TULASI, OCIMUM SANCTUM, Holy Basil

Tulasi Known as Ocimum tenuiflorum, Holy basil in English, and Tulasi in Sanskrit, it is a well known aromatic plant. Its extracts are used in ayurvedic remedies for common colds, headaches, stomach disorders, inflammation, heart disease, various forms of poisoning, and malaria. Tulsi is also useful in diabetes; by reducing blood glucose level.Tulsi is rich in antioxidant and renowned for its restorative powers.

Tulsi has several benefits:

• Relieves stress / adaptogen
• Bolsters immunity
• Enhances stamina
• Provides support during cold season
• Promotes healthy metabolism
• A natural immuno - modulator

Solanum trilobatum, Agnidamani, Thooduvalai,Alarka, trilobatum - L

This herb is commonly known as alarka and its botanical name is Solanum trilobatum. This is effective in fever, cough, heart diseases, asthma and pain in chest. It is integrated in products like chyavanprash and cough syrups. Completely herbal and natural it is safe and hygienic.

Properties and uses: Roots used for consumption in the form of electuary, decoction or powder. Berries and flowers used to relive cough. Whole plant – Consumption, bronchitis and other respiratory disorders, carcinoma, aphrodisiac (flowers). Dyspnoea, anorexia, constipation, worm infestation, blood disorders, hemiplegia, trachyphonia, skin diseases, oedema, urinary calculi, amenorrhoea, coryza, epilepsy, dysuria.
Parts used: Whole plant

Botanical description: Much branched spiny scandent shrubs. Leaves deltoid or triangular, irregularly lobed. Flowers purplish-blue, in cymes. Berry globose, red or scarlet.

Andrographis paniculata, Sirunangai, The Creat

Cultivation:

It does best in a sunny location. The seeds are sown during May-June. The seedlings are transplanted at a distance of 60 cm x 30 cm.

Medicinal use

                       Since ancient times, A. paniculata is used in traditional Siddha and Ayurvedic systems of medicine as well as in tribal medicine in India and some other countries for multiple clinical applications. The therapeutic value of Kalmegh is due to its mechanism of action which is perhaps by enzyme induction. The plants extract exhibits antityphoid and antifungal activities. Kalmegh is also reported to possess antihepatotoxic, antibiotic, antimalarial, antihepatitic, antithrombogenic, antiinflammatory, antisnakevenom, and antipyretic properties to mention a few, besides its general use as an immunostimulant agent. A recent study conducted at Bastyr University, confirms anti-HIV activity of andrographolide.

Key word

         Andrographis paniculata, Sirunangai, The Creat,

Phyllanthus Amarus, Kilanell, Kilakkainelli, Child pick-a-back, bhuiamla, gulf leafflower, black catnip, meniran, chanca piedra, shatterstone, stone breaker, quebra pedra, bahupatra, gale of wind, carry me seed, hsieh hsia chu.

Botanical description:

                                    A branching annual glabrous herb 30-60 cm high with slender,                              spreading leaf-bearing branchlets: leaves numerous, distichous, subsessile, elliptic-oblong, obtuse, base rounded; flowers yellowish, greenish or whitish, axillary, males in groups of 1-3, females solitary; fruits depressed-globose smooth capsules underneath the branches, seeds trigonous, pale brown with longitudinal parallel ribs on the back.

    Habitat:    Throughout India, as weed in cultivated and waste lands

  Parts used: Whole plant

Pharmacology:

                    An inhibition of DNA polymerase of Hepatitis B virus and a viral-agglutinating activity has been shown.

      Properties and uses:

                             The plant is bitter, astringent, sweet, cooling, diuretic, deobstruant, stomachic, febrifuge and antiseptic. It is useful in gastropathy, dropsy, jaundice, diarrhoea, dysentery, intermittent fevers, ophthalmopathy, diseases of the urino-genital system, scabies, ulcers and wounds.

Centella Asiatica, Indian pennywort, Vallarai, Gotu Kola

Family Name: Appiaceae

Common Name: Pennywort, Indian Pennywort, Artayniya-e-hindi, jal brahmi

Parts Used: Whole plant

Uses: It is tonic, diuretic and alterative. It is used in treatment of leprosy and known to ameliorate the symptoms of the disease and improves general health of the patient. It is a brain tonic and stimulates hair growth.

                   The plant is bitter, acrid, sweet, cooling, soporific, cardiotonic, nervine tonic, stomachic, carminative, antileprotic, diuretic and febrifuge, and it is useful in vitiated conditions of pitta, insomnia, cardiac debility, epilepsy, hoarseness, asthma, bronchitis, hiccough, amentia, abdominal disorders, leprosy, strangury and fever. The leaves are useful in abdominal disorders due to dysentery in children.

Aloe, Indian aloe, Curacao aloe, Barbados aloe, Jaffarabad aloe, Kattalai, Sirukattalai, Aloe vera, True Aloe, Medicine Plant, Burn Plant, Barbados Aloe

A coarse perennial with short stem and shallow root system; leaves fleshy in rosettes, sessile, often crowded with horny prickles on the margins, convex below, 45-60 cm long, tapering to a blunt point, surface pale green with irregular white blotches; flowers yellow or orange in racemes; fruits loculicidal capsule.

Uses:

The plant is bitter, sweet, cooling, anthelmintic, aperient, carminative, deobstruent, depurative, diuretic, stomachic, emmenagogue, opthalmic and alexeteric. The juice is used in dyspepsia, amenorrhoea, burns, colic, hyperadensosis, hepatopathy, splenopathy, skin diseases, constipation, spanomenorrhea, vitiated conditions of vata and pitta, abdominal tumours, dropsy, carbuncles, sciatica, lumbago and flatulence. The elio is used for helminthiasis in children and is a purgative, anthelmintic and emmenagogue. It is used for local application in painful inflammations, chronic ulcers and catarrhal and purulent opthalmia.

Parts used: Leaf-juice, elio

Keyword: Aloe, Indian aloe, Curacao aloe, Barbados aloe, Jaffarabad aloe, Kattalai, Sirukattalai, Aloe vera, True Aloe, Medicine Plant, Burn Plant, Barbados Aloe