New Researches

Description: A slender, much branched, tough laticiferous climber with long fleshy, knotty 1 2 roots; leaves simple, opposite, somewhat fleshy, ovate to orbicular, cordate, often apiculate, glabrous, acute or acuminate, more or less pubescent beneath; flowers in umbels, greenish yellow outside, purplish within, pedicels filifonn with a number of filiform hairy bracts at their base; fruits fusiform, divaricate, glabrous, follicles tapering to a fine point at the apex; seeds ovate with long coma.

Propagation: By seeds and vegetative method.

Chemical Constituents: Contains three alkaloids A, B and C, Alkaloid B is desmethyl tylophorinand alkaloid C is desmethyl tylophorinine. Alkaloid A is not identified. It also contains a substance with emetic properties and essential oil. Leaves yield a-amyrin, tylophorine, kaempterol and quercetin.

Uses: The roots and leaves are sweet, acrid, aromatic, emetic, pugative, expectorant, vulnerary, diaphoretic, stomachic and antiviral. They are useful in asthma, bronchitis, whooping cough, dysentery, diarrhoea, hydrophobia, wounds, ulcers, dyspepsia, flatulence, haemorrhoids, gout, vitiated conditions of vata, cancerous tumours and murine leukaemia.

Gojivha, Tam: Yanaiccuvati,

Description: A rigid herb, usually perennial with short root stock; leaves obovate-oblong, mostly radical forming a spreading rosette on the ground, hairy on both surfaces, 12.5-20 cm long and 3.8-5.7 cm broad; flowers purple in heads, heads numerous, closely packed; fruits achenes, pappus of 4-6 bristles dilated at the base.

Propagation: By seeds and vegetative method.

Parts Used: Roots, leaves, flowers.

Chemical Constituents: The plant contains hydroxylated germacrianolides, molephantin and molephantinin having cytotoxic and antitumour properties. Phantomolin and its cisepoxide, which exhibit potent inhibitory action on Ehrlich ascitis carcinoma and on Walker 256 carcinosarcoma cells. It also contains elephantin, elephantopin, deoxyelephantopin, iso-deoxyelephantopin and 11,1 3-dihydrodeoxyelephantopin alongwith a-curcumene, EElamyrin, lupeol, epifriedelanol and stigmasterol.

Uses: The plant is bitter, acrid, astringent, antipyretic constipating, diutetic and tonic. A

decoction of the roots and leaves is given dysuria, urethrorrhea, intermittent fevers,

diarrhoea and bronchitis. The root decoction is specific for haemorrhoids and a paste made out of leaves is very specific for skin diseases. The flowers are astringent, bitter, sweet, ophthalmic aphrodisiac and expectorant, and are recommended for vitiated conditions of pitta, hepatopathy ophthalmopathy, bronchitis, cough and swellings.