Aerva lanata
Encyclopedia
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
in the Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae
The flowering plant family Amaranthaceae, the Amaranth family, contains about 176 genera and 2,400 species.- Description :Most of these species are herbs or subshrubs; very few are trees or climbers. Some species are succulent....
family of the genus Aerva
Aerva
Aerva is a genus of plant in family Amaranthaceae.-Selected species:Compiled from several different lists:* Aerva artemisioides* Aerva congesta* Aerva coriacea Schinz* Aerva humbertii Cavaco...
that sometimes flowers in the first year.
Aerva lanata belonging to Amaranthaceae family is a common weed which grows wild everywhere in plains of India. The root has a camphor like aroma. The dried flowers which look like soft spikes, are sold under the commercial name as Buikallan or Boor. Decoction of the flowers is said to cure stones in any part of the stomach and that of the root is diuretic and cure for kidney stones.
Common names
- Bengali: Chaya.
- Duk.: Kul -ke -jar, Khul.
- Hindi:Gorakhbuti or Kapuri jadi.
- Kannada: Bilesuli.
- Malayalam: Cherula.
- Marathi: Kapuri-madhura.
- Punjabi: Bui-kaltan (flowers as sold in bazaars).
- Rajasthani: Bhui.
- Sanskrit: Astmabayda
- Sindhi: Bhui, Jari.
- Sinhalese-Pol pala.
- Tamil: Sirru -pulay -vayr.
- Telugu: Pinde-conda, Pindi-chetter.
- Trans-Indus: Asmei, Spirke, Sasai.
- Swahili: Kinongo
- Akan-Asante bameha
- Abure n-tanfa
- Akye: munongbe
- Baule akopinolé
- GuereWè languageGuéré , also called Wè , is a Kru language spoken by over 300,000 people in the Dix-Huit Montagnes and Moyen-Cavally regions of Ivory Coast.-Phonology:...
(Chiehn) ura ore, wore oré (K&B) wulo wulé (B&D)
Distribution
A. lanata prefers damper sites than A. javanica and can be found in open forests on mountain slopes, on waste and disturbed ground, deserted cultivation and coastal scrub and at altitudes from sea level to 900 metres (2,952.8 ft).Native
- AfrotropicAfrotropicThe Afrotropic is one of the Earth's eight ecozones. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the southern and eastern fringes of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly...
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, UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by... - West-Central Tropical Africa: CameroonCameroonCameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
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- Northeast Tropical Africa: Ethiopia
- IndomalayaIndomalayaThe Indomalaya ecozone is one of the eight ecozones that cover the planet's land surface. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East Asia....
:- Indian Subcontinent: IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
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- Indian Subcontinent: India
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Uses
The plant is said to be diureticDiuretic
A diuretic provides a means of forced diuresis which elevates the rate of urination. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics increase the excretion of water from bodies, although each class does so in a distinct way.- Medical uses :...
and demulcent
Demulcent
A demulcent is an agent that forms a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane. Demulcents are sometimes referred to as mucoprotective agents. Demulcents such as pectin, glycerin, honey, and syrup are common ingredients in cough mixtures...
. Its diuretic action is said to be very effective in the treatment of urethral discharges
Urethra
In anatomy, the urethra is a tube that connects the urinary bladder to the genitals for the removal of fluids out of the body. In males, the urethra travels through the penis, and carries semen as well as urine...
and gonorrhoea and is of value in cases of lithiasis and as an anthelmintic
Anthelmintic
Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are drugs that expel parasitic worms from the body, by either stunning or killing them. They may also be called vermifuges or vermicides .-Pharmaceutical classes:...
. A trace of alkaloid
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
has been detected.
Food: The whole plant, especially the leaves, is edible. The leaves are put into soup or eaten as a spinach or as a vegetable. The plant provides grazing for stock, game in and chickens.
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- Leaves: A leaf-decoction is prepared as a gargle for treating sore-throat and used in various complex treatments against guinea-worm. to wash Babies that have become unconscious during an attack of malaria or of some other disease are washed with a leaf decoction at the same time smoke from the burning plant is inhaled. The leaf-sap is also used for eye-complaints. An infusion is given to cure diarrhoea and in an unspecified manner at childbirth, and on sores.
- Root: The root is used in snake-bite treatment.
- Flowers: For pains in the lower part of the back leaves and flowers are reduced to ash which is rubbed into cuts on the back.
Spiritual: It gives protection against evil spirits, is a good-luck talisman for hunters, and safeguards the well-being of widows.