Posh Health Dictionary

Hook. f.

Family: Lauraceae.

Habitat: The hills of western Deccan Peninsula.

Folk: Pisi, Posha (Maharashtra).

Action: Leaves—an infusion is given in irritation of bladder and urethra.

The seeds yield a fat consisting mostly of lauric acid with a small amount of oleic acid.

The leaves are mucilaginous.... litsea stocksii

Benth.

Family: Compositae; Asteraceae.

Habitat: The Western Himalayas and Kashmir at elevation of 3,0003,900 m.

Folk: Poshkar, Hatermuula (Kashmir).

Action: Root—nervine tonic. Used as an adulterant of Saussurea lappa.

Whole plant extract gave senecio- nine.

Habitat: The Nilgiris and Uttar Pradesh. Introduced into Indian gardens

English: Groundsel.

Action: Formerly used as a diuretic, diaphoretic and emmenagogue, in dysmenorrhoea and bilious pains. No more recommended for internal use due to high concentration of hepatotoxic alkaloids. Infusion is used as a lotion in chronic mastitis, gout and haemorrhoids. Extracts of the plant are haemostatic.

From the dried plant material alkaloids (0.053-00.095%) have been isolated, including, seneciphylline, sene- cionine and retrorsine. Senecionine and retrorsine have been demonstrated to induce hepatic necrosis in experimental animals. The plant contains 950 mcg/kg of iodine on fresh basis.

A related species used in Western herbal, Senecio aureus Linn. (Golden Groundsel, Squaw Weed) is a uterine relaxant, stimulant to gravid uterus and a soothing drug for nervous and vascular irritability, menopausal symptoms, hot flushes. Alkaloids include senecifo- line, senescine, senecionine and otose- nine—pyrrolizidine alkaloids, in isolation, are highly toxic to liver. The plant is recommended only for external use as a douche for excessive vaginal discharge.... senecio jacquemontianus