Linn.
Family: Polygonaceae.
Habitat: From Kashmir to Kumaon.
English: Knotgrass, Knotweed, Mexican Sanguinaria.
Folk: Machoti, Kesri.
Action: Astringent and haemostatic. Used for excessive menstruation, bleeding piles; bleeding from bowel, stomach, lungs, nose, throat; mucous colitis, children's summer diarrhoea.
Key application: In mild catarrhs of the respiratory tract, inflammatory changes to the oral and pharyngeal mucosa. (German Commission E.)The plant gave flavonoids including quercetin, avicularin, quercitrin, and derivatives of kaempferol, esculetin and scopoletin. The plant also gave gallic, caffeic, oxalic., silicic, chloro- genic and p-coumaric acids; tannins including catechin.The methanolic extract of the plant showed high protection against CCl4- induced hepatotoxicity in mice. This activity is attributed to the presence of flavonoid glucosides.The flavonoids exhibit astringent properties and are found to decrease capillary fragility and have a cortisonelike-effect on gingival tissue. (J Ethno- pharmacol, 74(1), 2001.)
Linn.
Family: Polygonaceae.
Habitat: Throughout India in wet places.
English: Water Pepper, Pepperwort, Smartweed.
Folk: Paakur-muula, Paani-maricha (Bengal).
Action: Haemostatic, astringent, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, lithotriptic, emmenagogue (used as infusion for delayed menses and amenorrhoea), antifungal (root and leaf used externally). Contraindicated during pregnancy.
The herb contains sesquiterpenes, including warburganal and polygodial, in the leaves; polygonal, isodrimeni- nol, isopolygodial and confertifolin in the seeds; and flavonoids including quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin and rhamnesin; polygonolide (an iso- coumarin).Isoquercitrin exhibited significant anti-oxidative activity. Polygodial and warburganal possess significant an- tifungal property. Warburganal also possesses potent cytotoxic and antibiotic activity. (The herb is used against cancer.)
Folk: Muniyaaraa (Bihar), Raani- phool, Macheti, Dubiaa Saaga.
Action: Galactogenic, antidiar- rhoeal. Powdered herb is given in pneumonia.
The whole plant yields 11% tannin. The rootstock contains oxymethylan- thraquinone.Flowers gave oleanolic acid, betulin- ic acid, epi-friedelanol, beta-sitosterol, and flavonoids—quercetin, quercetin- 3-arabinoside and quercetin-3-rutino- side.... polygonum hydropiper
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