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Medicinal Plant details |
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| Sanskrit Name |
Dronpushpi |
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| Common name in English |
Leucas |
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| Botanical Name |
Leucas aspera L. |
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| Parts Used |
Whole herb |
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| Human Medicinal Usage |
The decoction of the plant is used as a laxative, for expeling worms from the body, and against jaundice. In Mauritius the plant is used as an emollient and pectoral. The leaves are effective against chronic rheumatism, check fever. The juice is applied in psoriasis, other chronic skin eruptions, to disperse painful swellings and for the cure of scabies. The flowers are warmed in little honey and used for cough and cold in case of childrens in North Bengal.
In case of Asthma the leaves of Leucas aspera are grinded with rock salt to prepare paste. Prepare tablets with this paste. The dose is one tablet to be taken twice daily with a spoonful ginger juice or honey. For the treatment of Conjunctivitis, Squeeze 7 leaves of Leucas aspera and extract the juice. Put one to two drops of juice in eyes twice daily for two days only. Diabetes can be treated by eating the paste of the flowers of a single plant of Leucas aspera and 21 numbers of cloves grinded together. In case of malarial fever grind together an entire plant of Leucas aspera and leaves of Nyctacthes arbor-tristis and extract the juice. Take two teaspoonfuls of the extract once daily for two days only. In case of headache, grind the leaves of Leucas aspera and extract the juice. Inhale the juice through nostrils for instant relief. To cure Jaundice, take the leaves of Leucas aspera and extract the juice after filtration. Take one teaspoonful twice a day for one week with 1/2 teaspoon honey. Mole or Mouse bite can be treated by using plant of Leucas aspera and seeds of Piper nigrum. Mix the paste in water and prepare a drink. Take the drink thrice daily for three days. The dosage is two number of Leucas aspera and 21 seeds of Piper nigrum for Adult. For the treatment of Otalgia squeeze the leaves of Leucas aspera and extract the juice, warm the juice gently and put this inside the ear drop by drop twice daily for three days. For Ozena grind the leaves of Leucas aspera, extract the juice. Put 2-3 drops of the juice inside the nostril as nasal drop twice daily for 2-3 days. For skin diseases (itches) apply leaf juice of Leucas aspera on itches area once daily till cure after washing it properly by warm water. In case of snakebite grind the leaves of Leucas aspera and extract the juice. Put 3-4 drops of the juice in each nostril once for one day only. Chew the leaves of Leucas aspera with common salt for instant relief from toothache. In case of Wound grind the dried leaves of Leucas aspera into powder and apply the powder once daily on wound for 2-3 days or grind together the leaves and inflorescence and the rhizome of Curcuma longa into a paste. Apply the paste locally on wounds in case of poultry (Shirazi, 1947; Thakur et al., 1982; Reddy et al., 1986, 1992, 1993; Kannappa et al., 1986; Bisht et al., 1988; Mathai & Devi, 1992; Gupta, 1993; Udayakumar & Hazeena, 2002; Goudgaon et al., 2003).
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| Veterinary Medicinal Usage |
Plant extract of `thumbai' (Leucas aspera) is applied to the wounds infected with worms (Konar, 1995). To cure fever, feed the animals a mixture of ingu (Ferula narthex), betel vine leaf, pepper and garlic; leaves of neem, thumbe (Leucas aspera), drumstick (Moringa oleifera) or coconut leaves; and seven to eight leaves of ekka (Calotropis spp.) (Prakash, 2002).
Thumbai (Leucas aspera) plant juice should be extracted, diluted in water and sprinkled over the birds to make the birds lice-free (Vivekanandan, 2002). To cure Anorexia, giddiness and cough, about quarter portion of an earthen vessel is filled with charcoal. To this 10g bark of neem, 25g each of tender leaves of Pungam (Pongamia glabra), Muddakkathan (Cardiospermum halicacabum) and thumbai (Leucas aspera) along with a pinch of googal (Commiphora wightii) are added. The mixture is smouldered and the animal is exposed to the fumes emerging till sweating is observed around the muzzle (Vivekanandan, 1999).
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| Other Usage |
For holy purpose, the Paroja groups of Malkangiri offer the flower of Leucas aspera to Lord Shiva. |
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| Synonyms |
Leucas glabrata R. Br. |
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| Family |
Lamiaceae (Labiatae) |
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| Description |
An erect slender annual, 30-50 cm high; branches many, from the base, hispid. Leaves: subsessile or narrowly oblong, lanceolate, obtuse; base narrow; margin entire or obscurely crenate, more or less pubescent on both surfaces. Flowers: in terminal or axillary, many-flowered dense whorls, upto 2.5 cm in diam., hispid, ciliate, sub-spinulose; calyx 8-11 mm long; tube curved, slightly contraced above the nutlet, lower half usually quite glabrous and membranous; upper half ribbed and hispid with few, long hairs; mouth small, triangular, bristle-tipped, ciliate, minutely pubescent within; corolla ca 11 mm long; tube enlarged and pubescent above; upper lip 4 mm long, densely white woolly; lower lip about twice as long, mid-lobe obovate, the laterals small, subacute. Fruit: nutlets 2.5 mm long, oblong, subtruncate, smooth, brown. Fl. & Fr.: Oct.-Nov. |
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| Common Name in India |
Chotahalkusa (Bengali); Tamba (Marathi); Chotahalkusa (Hindi); Tumbai (Tamil); Tummachettu (Telugu) |
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| Common Name in Other Countries |
Thurduribaji (Deccan); Herbe a mouches, Herbe Tombe, Tombe (La Reunion); Madame Tombe, Marrube blane, Couma, Halkasa, Poualla toumi (Mauritius); Gomaara (Mundari); Gumhasag (Sadani); Carucansoli, Pansipansi, Solasolasian (Tagalog)
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| Habitat |
Largely occurs in plains rarely found in uplands & hilly areas. |
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| Rainfall |
The plant can tolerate low to moderate rainfall. |
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| Soil (Physical/Chemical) |
The plant grows well in sandy to sandy-loam soils.
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| Regional Distribution |
It is found to be growing in dry regions of India, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan and southern India. |
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| Chemical composition |
The aerial part of the plant shows alfa-sitosterol, beta-sitosterol and a compound A, mp.61deg. Extract showed antibacterial activity against Micrococcus pyogenes and Escherichia coli.
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| Herbarium No |
1 |
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