—The sweet pig-weed ; Mexican Tea.

Vern.: — Chandan batavá ; Vasuki (Bomb.).

Habitat : — Bengal, Sylhet and the Deccan.

A strongly aromatic glandular rank herb, erect, puberulous. Branches numerous, strict. Leaves shortly petioled, oblong or lanceolate-obtuse, sinuate toothed, upper entire, clusters in ​ slender axillary and terminal long slender simple or panicled spikes of small clusters. Sepals closing the utricle. Seed horizontal, smooth, shining; margin horizontal. Wight remarks that the flowers are polygamous at Coimbatore. (J. D. Hooker.)

Uses: — This is said to afford an essential oil to which the tonic and antispasmodic properties of the plant are attributed. It is commonly reported that this plant is used as a substitute for the officinal C. Anthelminticum, having in a milder degree the anthelmintic properties of that plant. It is employed in pectoral complaints and enjoys the European reputation as a useful remedy in nervous affections, particularly chorea. Officinal preparation an infusion. It is remarkable that the properties of this plant should be practically unknown to the people of India. (Watt. II. 267.)

Syn. : — B. benghalensis, Roxb. 260.

Vern. :— Bit palang (B.) ; Lebleboo (Pb.) ; Pàlak (HA

Habitat : — Largely cultivated in Bengal and Upper India.

A succulent annual or perennial glabrous herb. Stem l-3ft., erect, furrowed. Lower or root leaves ovate or oblong-obtuse, often trowel-shaped, base cuneate or cordate, decurrent on the petiole, margin waved, upper or cauline, short incurved, rhombic-ovate, oblong-ovate or lanceolate. Flowers 2-sexual, sessile, solitary or 2-3-adnate, in axillary spiked or cymose clusters. Spikes 6-18in., slender; clusters remote. Bracts narrow, acute. Perianth urceolate, 5-lobed, covering in fruit by their enlarged hardened bases. Sepals oblong-obtuse, with membranous margins, thickened at base in fruit. Ovary depressed, sunk in the fleshy annular disk. Style short, Stigmas 2-4-subulate. Utricle adnate to the disk and base of perianth. Seed horizontal, testa thin, albumen floury, Embryo annular.

Use : — The seeds have cooling and diaphoretic properties. Bellew says that the fresh leaves are applied to burns and bruises. (Watt.}

The ethereal extract of the dry matter of the common mangel was examined and found to contain triglycerides, free fatty acids, and two neutral subs- ​ tances. The free and combined fatty acids consisted largely of palmitic, oleic, and erucid acids, while the two neutral substances were of phytosterol nature, and gave results on analysis corresponding with the empirical formulæ C₃₁H₅₈O₂ and C₂₉H₄₅ and O₂ respectively. (J. Ch, I. 31. 5. 1912, p. 501.)

Syn. :— S. tetrandra, Roxb. 718.

Vern. : — Palak (H.) ; Palang (Beng.) ; Isfanaj Vusaleykiray (Tam.); Dum-pa-bachchali, mattur bachchali (Tel.); Pâlak bhâji (M.).

Habitat : — Cultivated throughout India.

Annual deltoid, ovate, acuminate, acutely broadly pinnatifidly lobed, erecth erbs. Leaves attenuate. Flowers dioecious, ebracteate, males in terminal leafless spikes ; females in axillary clusters. Male : — Sepals 4-5, herbaceous, simple. Stamens 4-5, filaments capillary. Female: — perianth sub. globose, 2-4-toothed. Fruiting perianth free, 2- spinous. Fruiting enclosing the Utricle, coriaceous, unarmed or with 2-3 dorsal spines. Stigmas long, filiform, connate below. Utricle hard, compressed, adnate to the perianth. Seed vertical, testa thin, albumen floury. Embryo annular.

Use : — The seeds are laxative and cooling and useful in difficult breathing, inflammation of the liver, and in jaundice. (Taleef Sherif ). They yield a fatty oil. The green plant is believed to be useful in urinary calculi. (Sakharam Arjun.)

Regarding its chemical composition, the authors of the Pharmacog. Ind. write : —

Chem. comp.— Besides a large quantity of mucilage, spinach contains so large a proportion of nitrates, that the water in which it has been boiled may be used for making touch-paper. The following figures give the mean percentage Composition of three samples of spinach recorded by Konig :—

Anhydrous spinach contained, as the mean of three analyses of different samples,—

Nitrogen ... ... ... ... ... 4.94

Carbohydrates ... ... .,. ... 37.93

Syn. : — Panderia pilosa, H. f. and T.

Vern : — Kaura ro, bui (Pb).

Habitat : — North- West India, from Delhi to the Indus common. Dekkan ; salt soils at Coimbatore.

An annual herb, erect and softly villous, diffusely branched from the base. Branch lets divaricate, long. Leaves small, elliptic or linear-oblong, acute. Wings of fruiting perianth short, broadly triangular-ovate, obtuse, thick, nerveless, much shorter than the diameter of the disk. Wight states that flowers are sometimes male only, and I think it probable that fertile males are on different plants from the female or hermaphrodite. (J. D. Hooker.)

Use : — The plant is employed medicinally in the Punjab (Stewart). Used as a vascular (cardiac) stimulant in cases of weak and irregular heart, especially when following on fevers, (Dr Perry, in Watt's Dic.)

Vern, : — Oomarie Keeray (Tam.) ; Koyalu (Tel.).

Habitat: — Bengal, in salt marshes; and Tanjore.

