Medicinal Plants No 41

Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. ex Nees Acanthaceae (वाशा-कुलम्)

Eng : Green chiretta, Kalmegh, Creat. Hin : Kålamėgh, Kalpakath (Cha, CTT) Kan : Nelaběru (Bezbedo) Mal : Nilavěppụ, Kiriyatta (mleicuot, D100000)). San : Bhunimbaḥ, Kirātatiktaḥ (ftra , facrafeen :) Tam : Nilavempu (MoCoLDY) Tel : Nēlavēmu (3833)

Distribution: Throughout India, in the plains, also in forests as

undergrowth

The plant: An erect, branched annual herb, 0.3 m to 0.9 m in height with

quadrangular branches; leaves simple, lanceolate, acute at both ends, glabrous, main nerves 4-6 pairs; flowers small, pale but blotched and spotted with brown and purple distant in lax spreading axillary and terminal racemes or panicles, calyx-lobes glandular pubescent, anthers bearded at the base; fruits linear capsules, acute at both ends; seeds numerous, yellowish brown, subquadrate.

Parts used: whole plant

Properties and uses: The plant is bitter, acrid, cooling, laxative, vulnerary,

antipyretic, antiperiodic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, depurative, sudorific, anthelmintic, digestive and stomachic. It is useful in hyperdipsia, burning sensation, wounds, ulcers, chronic fever, malarial and intermittent fevers, inflammations, cough, bronchitis, skin diseases, leprosy, pruritus, intestinal worms, dyspepsia, flatulence, colic, diarrhoea, dysentery, haemorrhoids and vitiated conditions of pitta.

"किराततिक्तः कैरातः कटुतिक्तः किरातकः । काण्डतिक्तो नार्यतिक्तो भूनिम्बो रामसेनकः ॥" (भा.प्र.) ("Kirātatiktan kairātaḥ kațutiktaḥ kirātakaḥ Kāndatiktõlnāryatikto bhūnimbö ramasēnakah" (Bha.pra.)]'उपनिम्ब : कुनिम्बश्च निस्सारो भूमिनिम्बकः । कथितो निम्बपर्यायैः भूमिपर्यायपूर्वकैः ॥ (अ.म.) ["Upanimbaḥ kunimbaśca nissāro bhūminimbakaḥ Kathito nimbaparyāyaiḥ bhūmiparyāyapūrvakaih" (A.ma.)]

"किराततिक्तको हैमः काण्डतिक्तः किरातकः । भूनिम्बो नार्यतिक्तश्च किरातो रामसेनकः ॥ (ध.नि.) ["Kirātatiktako haimaḥ kāņdatiktaḥ kirātakaḥ Bhūnimbāſnāryatiktasca kirātō rāmasēnakaḥ" (Dha.ni.)]

"किरातः सारको रूक्षः शीतळस्तिक्तको लघुः । सन्निपातज्वरश्वासकफपित्तास्रदाहनुत् ॥ कासशोफतृषाकुष्ठज्वरव्रणकृमिप्रणुत् । (भा.प्र.) ["Kirātaḥ sārako rūkṣaḥ śitaļastiktako laghuḥ Sannipātajvaraśvāsakaphapittāsșadāhanut Kasasophatrsakusthajvaravranakrmipranut" (Bha.pra.)]

"भूनिम्बो वातळस्तिक्तः कफपित्तज्वरापहः । व्रणरोपणः पथ्यः कुष्ठकण्डूतिशोफनुत् ॥ (रा.नि.) ["Bhūnimbā vāta!astiktaḥ kaphapittajvarāpahaḥ Vranasamropanah pathyah kusthakandutisophanut" (Ra.ni.)]

भूनिम्बो वातळस्तिक्तो व्रणरोपणकारकः । सरः शीतः पथ्यकरो लघु रूक्षस्तृषापहः ।। कर्फ पित्तं ज्वरं कुष्ठं कण्डूं शोफ कृमींस्तथा । सन्निपातज्वरं दाहं शूलं मेहं व्रणं तथा । श्वासं कासं च प्रदरं शोषं चाशे रुचिं जयेत् । (नि.र.) ("Bhūnimbo vātaļastikto vranaropaņakārakaḥ Saraḥ śitaḥ pathyakaro laghu rūkşastsşāpahaḥ Kapham pittam jvaram kuştham kandūm śõpham krmimstatha Şannipātajvaram dāham śūlam mēham vſaņam tathā Svāsam kāsam ca pradaram sāşam cārsöſrucim jayēt" (Ni.ra.)]

भूनिम्बः शीतळो रूक्षो रसे तिक्तो लघुः सरः । वातळः कफपित्ताम्रकुष्ठमेहापहो हरेत् ॥ श्वासकासतृषादाहासचिशोफज्वरकृमीन् । (कै.नि.) ("Bhūnimbaḥ śīta!o rūkṣo rasē tiktā laghuḥ sarah Vatalah kaphapittaspakuşthamēhäpaho harēt Svāsakāsatrşādāhāruciśõphajvarakrmin" (Kal.ni.)]

भूनिम्बो वातळो रूक्षः कफपित्तज्वरापहा । (रा.व.) ("Bhūnimbó vātaļo rūkṣaḥ kaphapittajvarāpahā" (Rā.va.)]

शूलापहो मलध्वंसी कृमिघ्नो बालकप्रिय : । (सो.नि.)["Sūlāpaho maladhvamsi krmighno bālakapriyah" (So.ni.)]

Remarks: Many Sanskrit treatises mention two kinds of 'kirātutikta' viz.

'bhūnimba' and 'nēpāļanimba' and these have been translated into Malayalam as 'nilavēppu' and 'kiriyāita', respectively. All the commentaries on 'Bhāvaprakāśam', -Kaiyadēvanighaņțu'. etc., have identified kiratatikta as Swertia chirayita. None of these commentators have made any mention about Andrographis paniculata. But Acarya P.V. Sharma in his 'Dravyaguņavijñān' identifies bhūnimba as A.paniculata and assigns a Sanskrit name kālamēghā to it. Bhūnimba, as we know it is one of the synonyms of kirātatikta. However, it is to be noted that the same author has given the Latin name Swertia chirayita to kirātatikta. Anyhow, it is worth mentioning that kirātatikta or bhūnimba has been correctly translated into Tamil as nilavēſpu. While in north India and some parts of Kerala S. chirayita is the drug used for kirātatikta, in certain other parts of Kerala Andrographis paniculata (nilavēppu) is in use. However, throughout Kerala bhūnimba, one of the synonyms of kirätätikta has been for long wrongly translated into Malayalam as puttiricunda (Solanum indicum) and used in formulations wherever the word bhūnimba occurs.

Nēpāļanimba (Swertia chirayita) gets its name from the fact that it occurs abundantly in Nepal, while kirātatikta (Andrographis paniculata) is indigenous to India and grows plentifully throughout.