''Hygrophila auriculata'' (
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
: ,
Bangla (বাংলা নাম): (কুলেখাড়া) ''kokilākṣa'') is a herbaceous, medicinal plant in the
acanthus family that grows in marshy places and is native to tropical Asia and Africa. In India it is commonly known as ''kokilaksha'' or ''gokulakanta'', in Sri Lanka as ''neeramulli''. In
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
it is called ''vayalchulli'' (വയൽച്ചുളളി). In Tamil it is called (நீர்முள்ளி).
Introduction - hygrophila or marsh barbel (English) It is commonly called in Tamil as a niramuli. An annual herbal plant growing up to 60 cm in height. The stem of the plant is tetragonal, hairy and stiff at the nodes. The bark is dark brown, although the leaves are elliptic-lanceolate and herpid. The flowers are purple and to a lesser extent violet blue. The fruit resembles a four-sided shape, linear, glabrous and about 1 cm long with seeds that are hairy and brown in color.
Medicinal usage in Ayurveda
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 ...
, its seeds, roots and panchang (pancha = five and ang = parts, i.e. root, flowers, stem, fruits and leaves as ash burnt together) are used as a medication.
[सुश्रुत संहिता (sushrut samhita ) An English translation of the Sushruta samhita, based on original Sanskrit text. Edited and published by Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna. With a full and comprehensive introd., translation of different readings, notes, comparative views, index, glossary and plates (1907]
/ref>
References
*J.S. Gamble, 1921. ''Flora of the Presidency of Madras'' Vol.2
External links
Hygrophila (plant), auriculata
Taxa named by Heinrich Christian Friedrich Schumacher
Plants described in 1963
Flora of Africa
{{Acanthaceae-stub