Botanical name : Chenopodium album Linn
Family : Chenopodiaceae
SANSKRIT SYNONYMS
Vastuuka,
AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES
Rasa : Madhura, Kashaya
Guna : Guru, Snigdha
Virya : Seeta
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English : Fat Hen, Lamb’s Quarter,White Goosefoot, Wild Spinach, Pigweed
Hindi : Betu sag, Chandan betu
Malayalam : Vaastucheera
Unani : Batu, Baatua
Distribution : Throughout India, cultivated.
PLANT DESCRIPTION
A small erect herbaceous plant grows up to 3.5m in height. Leaves simple, very variable, oblong, deltoid or lanceolate, obtuse or acute, entire, toothed or irregularly tabulate; flowers in clusters in spikes; fruits membranous utricle, enclosed in the perianth, containing small shiny compressed seeds.
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant pacifies vitiated pitta, peptic ulcer, intestinal worms, dyspepsia, flatulence, urinary retention, U.T.I, kidney diseases, general debility and the plant acts as a sexual stimulant.
Useful part : Whole plant
CHEMICAL CONTENTS
The leaves yield ascaridole, used for treating round-and hookworms. The oil also contain traces of ascaridole. Plant contains 8% saponins. Cryptomeridiol, isolated from the seeds, showed significant growth promoting activity.
Photo : Dr. Nandkumar Sahni MD
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