Nees.
Synonym: A. zeylanica Medic. Justicia adhatoda Linn.
Family: Acanthaceae.
Habitat: Throughout India, up to an altitude of 1,300 m.
English: Malabar Nut, Vasaca.
Ayurvedic: Vaasaa, Vaasaka, Vaasikaa, Simhaasya, Simhaparni, Simhavadanaa, Vaajidanta, Vrisha, Aataruushaka.
Unani: Arusaa.
Siddha/Tamil: Aadaathodai.
Folk: Vasaakaa.
Action: Expectorant (used in bronchial, asthmatic and pulmonary affections), antispasmodic, febrifuge.
Key application: As bronchodilatory, expectorant. (Indian Herbal Pharmacopoeia.) The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India indicates its use in dyspnoea.The chief quinazoline alkaloid vas- icine is reported in all parts of the plant, the highest being in inflorescence. It is a bitter bronchodilator, respiratory stimulant, hypotensive, cardiac depressant, uterotonic and aborti- facient. An aqueous solution of va- sicinone hydrochloride, when studied in mice and dogs, was found to potentiate the bronchodilatory activity of aminophylline, also that of isopre- naline. Vasicinone exhibited smooth- muscle-relaxant properties of airways.Alkaloids present in the plant showed significant protection against allergin-induced bronchial obstruction in guinea pigs.The leaves are found to activate the digestive enzyme trypsin.An extract of the leaves showed significant antifungal activity against ringworm.Adhatoda beddomei C.B. Clarke, found in Kerala, is considered to be more powerful and active than A. vasi- ca. Fresh leaf juice is used in haemoptysis and menorrhagia, also as an antiasthmatic.Jacobinia tinctoria Henl. is equated with the red-flowered var. of Vaasaa.
Dosage: Leaf—10-20 ml juice. Dried leaves—10-20 g for deoction. Root—3-6 g powder. (API Vols. I, IV)
Adhatoda beddomeiAcanthaceaeSan:Vasaka, Vasa;Hin:Adusa; Mal:Chittadalotakam;Tam:Adutota; Tel:AddasaramuImportance: Malabar nut or Adhatoda is a large evergreen glabrous perennial shrub, 1.2m in height. It is cultivated for medicinal uses, fencing, manure and as an ornamental plant in pots also. The shrub is the source of the drug vasaka well known in the indigenous systems of medicines for bronchitis. Vasaka leaves, flowers, fruits and roots are extensively used for treating common cold, cough, whooping cough, chronic bronchitis and asthma. It has sedative, expectorant, antispasmodic and anthelmintic actions. The juice of the leaves cures vomiting, thirst, fever, dermatosis, jaundice, phthisis, haematenesis and diseases due to the morbidity of kapha and pitta. The leaf juice is especially used in anaemia and haemorrhage, in traditional medicine. Flowers and leaves are considered efficacious against rheumatic painful swellings and form a good application to scabies and other skin complaints. Many ayurvedic medicines are traditionally prepared out of vasaka like vasarishtam, vasakasavam and vasahareethaki which are effective in various ailments of respiratory system. The drug VASA prepared from this plant forms an ingredient of preparations like Valiya rasnadi kasayam, Chyavanaprasam, Gulgulutiktakam ghrtam, etc. The alkaloid vasicinone isolated from the plant is an ingredient in certain allopathic cough syrups also.Distribution: Vasaka is distributed all over India upto an altitude of 2000m. This plant grows on wasteland and sometimes it is cultivated also.Botany: Adhatoda beddomei C.B.Clarke Syn. Justicia beddomei (Clark) Bennet belongs to the family Acanthaceae. This is a large glabrous shrub. Leaves are opposite, ovate, lanceolate and short petioled upto 15cm long, 3.75cm broad, main nerves about 8 pairs. Flowers are white with large bracts, flower heads short, dense or condensed spikes. Fruits are capsules with a long solid base.Another plant Adhatoda zeylanica Medicus, syn. Adhatoda vasica Nees, Justicia adhatoda Linn. of the same genus is a very closely related plant which is most commonly equated with the drug VASA. This is seen growing wild almost throughout India while A. beddomei is seen more under cultivation. The latter is called Chittadalodakam because of its smaller stature, smaller leaves and flowers.Agrotechnology: Vasaka