externally applied to bruises. The tubers are poisonous (can be eaten after several boiings).
Pluchea indica Less.
Family Compositae; Asteraceae.
Habitat Sundarbans, in salt marshes and mangrove swamps.
Folk Kukarondh, Manjurukh (Bengal).
Action Root and leaves—astringent, antipyretic; given in decoction as a diaphoretic in fevers. Leaf— juice is given for dysentery; an infusion for lumbago, also against leucorrhoea. Root—antiinflammatory, hepatoprotective.
The aerial parts contain terpenic glycosides. The root contains sesquiterpenes, lignin glycosides, thiophene derivatives.
The extracts ofdefatted roots showed significant anti-inflammatory activity. The extracts inhibited protein exudation and leucocyte migration.
Neuropharmacological studies on different experimental models of rodents exhibited potent central nervous system depressant activity.
The methanolic fraction of the extract exhibited significant hepatoprotective activity against induced hepatotoxicity in rats and mice. The extract also caused significant reduction in the elevated serum enzyme levels and serum biirubin content in acute liver injury.
Pluchea lanceolata C. B. Clarke.
Family Compositae; Asteraceae.
Habitat Punjab, Upper Gangetic plains, Gujarat, Rajasthan.
Ayurvedic Raasnaa, Rasanaa, Raasnikaa, Rasaa, Yuktaa, Yuktrasaa,
Suvahaa, Elaaparni.
Folk Vaaya-surai (Uttar Pradesh), Raayasan.
Action Aerial parts—smooth muscle relaxant. Stem—antiinflammatory. Pluchea lanceolata is the source of Raasnaa in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. Vanda roxburghii is used as Raasnaa in Bengal. Throughout South India, Alpinia galanga is accepted as Raasnaa.
The stem and leaves contain moretenol, moretenol acetate, neolupenol, octacosanoic, hexacosanoic and tetracosanoic acid, tetracosanol, hexaco
Plumbago zeylanica Linn. 501
sanol, triacontanol, stigmasterol and zeylanica contain about 0.9%
beta-sitosterol-D-glucoside. plumbagin.
The petroleum extract of the stem
