Baker.Family: Liliaceae.
Habitat: The Himalaya from Nepal to Bhutan, Assam and Bihar.
Ayurvedic: Shveta-Musali. (Considered different from Asparagus adscendens Roxb.)Unani: Musali Safed, Biskandri.Siddha/Tamil: Vallaimusali.Folk: Nising, Tibbati Ginseng.Action: Tuber—nervine and general tonic. The plant is used as a substitute for onion. Fried powder of the root is chewed in aphthae of mouth and throat. A decoction of the root with turmeric is given in rheumatism.
The roots contain a bibenzyl xylo- side, the steroidal sapogenins, besides stigmasterol and its glucoside, nona- cosane and tetracosanoic, and triacon- tanoic acids.The root extract exhibited good adaptogenic properties. The fruits yield a polysaccharide, galactoglucan.
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