is seen almost in all types of climate. It prefers loamy soils with good drainage and high organic content. It can be grown well both in hilly and plain lands. Commercial propagation is by using 15-20cm long terminal cuttings. This is either grown in polybags first, then in the field or planted directly. The plant is cultivated as a pure crop or mixed with plantation crops. The land is ploughed repeatedly to a good tilth and the surface soil is broken upto a depth of 15cm and mixed with fertilizers. The beds are prepared with 1m breadth and 3-4m length. The cuttings are planted during April-May into the beds at a spacing of 30x30cm. FYM is given at 5-10t/ha in the first year. Regular irrigation and weeding are necessary. Harvesting is at the end of second or third year. Roots are collected by digging the seedbeds. Stems are cut 15cm above the root. Stems and roots are usually dried and stored.Properties and activity: Leaves yield essential oil and an alkaloid vasicine. Roots contain vasicinol and vasicinone. Roots also contain vasicoline, adhatodine, anisotine and vasicolinone. Several alkaloids like quinazoline and valicine are present in this plant.The plant is bitter, astringent, refrigerant, expectorant, diuretic, antispasmodic, febrifuge, depurative, styptic and tonic. Vasicine is bronchodilator, respiratory stimulant and hypotensive in action, uterine stimulant, uterotonic, abortifacient comparable with oxytocin and methyligin. Uterotonic action of vasicine is mediated through the release of prostaglandins.... malabar nut
Plumbago spp.PlumbaginaceaeThe genus Plumbago belonging to the family Plumbaginaceae is a popular and medicinally very important group of medicinal plants. Three species, namely P. rosea, P. zeylanica and P. auriculata have been identified. Among these P. rosea and P. zeylanica are important ones.Plumbago, in general is an esteemed remedy for leucoderma and other skin diseases. The synonyms of fire like agnih, vahnih, etc. are attributed to this drug to indicate the very burning action of the root, causing blisters on the skin (daranah). The drug is used only after adequate curing and purification. Root is the officinal part and it enters into the composition of preparations like Citrakasavam, Dasamularista, Gulgulutiktaka kasaya, Yogarajachurna, etc.1. P. rosea Linn. syn. P. indica Linn.Eng: Rosy-flowered Leadwort; San: Citrakah, Dhahanah;Hin: Lalcitra, Raktacitra;Ben: Lalchita;Mal: Kotuveli, Chettikkoduveli, Chuvannakotuveli;Tam: Chenkotuveli, Cittiramulam;Kan: Kempacitramula;Tel: YerracitramulamRosy-flowered leadwort or Fire plant is a native of Coromandel Coast. It is found throughout India, in moist situations as well as cultivated. The roots are useful in dyspepsia, colic, inflammations, cough, bronchitis, helmenthiasis, haemorrhoids, elephantiasis, chronic and intermittent fever, leprosy, leucoderma, ringworm, scabies, hepatosplenomegaly, amenorrhoea, odontalgia, vitiated conditions of vata, kapha and anaemia. It is a pretty subscandent perennial shrub with semi -woody striate stems and flexible branches. Leaves are simple, alternate oblong, short cuneate at the base passing into a very short amplexicaul, exauriculate, and reddish petiole. Flowers are bright red, arranged in long terminal spikes. The calyx ribs are covered with stipitate, bifarious and subsessile gland. Corolla tube is slender and four times as long as the calyx. The stout roots are cylindrical, irregularly bent, light yellowish brown with smooth surface having short transverse shallow fissures at the regions of the bents. A light yellowish juice excudes from the cut surface. A healthy plant may produce 18-20 stout roots (Warrier et al, 1995).The chemical constituents include plumbagin and sitosterol glucoside. Clinical trials have demonstrated that plumbagin oil from P. indica is useful in common wart (Satyavati et al, 1987). The roots are acrid, astringent, thermogenic, anthelmintic, constipating, expectorant, antiinflammmatory, abortifacient, alterant, anti-periodic, carminative, digestive, sudorific, narcotic, gastric, nervous