Botanical name : Orthosiphon aristatus (Blume) Miq (O. Stamineus Benth)
Family : Polypodiaceae
SANSKRIT SYNONYMS
Arjaka, Marjarasmasru,
AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES
Rasa    : Tikta, Kashaya
Guna   : Lakhu.
Virya   : Seeta
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English     : Cats whiskers, Java Tea
Hindi        : Mutri tulsi
Malayalam    : Poochameesa, Poochatulasi.
Distribution – Throughout India, cultivated in gardens.  
PLANT DESCRIPTION
A perennial spreading herbaceous shrub grows up to 1 meter in height. Leaves simple opposite, ovate, dentate, acute or acuminate, with long petiole. At the end of the branches are racemes of flowers. When the flowers open, the stamens and pistil extend out far beyond the petals, creating the "cat's whiskers" effect. The flowers are most purplish white, and numerous. Fruits small, oval, found in persistent calyxes. Plant spreads extensively with nodal roots.    
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant pacifies vitiated kapha, pitta, urinary tract infections, inflammations, gall bladder stone, kidney stones, gouty arthritis, atherosclerosis, diabetes, edema, allergy and hypertension.
Useful part    :    Whole plant.  
CHEMICAL CONTENTS
Flower tops and leaves (samples from Indonesia) contained methyl ripariochromene A. In another sample, leaves also yielded several phenolic compounds including lipophilic flavones, flavonol glycosides and caffeic acid derivatives. Rosmarinic acid and 2,3 dicaffeoyl-tartaric acid (67% of total phenolics, 94.5% in hot water extract) were major compounds of caffeic acid derivatives. The leaves also contain a high percentage (0.7– 0.8) of potassium salts. Presence of orthosiphonin and potassium salts help in keeping uric acid and urate salts in solution, thus prevents calculi and other deposits. The leaf extract lowers blood sugar in diabetics, but not consistently.

Photo : Dr. Eby Abraham MD