New Herbels For Rare Diseases

A Herbel Cure For Hepatities

ynonyms: Acanthus ilicifolius., Acanthus doloariu

Vernacular Name: Sinhala: Katu ikili;

Description: ? An erect or ascending, slightly branched shrub, 0.5 to 1.5 m high, the stems round, greening with a pair of short, sharp spines at the base of each petiole.

Leaves: rigid, coriaceous, green and shining, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 9 to 14 cm long, sinuate-toothed, the teeth spinous, petioles 1 cm long or less.

Flowers: about 4 cm long each, subtended by an ovate, green, closely appressed bracts 7 to 8 mm long and two similar but smaller bracteoles. Sepals green, 10 to 12 mm long, 4, outer two opposite, two inner ones smaller. Corolla tube 1 cm long, the lower lip pale-blue, spreading or recurved, about 3 cm long, 2.5 cm wide, pubescent within. Stamens 4, in two pairs, shorter than lip; filaments short, ovary 4-ovuled. Spikes terminal, dense or interrupted.

Fruits: capsules, 2 to 2.5 cm long, 4-seeded.

Propagation:

Parts Used: Roots.

Chemical Constituents: Cooling, mildly salt-tasting.

Antiphlogistic, anticontusion, expectorant.

Powdered leaves yield soft resins and a fatty matters colored with chlorophyll.

Leaves considered emollient..

Uses: Folkloric

Decoction of 30-60 g of dried material

used for acute and chronic hepatitis, swelling-enlargement of the liver and spleen, swelling and enlargement of the lymph nodes, gastralgia, asthma.

Decoction of roots and leaves used for asthma; also, to aid expectoration.

Root boiled in milk used for leucorrhea.

Tender shoots and leaves used for snake bites.

Leaves are high in mucilage and used as emollient fomentation in rheumatism.

Description: Evergreen treen about 1.5m. tall. Trunk bark thick and grooved. Leaves

alternate, coriaceous, long-petiolate, shining on the upper side, 3-nerved at the base.

Inflorescence in axillary panicle, shorter than the leaf; flowers small, greenish-yellow.

Berry globose, black when ripe.

Propagation: By seeds.

Part Used: Roots and wood.

Chemical Constituents: The stem wood and leaves contain an essential oil consisting of camphor, D-a-pinene, cineol, terpineol, caiyophyllin, safrole, limonene, phellandrene. carvacrol, camphorene and azulene.

Uses: The camphor from the trunk wood possesses cardiac, analeptic, antivacterial,

demulcent and anodyne properties. Injections of camphor oil and sodium camphosulfonate

are prescrived in case of cardiovascular collapse. The peroral administration of camphor is

effective for fever, colic, sore throat and impotence. It is applied externally as an antiseptic.

demulcent and anodyne for impetigo, boils, neuralgia and rheumatism, in the form of a

tincture, an aqueous solution or an ointment.