stimulant and rejuvenating. Root is a powerful sialogogue and vesicant.2. P. zeylanica Linn.Eng:White flowered Leadwort; San:Chitraka;Hin, Ben:Chitarak, Chitra; Mal:VellakotuveliTam: Sittragam, Chittiramoolam;Kan: Vahini; Mar: Chitraka;Tel: ChitramulamWhite flowered Leadwort or Chitarak is found wild in peninsular India and mostly in West Bengal. Root is used externally in leprosy and other skin diseases or obstinate character, aphthae, abscesses, influenza, piles and anasarca. Juice is used externally in scabies and ulcers. One of the important preparations of Chitrak is “Yograjguggal”, prescribed for arthritis, rheumatism, etc. The other well known preparations are “Chitrak Adivati” and “ Chitraka Haritaki”. In Unani system it is an ingredient of “Aqaruva-i- Kabir”, “Hab Ashkhar”, “Ma’jun Baladur”, “Ma’jun Raig Mahi”, etc. It is a branched undershrub. Roots are long and tuberous. Stem is striate. Leaves are simple, alternate, short petioled, ovate or ovate-oblong, acute with entire or wavy margin, 7x3.8cm and glabrous. Flowers are white, arranged in terminal spikes. Calyx is tubular, glandular-hairy. Corolla tube is slender; limb rotate and 5 lobbed. Stamens are 5 on a disc. Style is slender with 5 stigmatic branches. Fruit is membranous capsule enclosed within the persistent calyx.The roots of P. zeylanica have been exhaustively studied and naphthaquinones have been isolated, namely, plumbagin, 3-chlroplumbagin, droserone (Sidhu et al, 1971; Padhye et al, 1973), 3,3’-biplumbagin(Chitranone), zeylanone and iso-zeylanone and a coumarin, elliptinone (Sankaram et al, 1976, 1979). It also contains 1,2(3)-tetrahydro-3,3’-biplumbagin and plumbazeylanone. The leaf is antirheumatic. Root is appetiser, sudorific, relieves pain, vasicant, diuretic, caustic, antidiarrhoeal and expellent of phlegmatic tumours. Root is uterine stimulant. Root and fruits have antiimplantation activity. Plumbagin induces antiimplantation, has abortifacient and antiovulatory activity and causes selective testicular lesions in dogs. It is also a mitotic inhibitor. In lower concentration it behaves like a spindle, poison but in higher concentration it exhibits radiomimetic, nucleotoxic and cyclotoxic effects. It also has antibacterial, antifungal and anticoagulant activities and shows antagonism to amphetamine hyperactivity in mice.3. P. auriculata Lam. syn. P. capensisEng: Blue flowered Leadwort;Mal: NeelakotuveliThe blue flowered Leadwort is often grown in gardens throughout India (Moos, 1976; Chunekar, 1982; Sharma, 1983). It is a native of Cape Province in South Africa. It is a constituent of many Ayurvedic drugs (KAU, 1991). The plant is a subshrub growing to a height of 1-1.5m. Leaves are elliptic to obovate, 3-4 x 1.5-2cm. Inflorescence is a raceme of length 3-4cm. Corolla is blue to violet. Stamens are 5 in number. Flowers and fruits may be upto 12 in number (Matthew, 1995).Agrotechnology: The plant is grown in tropical to subtropical ecosystems. Warm humid tropical climate is most suited. They come up well in almost all types of deep and well drained soils. It is propagated vegetatively by stem cuttings. Three stem cuttings of size 15cm long are planted in polybags of size 14x10cm. IAA and IBA treatments will improve rooting of cuttings. The land is to be ploughed well. About 4 tonnes of FYM are to be applied, mixed thoroughly and seed bed of size 50cm breadth, 1.5cm height and convenient length are to be prepared. On these beds pits are taken at a distance of 25cm and the rooted plants are transplanted from the polybags. Regular irrigation and weeding are to be carried out. In the second year with the onset of monsoon, seedbeds are again refreshed after adding about 4 tonnes of FYM. At the end of second year tubers are collected. Care should be taken to wear gloves, else the chemical plumbagin present in the roots will cause burning sensation. The collected tubers are washed, tied into bundles and marketed. Plumbago yields about 7-10t tubers/ha with good management (Prasad et al, 1997).... leadwort
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