Linn.Leonotis nepetaefolia (L.) R. Br.
Family: Labiatae; Lamiaceae.
Habitat: Throughout the warmer parts of India.
Ayurvedic: Granthiparni, Kaaka- puchha.
Folk: Gathivan, Deepamaal (Maharashtra).
Action: Leaves—spasmolytic. Ash of flower head—applied to burns and scalds, in ringworm and other skin diseases.
The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia ofIn- dia recommends the root in cough, bronchitis and dyspnoea.The root contains n-octacosanol, n-octacosanoic acid, quercetin, 4,6,7- trimethoxy-5-methylchromene-2-one, campesterol and beta-sitosterol-beta- D-glucopyranoside.The plant contains 4,6,7-trimethoxy- 5-methyl-chromene-2-one.The leaves contain neptaefolin, nep- taefuran, neptaefuranol, neptaefolinol, leonitin, neptaefolinin and (-)-55, 6- octadecadienoic acid.The seed oil contains oleic, linoleic, palmitic and stearic acids. The fatty
Family: Labiatae; Lamiaceae.
Habitat: Native to Europe; also distributed in Himalayas from Kashmir to Kumaon.
English: Common Motherwort, Lion's Tail.
Unani: Baranjaasif. (Also equated with Artemesia vulgaris Linn; and Achillea millifolium Linn.)
Action: Stomachic, laxative, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, em- menagogue (used in absent or painful menstruation, premenstrual tension, menopausal flushes). Hypnotic, sedative. Used as a cardiac tonic. (Studies in China have shown that Motherwort extracts show antiplatelet aggregation actions and decrease the levels of blood lipids.)
Key application: In nervous cardiac disorders and as adjuvant for thyroid hyperfunction. (German Commission E.) As antispasmodic. (The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.) The British Herbal Compendium indicated its use for patients who have neuropathic cardiac disorders and cardiac complaints of nervous origin.The plant contains diterpene bitter principles, iridoid monoterpenes, flavonoids including rutin and querci- trin, leonurin, betaine, caffeic acid derivatives, tannins and traces of a volatile oil.The herb is a slow acting adjuvant in functional and neurogenic heart diseases. Its sedative and spasmolytic properties combine well with Valeriana officinalis or other cardioactive substances.The herb contains several components with sedative effects—alpha- pinene, benzaldehyde, caryophyllene, limonene and oleanolic acid. (Sharon M. Herr.)
Habitat: Western Europe. Seeds are imported into India from Persia.
English: Pepper-Grass.
Unani: Bazr-ul-khumkhum, Todari (white var.).
Action: Seeds—blood purifier; prescribed in bronchitis.
The fatty acid of the oil are: oleic 12.9, linoleic 47.87, linolenic 5.43, erucic 31.97, stearic 0.54 and palmitic 1.22%.The seed mucilage on hydrolysis gave galactose, arabinose, rhamnose and galacturonic acid.Flowering tops and seeds contain a bitter principle, lepidin.The plant yield a sulphur-containing volatile oil.... leonurus cardiaca