''Andrographis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of flowering plants in the family

Acanthaceae Acanthaceae is a family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in te ...

. They may be generally known as the false waterwillows,''Andrographis''.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System. and several are called ''periyanagai''.Boopathi, C. A. (2000)
''Andrographis'' spp.: A source of bitter compounds for medicinal use.
''Anc Sci Life'' 19(3-4) 164-8. The species are native to the Indian subcontinent (including Myanmar, Sri Lanka and the West Himalaya region).Niranjan, A., et al. (2010)
Biological activities of kalmegh (''Andrographis paniculata'' Nees) and its active principles - A review.
''Indian J Nat Prod Resour'' 1(2) 125-35. Many are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

.Gnanasekaran, G. and G. V. S. Murthy. (2012)
Lectotypifications in ''Andrographis'' (Acanthaceae).
''Rheedia'' 22(2) 77-79. They may be herbs or

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s. They are introduced and/or cultivated in Southeast Asia and some areas around the Caribbean. Some species are used medicinally. The best known is ''

Andrographis paniculata ''Andrographis paniculata'', commonly known as creat or green chiretta, is an annual herbaceous plant in the family Acanthaceae, native to India and Sri Lanka. It is widely cultivated in Southern and Southeastern Asia, where it has been believ ...

'', which is valued in

Ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repo ...

Unani Unani or Yunani medicine (Urdu: ''tibb yūnānī'') is Perso-Arabic traditional medicine as practiced in Muslim culture in South Asia and modern day Central Asia. Unani medicine is pseudoscientific. The Indian Medical Association describes U ...

, and

Siddha medicine Siddha medicine is a form of traditional medicine originating in southern India. It is one of the oldest systems of medicine in India. In rural India, have learned methods traditionally through master-disciple relationships to become loca ...

. It is used to treat a very long list of illnesses and conditions. '' A. alata'' and '' A. lineata'' are used in human and

veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

. Food use has also been recorded. It is currently (as of April 2021) accepted that there are 26 species in the genus. These are: *'' Andrographis affinis'' *'' Andrographis alata'' *'' Andrographis atropurpurea'' *''

Andrographis beddomei ''Andrographis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae. They may be generally known as the false waterwillows,

'' *'' Andrographis chendurunii'' *''

Andrographis echioides ''Andrographis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae. They may be generally known as the false waterwillows,

'' *'' Andrographis elongata'' *'' Andrographis explicata'' *'' Andrographis glandulosa'' *'' Andrographis gracilis'' *'' Andrographis lawsonii'' *'' Andrographis lineata'' *'' Andrographis lobelioides'' *'' Andrographis longipedunculata'' *'' Andrographis macrobotrys'' *'' Andrographis megamalayana'' *'' Andrographis neesiana'' *''

'' - Indian subcontinent (native), SE Asia (cultivated) *'' Andrographis producta'' *''

Andrographis rothii ''Andrographis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae. They may be generally known as the false waterwillows,

'' *'' Andrographis rotundifolia'' *'' Andrographis serpyllifolia'' *'' Andrographis stellulata'' *'' Andrographis stenophylla'' *'' Andrographis subspathulata'' *'' Andrographis viscosula''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15733525 Acanthaceae Acanthaceae genera