Botanical name : Wedelia chinensis (Osbeck) Merrill. (W. calendulacea Less)
Family : Asteraceae
SANSKRIT SYNONYMS
Peetabhringi, Peetabhringa-raaja, Avanti, Kesharaaja, Kesharaaga.
AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES
Rasa : Kashaya, Tikta, Katu
Guna : Lakhu.
Virya : Ushna
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English : Yellow Trailing eclipta
Hindi : Peelabhankara
Malayalam : Manjakayonni, Manjakanjunni.
Distribution – Throughout the wet areas in India
PLANT DESCRIPTION
A small, spreading perennial herb up to 1 m in height. Leaves simple, opposite, sub sessile, linear-oblong, oblanceolate, scabrous with short white hairs: flowers yellow in axillary or terminal heads; fruits truncate, compressed or lubercled achenes.
Parts used: whole plant
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant pacifies vitiated kapha, vata, inflammation, headache, wounds, ulcers, night blindness, hepatitis, hepatosplenomegaly. colic, dyspepsia, alopecia, graying of hair, hair fall, menorrhagia, worm infestation and anaemia.
Useful part : Whole plant.
CHEMICAL CONTENTS
The expressed juice of the herb contained an oil-soluble black dye 11.2; tannin 220; saponin 500 and phytosterol 3.75 mg/100 g among other constituents. The leaves contain isoflavonoids. The bisdesmosidic oleanolic acid saponins have been isolated from the fresh leaves. Significant hepatoprotective activity has been found in the prosaponin from ginsenoside Ro (chikusetsusaponinV); and in coumestans,
Wedelolactone and demethyl wedelolactone, isolated from the methanol extract of the herb. Wedelolactone has also been found to be a potent and selective 5-lipoxygenase- inhibitor, the process being an oxygen radical scavenger mechanism. Wedelolactone (0.05%), isolated from the leaves, is analogous in structure to coumestrol, an estrogen from Melilotus sp. (clover).
Photo : Dr. Eby Abraham MD
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