Habitat: Western Himalayas, from Kashmir to Garhwal and Simla.
English: Rib Grass, Ribwort Plantain, English Plantain, Buckhorn Plantain.Unani: Baartang, Aspaghol.Folk: Balatang.Action: Leaf and root—astringent, bechic, antiasthmatic, anti-inflammatory, hypothermic, diuretic. Seed—cathartic, diuretic, haemostatic.
Key application: Internally, for catarrhs of the respiratory tract and inflammatory alterations of the oral and pharyngeal mucosa; externally for inflammatory reactions of the skin. (German Commission E, ESCOP.)Globularin and methyl ester of de- sacetyl asperulosidic acid were isolated from the plant along with cat- apol. A crude mucilage, isolated from the leaves, contains L-arabinose 26.0, D-galactose 35.8, D-glucose 21.9, D- mannose 4.6, L-rhamnose 4.6 and uronic acid 6.9%. Alpha-D-glucan was separated from this mucilage.Leaves gave aucubin and esculetin, in addition to polysaccharides. The whole plant yielded rhamnosidoglyco- side of caffeic acid. Seeds contain 1.1% aucubin. Aucubin exhibits antibacterial activity. Hepatoprotective effect is also attributed to the aucubin content.Alcoholic extract of young leaves exhibit antibacterial action against Streptococcus betahaemolyticus, Micrococ- cus pyogenes var. aureus and Bacillus subtilis, thus confirming their wound- healing properties.