Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Parthenium hysterophorus

Botanical name : Parthenium hysterophorus Linn.
Family : Asteraceae

SANSKRIT SYNONYMS

Vishalata, Parthenia, Svasini

AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES

Rasa : Tikta
Guna : Lakhu
Virya : Ushna

PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES

English : Parthenium
Hindi : Parthenium
Malayalam : Parthenium

Distribution – Throughout India growing wild in wastelands as a weed.

PLANT DESCRIPTION
A rapidly spreading herb grows up to 50 cm in height. Leaves deeply lobed and alternate. Flowers small whitish heads in terminal or axillary panicles. Fruits bearing large number of seeds, crowned with small tuft of silky hairs.

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant has no known medicinal properties; instead it is a poisonous plant, causing allergic asthma, hay fever and dermatitis. It is also toxic for cattle’s. Due to its rapid invasive nature, it suppresses the growth of other plants; is a potent threat for native medicinal plants. The major component of these toxins being parthenin and other phenolic acids such as caffeic acid, vanillic acid, anisic acid, chlorogenic acid, parahydroxy benzoic acid and p-anisic acid are lethal to humans and animals.

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