Indian Pennywort
April 18th, 2008 in Herbal medicine
Indian Pennywort is a common creeping herb, rooting at the nodes. The leaves are kidney-shaped, mildly-toothed and palmately nerved. The flowers are in clusters, each bearing three or four small flowers. It grows in gardens in gardens and damp uncultivated areas.
Mountain Ebony
April 11th, 2008 in Herbal medicine
Mountain Ebony is a medium sized deciduous tree with dark brown bark. The leaves are as broad as they are long with a cleft of about 1/3 the way down from the apex resulting in two obtuse lobes. The petioles are 2.5-3.5 c, long and the white flowers are large and fragrant, appearing when the tree is nearly leafless in short axillary or terminal racemes. The flat pods are about 15-30 cm. long containing 10-15 seeds.
Bassia latifolia
April 11th, 2008 in Herbal medicine
Bassia latifolia is synonymous to Madhuca indica, popularly known as Mahua in India. It is a large handsome tree which may reach a height of 12 to 15 meters. The trunk of the tree is rather short with many spreading branches which provide excellent shade. The leaves are elliptic-oblong in shape. The cream colored flowers which turn purplish when fully mature and ready to drop are formed in dense fascicles near the ends of the branches. The dry flowers which are brown in color are sweet and can be eaten. In some parts of India, the tribal folk prepare local liquor which has a very strong smell.
Margosa in Herbal Medicine
April 11th, 2008 in Herbal medicine
The Margosa is a very popular tree which grows to a height of over 20 meters. The compound leaves of the tree are pinnate with 9 to 12 leaflets which are sub-opposite, obliquely-lanceolate and serrate. The white fragrant flowers are found in branched panicles. The green fruit turn bright yellow when ripe and is one seeded.
Bauhinia in Herbal Medicine
April 10th, 2008 in Herbal medicine
Bauhinia is a medium sized deciduous tree grown in parks and gardens for its beautiful rosy purple flowers. The leaves bear clefts about halfway down into two rounded lobes. The flat pods produced are about 15 to 25 cm. long and contains about 12 to 15 suborbicular flattened seeds.
Psoralea
April 8th, 2008 in Herbal medicine
Psoralea is a common weed found everywhere. It has a grooved stem, simple leaves which are subcordate, ovate or roundish in shape with mildly serrated leaf margins. The 10 to 30 very small bluish-purple flowers are seen close together on axillary solitary racemes. The single-seeded pods are 5 mm. long ovoid-oblong, somewhat compressed and black in color.
Forest Flame (Palas)
April 7th, 2008 in Herbal medicine
The flame of the Forest commonly called “Palas” by the local people in Maharashtra, India is a small tree which grows to a height of 12 to 15 meters. In the summer months, when most of the other trees and shrubs are dry due to the scorching heat of the sun, Butea frondosa synonymous to Butea monosperma truly stands out like a flame in the forest with its clusters of orange colored flowers.
Sage in Herbal Medicine
April 4th, 2008 in Herbal medicine
Sage is an erect perennial plant, 60 cm high, somewhat white and woolly. The root is strong and branched. The stem is square and finely haired. The leaves are oblong.
The floral leaves are ovate, or ovate-lanceolate. The flowers are red, purple, blue or white, in whorls, forming terminal racemes.