Habitat: Moist forests of central and southern India.
Ayurvedic: Mesha-shringi (also equated with Gymnena sylvestre R. Br.), Vishaanikaa.Siddha/Tamil: Kattu Varsana, Kaddalatti, Kaliyacca.
Action: Fruits—bitter, carminative, used in diabetes, urinary disorders, bronchitis and skin diseases. Leaves—applied externally to swollen glands. Abortifacient.
The leaves yield luteolin, chrysin and its 7-rutinoside and glucoside.Fruits are also known as Rshabhaka in the South.... dolichandrone falcate
Action: Plant—used in measles, smallpox, adenitis, burns, sores. Seeds—astringent, antipyretic, diuretic. Decoction or soup is used in affections of the liver and spleen, intestinal colic, in leucorrhoea and menstrual dissorders, urinary discharges. A valuable protein supplement.
The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India recommends the decoction of dry seeds in calculus and amenorrhoea.The seeds contain crude protein 20.8, pentosan 10.8 and water-soluble gum 2.8%. The presence of antinu- tritional components such as haemag- glutinin and a protease inhibitor has been reported. The inhibitor activity decreased during germination.The mean protein value of the seeds is 25.47% which is more or less equivalent to soybean, winged bean and gram. Nutritionally, the horsegram seeds are richer in lysine content when compared to Cajanus cajan (Arhar) pulse and gram pulse.Presence of vitamin A in the green pods makes them a valuable diet for children; green leaves may be used in vitamin C deficiency syndrome, due to the presence of ascorbic acid and calcium. The seeds contain several common phytosterols.Strepogenin—several times higher than in casein.A decoction of seeds (soaked or boiled in water) is prescribed as diuretic and antilithiatic and has been clinically established.Diuretic activity of a dipeptide (py- roglutamylglutamine) has been found to be 2-3 times that of acetazolamide in albino rats.Globulin fraction of the seeds showed hypolipidaemic effects in rats.A lectin-like glycoprotein from stems and leaves possesses carbohydrate- binding activity.Dosage: Seed—6 g powder; decoction 50-100 ml. (CCRAS.)... dolichos biflorus
Key application: As expectorant. (The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.)Lablab pods contain protein 4.5, carbohydrates 10.0, calcium 0.05%; vitamin C (7.33 to 10.26 mg/100g in cooked samples; 0.77-1.12 mg/100 g in uncooked samples) increases on cooking. Enzyme liberation of essential amino acids from protein is slower than from casein and wheat.Callus tissue of Dolichos lablab Linn. (Horsebean) showed presence of beta- sitosterol, stigmasterol, lanosterol and cholesterol. The isolated flavonoids show antifungal activity (the maximum amount of flavonoids was found in the flowers). The plant contains the alkaloid, trigonelline, which exhibits hypoglycaemic activity. The maximum alkaloid was found in the seeds (0.14 mg/g dry weight). In tissue cultures raised from seedlings, the maximum amount was present in the tissue at the age of 6 weeks (0.068 mg/g dry weight).... dolichos lablab
n. the condition of having a relatively long narrow skull, with a *cephalic index of 75 or less. The head of a fetus in a breech presentation is often dolichocephalic. —dolichocephalic adj.... dolichocephaly
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