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.Habitat: North America ; cultivated in Salt Lake City.
Features ? A biennial herb, in height from twelve to eighteen inches, the stem is angular and slightly hairy. One to three inches long, the leaves are alternate, sessile, and ovate-lanceolate, with small, whitish glands on the edge. The fruit is in the form of a flat, oval capsule, which contains ovate-oblong seeds about one eighth of an inch long, brown in colour, with a reticulated, pitted surface. The root is fibrous, and the plant bears a small blue, pointed flower. The taste is burning and acrid like tobacco, the odour slight. Part used ? Herb and seeds are used.Action: Emetic, stimulant, antispasmodic, expectorant, and diaphoretic.
Lobelia inflata has for many years been one of the most widely discussed and hotly debated articles used in medicine. While many herbalists contend that it is the most valuable of all botanic remedies, official medicine in England classifies it as a poison. Herbalists who use Lobelia insist that it is most certainly not a poison, and that it can be administered by them in large doses with perfect safety. They use it chiefly as an emetic, and, as its administration brings about the prompt removal of accumulations of mucus, the action in bronchial complaints is speedy and beneficial. Coffin's comments in this connection are enthusiastic ? "Lobelia is decidedly the most certain and efficient emetic known, and is at the same time safe in its operations. Unlike most emetics from the mineral kingdom, it produces its specific effect without corroding the stomach or producing morbid irritation and inflammation of the mucous membrane of this organ, which are so common in the use of antimony, zinc, and the sulphate of copper. Lobelia may emphatically be said to 'operate in unison with the laws of life'."In view of the controversy surrounding its use, the history of Lobelia is interesting. North American Indians had apparently long been acquaintedwith its properties, but its first introduction to general use was due to the efforts of the famous American, Samuel Thomson. His disciple, Dr. Coffin, brought the herb to this country and used it extensively in his practice for over forty years, apparently with great success "in almost every form of disease, and from the tender infant to the aged," to quote Coffin himself. In both America and Britain herbalists have been tried on charges of causing death by administering Lobelia, but in no instance has a verdict been obtained against them.... lobeliaHabitat: 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 chinensisHabitat: 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.... litchi chinensisHabitat: Cultivated chiefly in Kannauj, Kanpur and Hathras.
English: Bengal Rose, Monthly Rose.... rosa chinensisHabitat: Native to eastern United States; imported into India.
English: Indian Tabacco, Pukeweed.Ayurvedic: Devanala (var.).Action: Antiasthmatic, antispasmodic, broncho-dilator, expectorant, mild sedative and relaxant. Used as a tabacco deterrent (as a major ingredient in many antismoking mixtures).
Key application: In the treatment of asthma, bronchitis. (German Commission E.) As respiratory stimulant. (The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.)Lobelia contains piperidine alkaloids, mainly lobeline, with lobelanine, lobelanidine, norlobelanine, isolobi- nine. Lobeline stimulates respiration in animals by stimulating respiratory centre and at high doses stimulates the vomiting centre.Lobeline has similar but less potent pharmacological properties to nicotine but 1/20-1/5 as potent.Lobeline (0.5%) has also been used as an active ingredient in skin-lightening preparations.Clinical research could not demonstrate lobeline efficacy greater than placebo in smoking cessation. It was disallowed as an ingredient in antismoking products in the US in 1993. (Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007.)The leaves contain beta-amyrin pal- mitate which possesses sedative and antidepressant properties comparable to the antidepressant drug mianserin. Methanolic extract of leaves exhibited antidepressant activity.The leaf powder is toxic at 0.6-1.0 , (Francis Brinker.)... lobelia inflataHabitat: Hills of South India at altitudes above 1,800 m.
Ayurvedic: Nala (var.).Folk: Devanala (var.) (Maharashtra.)Action: Leaves—filtered solution is used in the control of aphids, tingids and mites on vegetable and other crops. Plant—poisonous to man and livestock. The leaves are cured and smoked as tabacco.... lobelia leschenaultina
Habitat: Deccan, Konkan and Western Ghats, at altitudes of 9002,100 m.
English: Wild Tobacco.Ayurvedic: Devanala, Nala (var.).Siddha/Tamil: Kattuppugaiyilai, Upperichedi.Action: Used as a substitute for Lobelia inflata.
An analysis of Lobelia nicotianae- folia, grown in Maharashtra, shows that the plant contains appreciable quantities of nor-lobelanine and small amounts of lobinine and minor bases.Lobelia cardinalis Linn., Cardinal Flower, is cultivated in Indian gardens. It contains lobinaline as main alkaloid. Lobinaline depresses blood pressure but has no influence on respiration. L. erinus Linn. and L. succulenta Blume, synonym L. affinis Wall. also contain alkaloids with lobinaline 0.445%.Lobelia cordigera Cav., synonym L. fulgens Willd., an ornamental Lobelia sp., grown in Indian gardens, contains inulin.Lobelia pyramidalis Wall. (Himalayas from Kumaon eastwards to Sikkim and Assam at altitudes of900-2,700 m) contains 0.29-0.38% alkaloids as lobeline, and may be used as a substitute for Lobelia inflata.... lobelia nicotianaefoliaHabitat: 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 chinensisHabitat: 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 chinensisHabitat: 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 chinensisHabitat: 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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