Linn. (also auct. non L.)
Synonym: S. senegalensis DC. S. hirtus Willd.
Family: Compositae; Asteraceae.
Habitat: Tropical parts of India, in rice fields, cultivated lands as a weed.
Ayurvedic: Mundi, Mundika, Munditikaa, Bhuukadamba, Alam- busta, Shraavani, Tapodhanaa.(Mahamundi, Mahaa-Shraavani Is Equated With S. Africanus Linn.)
Unani: Mundi.
Siddha/Tamil: Kottakarthai.
Folk: Gorakh-Mundi.
Action: Juice—Styptic, Emollient, Resolvent. Also Used In Hepatic And Gastric Disorders. Seeds And Root—Anthelmintic. Decoction Is Used In Cough And Other Catarrhal Affections And Chest Diseases. Root Bark—Given In Bleeding Piles. Flowers—Blood Purifier, Alterative, Depurative.
The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Of India Recommends The Dried Leaf In Cervical Lymphadenitis, Chronic Sinusitis, Migraine, Epilepsy, Lipid Disorders, Diseases Of Spleen, Anaemia, Dysuria.The Drug Is Mostly Administered In The Form Of Its Steam-Distillate. Steam Distillation Of Fresh Flowering Herb Yields An Essential Oil Containing Methyl Chavicol, Alpha-Ionone, D-Cadinene, P-Methoxycinnamaldehyde As Major Constituents. A Bitter Alkaloid, Sphaer- Anthine, Has Been Reported In The Plant.Capitula Contains Albumin, A Fatty Oil (Up To 5%), Reducing Sugars, Tannins, Mineral Matter, A Volatile Oil (0.07%), And A Glucoside. No Alkaloid Was Detected In The Inflorescence. The Glucoside On Hydrolysis Gave A Aglycone, Phenolic In Nature. The Unsaponifiable Matter Of The Fatty Oil Showed Beta-Sitosterol, Stigmas- Terol, N-Triacontanol, N-Pentacosane And Hentriacontane. The Essential Oil Is Active Against Vibrio Cholera And Mi- Crococcus Pyogenes Var. Aureus. The Flower Heads Gave Beta-D-Glucoside Of Beta-Sitosterol.Eudesmanolides, Cryptomeridiol And 4-Epicryptomeridiol Have Been Isolated From Flowers.Flowers Gave A Sesquiterpene Glyco- Side, Sphaeranthanolide, Which Exhibited Immune Stimulating Activity.
Dosage: Leaf— 3-6 G (Api, Vol Iii); Whole Plant—10-20 Ml Juice (Api, Vol. IV).... sphaeranthus indicus
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