Litchi chinensis Health Dictionary

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Litchi Chinensis: From 1 Different Sources

(Gaertn.) Sonn.

Synonym: Nephelium litchi Cambess.

Family: Sapindaceae.

Habitat: Native to China; now cultivated mainly in Northern Bihar, particularly in Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga districts, and Saharanpur, Dehra Dun, Muzaffar- nagar, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Gonda, Basti, Faizabad, Rampur, Bareil- ly, Bahraich, Kheri and Pilibhit districts of Uttar Pradesh.

English: Litchi, Lychee.

Action: Fruit—refrigerant during summer. Leaf—used in bites of animals.

Litchi aril contains: total sugars (as invert sugar) 12.1-14.8; reducing sugar 9-13.7; non-reducing sugar 1.0-3.4; acidity (as citric acid) 0.22-0.36%; and ascorbic acid 34.5-45.4 mg/100 g.

The plant contains levulinic, malic, citric, lactic, malonic, fumaric, suc- cinic, phosphoric and glutaric acids.

The Bark contains friedelin and stig- masterol.

Litchi seeds are prescribed in Malaya for neurological disorders and orchi- tis. In seed lipids, fatty acids cyclo- propanoic 42.0; oleic 27.0, palmitic 12.0 and linoleic 11.0%, have been determined.
Health Source: Indian Medicinal Plants
Author: Health Dictionary

Belamcanda Chinensis

(L.) DC.

Family: Iridaceae.

Habitat: Introduced from China; cultivated all over India, up to an altitude of 1,800 m.

Folk: Surajkaanti (Assam), Dasbaha, Dasbichandi (Bengal).

Action: Rhizomes—expectorant, deobstruent, resolvent, used in tonsillitis, chest and liver complaints (antiviral against pneumonia).

Presence of alkaloids is reported from the plant, glucoside, belamcan- din from the roots. The leaves and flowers contain a glycoflavone. The seeds tested positive for leucoantho- cyanins.... belamcanda chinensis

Lobelia Chinensis

Lour.

Synonym: L. radicans Thunb.

Family: Campanulaceae, Lobeli- aceae.

Habitat: Nepal, Chota Nagpur and Khasi hills at altitudes of 9001,500 m.

Action: Plant—used in China for fevers and asthma. Root—considered depurative and antirheumatic in Indo-China. The plant is one of the constituent of a tincture formulation used for the treatment of scars.

The rhizomes of the plant are reported to contain the polyfructosan, lobelinin.... lobelia chinensis

Osbeckia Chinensis

Linn.

Family: Melastomataceae.

Habitat: The Himalayas from Garhwal to Bhutan, North Bengal, Bihar and Khasi, Aka and Lushai hills.

Folk: Bhui-lukham (Lushai).

Action: Plant—anodyne, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory.

The plant contains the flavonoids, quercetin, kaempferol and hydrolys- able tannins, besides gallic acid, methyl gallate and ellagic acid.

The flavonoids and tannins showed antioxidant activity. Ellagic acid suppressed increase in lipid peroxidation induced by CCl4 and Cobalt-60 irradiation and this effect was more than that of alpha-tocopherol. Gallic acid showed anti-inflammatory activity against zymosan-induced acute footpad swelling in mice.... osbeckia chinensis

Polygala Chinensis

Auct. Non Linn.

Synonym: P. arvensis Willd.

Family: Polygalaceae.

Habitat: Throughout India and the Andamans.

English: Senega.

Folk: Meradu, Maraad, Negali (Maharashtra). Maraad (Nepal).

Action: Root—antiasthmatic; used as a substitute for Senega obtained from the American plant Polygala senega. (In Chinese medicine Senega refers to P. tenuifolia Willd.)

Key application: Senega Root— in productive cough, catarrh of the respiratory tract and chronic bronchitis. (German Commission E, ESCOP, WHO.)

Senega yielded lactonic lignans, their glycosides and flavonol glycosides. The root gave arctiin, afzelin, myricitrin and rutin. A triterpenic saponin was also obtained from the plant. The root contains salicylic acid, methyl salicylate and senegin (a sapo- nin mixture).

Senega is used for chronic bronchitis, catarrh, asthma and croup, as an infusion.

Related species are: P. chinesis Linn., synonym P. glomerata Lour; P. tele- phioides Willd., synonym P. brachys- tachya DC. non-Bl., found throughout the plains of India. Both the plants are used as expectorant, antiasthmatic and anticatarrhal.

Toxic constituents of Polygala senega root are: triterpene saponins—6- 16% senegasaponins A-D with agly- cone presenegenin or senegin. Sapo- nins irritate GI tract mucosa and cause reflex secretion of mucous in the bronchioles.

A French patent is used against graft rejection, eczema and multiple sclerosis as an anti-inflammatory drug.... polygala chinensis

Rhus Chinensis

Mill.

Synonym: R. javanica Linn. R. semialata Murr. Brucea javanica (L.) Merill.

Family: Anacardiaceae.

Habitat: The temperate Himalayas from Kashmir to Bhutan at 1,3002,400 m.

Folk: Tatri, Arkhar (Punjab).

Action: Galls—astringent and expectorant. Used in ointments and suppositories employed in the treatment of haemorrhoids, swellings and wounds. Fruits— spasmolytic. Used for colic, diarrhoea and dysentery.

Dry galls contain 50 to 80% tannin (in the form of Gallo tannic acid); small amounts of fat, resin and gum. The stem-bark contains 10.5% tannin. The fruit contains tannin, gallic acid and potassium acid salts, together with small amounts of aluminium, calcium, magnesium and iron acid salts of malic, tartaric and citric acids.

The heartwood contained the flavo- noids, pongapin, tetramethoxyfisetin and demethoxykanugin, and a diben- zoylmethane, ovalitenone.

Rhus hookeri Sahni & Bahadur, synonym R. insignis Hk. f. is found in Sik- kim Himalaya from Nepal to Bhutan at 1,600-2,000 m and in Khasi Hills at 1,500 m. Juice of the plant is a powerful vesicant. The fruit contain a fat similar to that found in the fruit of R. javanica.... rhus chinensis

Rosa Chinensis

Jacq.

Family: Rosaceae.

Habitat: Cultivated chiefly in Kannauj, Kanpur and Hathras.

English: Bengal Rose, Monthly Rose.... rosa chinensis

Salacia Chinensis

Linn.

Synonym: S. prinoides DC.

Family: Hippocrateaceae; Celas- traceae.

Habitat: A large, climbing shrub or small tree occurring throughout India, including the Andaman Islands.

English: Saptrangi.

Ayurvedic: Saptachakraa, Swarn- muula, Saptarangi.

Folk: Ingali (Maharashtra), Modhuphal (Bengal), Cherukuranti (Kerala).

Action: Roots—used in diabetes. Also used for amenorrhoea, dysmenorrhoea and genito-urinary and venereal diseases.

The root bark contains proantho- cyanidins, consisting of monomeric leucopelargonidin, its monomer, dimer and tetramer; triterpenoids (friedelin and its derivatives), mangi- ferine, phlobatannin, and glucosidal tannins.

The stem yielded gutta, dulcitol and proanthocyanidin consisting of dimer of leucopelargonidin.

Dosage: Root—50-100 ml decoction. (CCRAS.)... salacia chinensis

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