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Botanical Name :
Achyranthes aspera
Sanskrit name
:
Apamarga
English Name :
Prickly-Chaff
Flower
Family:
Amaranthaceae
Description
of Achyranthes aspera
:
Found
throughout tropical Asia, Africa, Australia and America. An abundant
weed in dry places and wastelands, from the seashore to 2,100 m high.
It is an annual or perennial herb. Stem erect, 0.5-2.0m in high, base
woody, angular or ribbed, simple or branched, often tinged with pink
colour; nodes bulged. Leaves opposite, petiolate, ovate-elliptic-obovate-rounded,
in various sizes, apex usually rounded, finely or softly pubescent on
both sides. Flowers are in an auxiliary or terminal spikes, which is
more than 50 cm in long, greenish white, bracteate and bracteolate.
Perianth lobes 4-6, glabrous, shining, ovate-oblong and pointed. Stamens
5 in number, staminodes are truncate, fimbriate, ovary oblong,
sub-compressed and ovule solitary. Fruit easily disarticulate, oblong or
ovoid and utricle. Seeds inverse, testa coriaceous, embryo annular and
surrounded by floury albumin.
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Principal
Constituents :
Betaine
and Achyranthine are the principal alkaloids, identified from the whole
plant. Seeds contain Achyranthes saponin A and its ester, named as
Aschyranthes saponin B3. The presence of ecdysterone is also reported.
Shoots contain an essential oil, tannins and glycosides.
Pharmacology:
Alcoholic and aqueous extracts of the roots cause fall in blood pressure
but the chloroform extract raised the blood pressure in dogs.
Achyranthine produced hypertension and depression of the heart, dilation
of blood vessels in dogs, spasmogenic effect in frog rectus muscle and
diuretic and purgative effect in albino rats. Alcoholic extract has
hypoglycemic activity. Seed saponins increased contraction of the
isolated heart of frog, guinea pig & rabbit. The effect was quicker in
onset and shorter in duration than that exerted by digoxin. Saponins
have phosphorylate activity in heart. Saponins have diuretic activity in
albino rats and in dogs.
Clinical studies:
In leprosy patients, the deception of the whole plant along with DDS (Diamino
diphenyl sulphone) showed definite improvement in the general health and
bacterial index. It is useful in sub acute and mild type of leprosy.
Medicinal Uses:
It has
pungent, astringent, diuretic, alterative, antiperiodic and purgative
properties. Plant is used in piles, skin eruptions, opthalmia,
dysentery, eye and liver complaints, rheumatism, scabies, bronchial
affections and in leprosy. Leaves useful in gonorrhoea. Roots in cancer,
stomach troubles and bladder stones. Seeds are useful in renal dropsy,
bronchial affections and in leprosy. Branches and roots are useful as
tooth brushes.
Herbal Extract packing:
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