Botanical name : Chromolaena odorata King & Robinson.
Family : Asteraceae
SANSKRIT SYNONYMS
Ropani, Seekhrasarpi
AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES
Rasa : Kashaya, Tikta, Amla
Guna : Lakhu, Snigdha
Virya : Seeta
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English : Eupatorium
Hindi :
Malayalam : Venappacha, Assam pacha, Communist pacha
Distribution – Throughout India, growing in wastelands as a weed
PLANT DESCRIPTION
An annual or biennial herb grows up to 3 meters in height. Leaves simple, opposite, ovate, or rhomboid, serrate, or dentate, long petioled and bright green colored. Flowers white, seen in terminal or axillary panicled heads. Seeds small and is crowned with silky hairs for wind dispersion.
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant pacifies vitiated pitta, burns, hemorrhages, hemorrhoids, indigestion, skin diseases, traumatic injury, edema, fracture and infection.
Useful part : Whole plant.
CHEMICAL CONTENTS
The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, cyanogenic glycosides, flavonoids (aurone, chalcone, flavone and flavonol), phytates saponins and tannins. The anti-nutrients composition includes cyanogenic glycosides (0.05% WW and 0.13% DW), phytates (0.22% WW and 0.54% DW), saponins (0.80% WW and 1.98% DW) and tannins (0.15% WW and 0.37% DW). C. odorata is a source of high quality protein which could serve as a potential source of protein supplement.
Photo : Dr. Eby Abraham MD