A semi-shrubby, leafless, fleshy-jointed, seacoast marshy plant. Stem woody, 12-18in., thick at the base, much branched, more or less erect, very much branched. Branches 1/6-¼in. diam. Joints ¼-½in., rather slender, slightly dilated and 2-toothed at top. Spikes 2-3in., slender, cylindrical. Flowers 3-nate. Stamen 1. Utricle ovoid, subacute, style distinct. Seed pale-brown, hispid, with white hair. Testa thinly coriaceous. Embryo hooked, both ends pointing downward.

Use : — This is one of the numerous sources of the alkaline earth, sajji, used in medicine and in the arts. (Watt.) ​

Syn. : — Salsola fruticosa, Linn.

Vern. : — Loonuk, chotee lanee, usak lanee (Pb.) ; Morasa (Mar.) ; Ushuklani (Sind.) ; Zimeh (Pushtu).

Habitat: — North-West India, from Delhi, and throughout the Punjab, westward to the Indus, common in the plains.

A perennial herb, sub-erect or decumbent. Stem and branches usually slender, erect or divaricate. Leaves ½-terete, linear or ellipsoid, obtuse (very variable) 1/6-½in . long. Spikes slender, leafy. Flowers minute, axillary, usually 2-sexual, bracteate, and 2-bracteate. Perianth short, subglobose, 5-lobed or partite ; lobes or segments equal or unequal, simple or gibbous or sub winged. Stamens 5, short ; Styles 3, short. Fruit, utricle included, membranous. Seeds vertical or horizontal ; testa black, shining.

Uses : — This is one of the plants from which sajji-khar is prepared. The woolly excrescenses on the tips of its branches, mixed with an empyreumatic oil, are used as an application to sores on the backs of camels. The leaves are applied as a poultice to ophthalmia, and used, infused in water, as an emetic by Sindhis. (Stewart and Murray.)

Vern. : — Umari Nandi (South Arcot.)

Habitat : — South Deccan ; on the seacoast at Tinnevelly and Tuticorin.

Shrubby, branches suberect, leaves linear flattish obtuse, spikes leafy panicled, flowers axillary 2-3-nate polygamous, bracts minute scarious entire, fruiting perianth obovate-oblong, lobes obtuse incurved, styles 2-5 short, seed vertical, testa black shining. I am in great doubt about this Indian plant, which in a dry state is difficult to distinguish from S. fruticosa and vermiculata. (J. D. Hooker.)

Use : — It is put to the same uses as the preceding. From it also Sajji khar is prepared. Indian Forester for Nov. 1914, contains a note on Saltworts of South Arcot from the pen of Mr, T. P. Ghose, who says— ​ " The plants are dried in the sun for two or three days, care being taken not to overdo this. They are then burnt in round pits 3 to 4 feet in diameter and 2 to 3 feet in depth. As the stuff burns more of it is continually added to the burning mass which is always kept stirred. The fused alkali now comes out as a liquid and collects at the bottom of the pit in a separate mass which on cooling forms the " barilla " ready for export."

Vern. :— Sajji bûti (Pb.).

Habitat : — N.-W. Punjab, common in Baluchistan.

Annual spinescent herbs ; pubescent, scabrid or glabrous, usually glaucous. Stem 6-18in., rarely erect, branches soft and pithy within, striped green white ; diffusely branched from the base. Leaves short, subulate, lanceolate from a ½-amplexicaul base, thick rigid, pungent, ½-1½in., spreading and recurved. Flowers 1-3 together, axillary or subspicate, bracts sepals sub-equal pungent. Fruiting perianth cartilaginous, ¼-½in., diam transparent, often rose coloured ; base rounded, wings obovate, orbicular or reniform, scarious, sometimes obsolete. Seed adherent to the utricle.

Use : — This plant is used in the manufacture of sajji.

Vern. : — Pói, lál-bachhe (H.) ; Rakto-púi, púisák {B.) ; Lál bachle-kí-bhájí (Duk.); Shirappu-vasla-kire (Tam.) ; Alla-batsalla, pedda-mattu-neatku-batsala, erra-allu-bach-chali (Tel.) ; Chovva- una-basella-kira (Mal.); Kempa-basale (Kan.); Mayák bháji, Velgond (Bomb.).

Habitat : — Throughout India under cultivation.

A much-branched, twining fleshy herb, glabrous. Leaves petioled, broadly ovate, or cordate-orbicular, 2-7in. diam., narrowed into the petioles. Spikes l-6in., axillary peduncled, simple or branched. Flowers red. Fruit size of a pea, purple when mature.

" Roxburgh regards two varieties of this, a red and a regen​stemmed one, as wild in India, and adds three cultivated sorts, a red and a white-stemmed that are raised from seed, and differ only in luxuriance from the corresponding wild forms ; and lastly a large sort (B. lucida, L., and cordifolia, Lamk.), which is the most cultivated, and is always increased by slips ; it is the largest form, covering trellises and native houses, and is the most succulent, and more used as a pot-herb than the others." (J. D. Hooker).

Uses:—The juice of the leaves is used in catarrhal affections of children. (Drury). Demulcent and diuretic, useful in gonorrhœa and balanitis. (Asst.-Surg. J. N. Dey, Jeypore, in Watt, I. 404.)

Eng.:—White basil or Indian Spinach.

Sans.:—Vishwa-tulasi.; Potaki; Upodika.

Vern.:—Poí, myal-ki-bháji, sufed-bachlá, safed-tulsi (H.); Sufed-bachlá-ki-bháji (Duk.); Wahlea (Mar.); Vasla-kire, Caujang kire, Vellapachalai (Tam.); Alubachehali, karu-bachchali, polam-bachchali, pedda-bach-chali (Tel.); Bili-bâsale-balli (Kan.); Basella-kíra (Mal.).

Habitat:—Cultivated all over India.

Uses:—The leaves are made into a pulp used to hasten suppuration.

​

(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)

(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)

(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)

(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)

(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)

(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)

​

(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)

(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)