Botanical name : Neptunia oleracea Lour. (N. prostrata Baill)
Family : Mimosaceae
SANSKRIT SYNONYMS
Alambusha
AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES
Rasa : Kashaya, Madhura
Guna : Guru
Virya : Seeta
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English : Sensitive water plant
Hindi : Lajjalu
Malayalam : Neertottavadi, Neertottavati, Neetitottavadi
Distribution – Throughout India, in stagnant waters.
PLANT DESCRIPTION
A small spreading floating aquatic herb. Leaves bipinnate, leaflets 8-15 pairs, small, sensitive, narrow-oblong, obtuse, glabrous; flowers minute, yellow, in axillary oblong heads; fruits stalked, deflexed, oblique, oblong pods, seeds 6-9 slightly compressed obovoid-oblong, brown.
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant pacifies vitiated pitta, headache, burning sensation, excessive perspiration, diarrhea, and worm infestations.
Useful part : Whole plant.
Photo: http://aquiya.skr.jp/