Botanical Name Plant's Common Name Plant Family   

   MH203 : Hygrophila auriculata (Schumach.) Heine

Plant Category : Herbs

Melghat's Flora's Serial No. : 387

Synonym : Asteracantha longifolia (L.) Nees.; Barleria auriculata Schumach.; Barleria longifolia L.; Hygrophila spinosa T. Anders.;

Plant Common Name : Marsh Barbel, shulamardan, ekharo, kanta sheriyo, talimkhana, bhankari, gokshur, kokil-ankh, kshura, tal makhana, trikat, trivarnak, gokantaka, gokshura,kolsundo, bahel-schulli, ekhara, gokshura, kolista, kolsunda, saranta, talimkhana, koilakha, ati-chattraka, bhadra-kanta, bhiksu, chattra, citra-kantaka, dhanasyaka, garja-phala, kokilaksah, ksura,nir-mulli, enugu palleru, kokilaksi, vana-sringatamu

Plant Family : Acanthaceae

Description : A stout, suffrutescent, strigose-hispid, upto 80 cm tall herb, armed with 6 axillary, 2-3.5 cm long, straight or curved thorns at each node. Leaves in pseudowhorls of 6, outer 2 larger, sessile, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, (4-) 5-12 (-15) x 1.5-2.5 cm, white-hairy, margins inconspicuously dentate, base cuneate, acute at the apex. Flowers in axillary, whorled fascicles, purplish-blue, c. 2.5 cm long; bracts lanceolate, 2-2.5 cm long, hairy; bracteoles linear, 6-8 mm long, pilose. Calyx 4-lobed, lobes unequal, lanceolate, acute, outer ones longest, 2-2.2 cm long, limb 2-lipped, 5-lipped, 5-lobed, lips subequal, upper lip 2-lobed, lower trilobite, lobes obtuse. Stamens 4, all fertile; anthers oblong, c. 2.5 mm long. Ovary oblong, 8-ovuled, hairy at tip; style filiform, upto 2.5 cm long. Capsule oblong, shorter than calyx, glabrous, 4-8-seeded. Seeds orbicular, c. 3 mm across, on long curved retinacula. Fl. Per.: August-March.

Plant Location in Melghat : -

Medicinal Use / Activity : Kokilaksha, as it is known in sanskrit, was extensively used in Ayurvedic system of medicine for various ailments like rheumatism, inflammation, jaundice, hepatic obstruction, pain, etc. Hygrophila stimulates the male genital system and is beneficial in the treatment of sexual debility, premature ejaculation and erectile failure. It is also a potent remedy for kidney stones. anti-cancer

Plant's Phytochemicals : COMPOUNDS: apigenin; luteolin; luteolin-7-rutinoside; asteracanthine; asteracanthicine; lupeol; betulin; hentriacontane; Beta-carotene; Beta-sitosterol; stigmasterol; myristic acid; palmitic acid; stearic acid; vannilic acid; syringic acid; n-triacontane; Betulin;

ACTIVE COMPOUNDS (8):

Lupeol;

Beta-sitosterol;

Rutin;

Apigenin;

Luteolin;

Betulin;

Stigmasterol;

Palmitic acid;

Plant's Current Status : Red List Category - Least Concern

Plant's Cross Database Reference : 259142

Reference : Dhore M. A. (1984) The flora of melghat tiger reserve - https://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/227402 - http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=242422930 - http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Marsh%20Barbel.html - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319036194/download

Reference : ~ Holaly E. Gbekley, Gnatoulma Katawa, Simplice D. Karou, SKokou Anani, Tchacondo Tchadjobo, Yaovi Ameyapoh, Komlan Batawila, and Jacques Simpore; "Ethnobotanical Study Of Plants Used To Treat Asthma In The Maritime Region In Togo"; Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. (2017); 14(1): 196-212 PMID : 28480398

~ Dhore MA and Joshi PA; "Flora of Melghat Tiger Reserve"; Directorate, Project Tiger, Melghat (1988); PMID :

Kingdom : Plantae - Plants
Phylum : Tracheophyta
Subkingdom : Tracheobionta - Vascular plants
Superdivision : Spermatophyta - Seed plants
Division : Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class : Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons
Subclass : Asteridae
Order : Scrophulariales
Family : Acanthaceae - Acanthus family
Genus : Hygrophila R. Br. - swampweed
Species : Hygrophila auriculata

Hygrophila auriculata
Hygrophila auriculata
Hygrophila auriculata