Ajuga bracteosa Health Dictionary

Wall. ex Benth.

Family: Labiatae Lamiaceae.

Habitat: The sub-Himalayan tract, plains of Punjab and the upper Gangetic plain.

Ayurvedic: Neelkanthi.

Folk: Ratapaati (Kumaon), Khur- banti (Punjab).

Action: Astringent, febrifugal (given in intermittent fever), stimulant, aperient, diuretic. Used for the treatment of gout and rheumatism; also for amenorrhoea. Juice of the leaves—blood purifier. The powder is used for burns and boils. The leaves are used in fever as a substitute for cinchona.

An aqueous extract of the leaves showed diuretic activity. An alkaloidal fraction showed stimulant action on the perfused frog heart. The plant exhibited anticancer activity.