Folk Hanumaan-buuti, Bhui-nila.
Action Juice of the plant— antiscorbutic, diuretic, alterative. The plant, boiled with oil, is applied to burns. A decoction is given in epilepsy and insanity.
The plant contains two unsaturated hydrocarbons—indigoferin and enneaphyllin. The seeds contain 37.8% protein, also yield lipids (4.4%) con-
taming palmitic and oleic acid. The toxicity of the plant is attributed to a non-protein amino acid, indospicine (6- amidino-2-aminohexanoic acid). (Consumption of the plant produces a neurological syndrome, known as Birdsvile disease, in horses. The toxicity is greatly reduced when the material is chopped and dried.)
The aerial parts gave 3-nitropropa- noyl esters of D-glucose.
Indigofera oblongifolia Forsk.
Synonym I. paucfolia Delile. Family Fabaceae.
Habitat Throughout greater parts of India.
English Wild Indigo, Mysore Panicled Indigo.
Ayurvedic Bana-Nila, Dill, Jhill.
Unani Vasmaa.
Siddha/Tamil Kattukkarchamathi.
Folk Jhil (Gujarat).
Action Plant—antisyphilitic. All parts of the plant are found useful in enlargement of liver and spleen.
The leaves gave apigenin 7-rhamno- glucoside, apigenin 7, 4’ -diglucoside, kaempferol-3-neohesperidoside and rhoifolin, along with protocatechuic, p-coumaric, p-hydroxybenzoic, salicylic and vanillic acid.
Indigofera puichella
Roxb. in part.
Synonym I. cassioides Rottl. ex DC.
328 Indigofera tinctoria Linn.
Family Fabaceae.
Habitat The hills in India.
Ayurvedic Nih (related species).
Siddha/Tamil Nirinji.
Action Root—used for cough.
Powder of the root applied externally
