Botanical Name: Inula Racemosa
Sanskrit name: Pushkarmoola
English Name: Inula Racemosa         
Family: Asteraceae

Plant Part Used: Stem, Root

Description of Inula Racemosa:

The plant grows in temperate and alpine Western Himalayas from 1300 to 4500 meters elevation. The plant is a stout herb growing 0.33-2 meters in height. The stem is grooved, rough and very hairy. The leaves are elliptical, large, 3-6 cm long and 2-3 cm broad, and have long petioles. The fruits, slender achene’s, 0.4 cm long, bearded with 0.75 cm long pappus hairs. The flowers are yellow, many in heads, 0.5-1 cm in diameter. The fresh root is brown and becomes grayish on drying. The fresh roots resemble in aroma of camphor.

Principle constituent:

On extraction of the plant with hexane and isolation , the compounds obtained are dihydroisoalan tolactone, isoalantolactone and alantolactone. From the roots, sitosterol, octadecanoic acid and D-mannitol have been isolated also. Two biologically active new sesquiterpene lactones., inunal and isoalloalantolactone are isolated. Alantolactone, isoalantolactone and dihydroisoa – lantolactone isolated from roots. A germacranolide – inunolide – from root oil. Also alloalantolactone isolated from roots and characterized. Two new sesquiterpene lactones inunal and isolloalantolactone – isolated and characterized

Medicinal Uses:

The rhizome is sweet, bitter and acrid in taste with a neutral potency and act as antiseptic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and mild diuretic. It is used in the treatment of contagious fevers, anginapectoris, heart disease and ischemic heart disease. It is also used in cough, hiccup, bronchial asthma, indigestion, flatulence, inanorexia and in fever. Externally, the paste of its roots is used effectively, in dressing the wounds and ulcers as the herb possesses antiseptic property. Also used to boost the appetite

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