Allium schoenoprasum Linn.
Family Liliaceae, Alliaceae.
Habitat Native to temperate
northern Europe and the U.S.;
distributed in the western Himalayas
from Kashmir to Kumaon at altitudes of 2,400—3,000 m.
English Chives.
Action Used in place of young onions.
An alcoholic extract of the bulbs exhibited hypotensive and cardiac depressant activity.
The aerial parts (chives) gave alliins (ailcylcysteine sulfoxides), particularly methyl aiim and pentylalliin.
Allium tuberosum Rottl. ex Spreng, found in eastern India and western Himalayas, is equated with Chinese Chives. It is available in Meghalaya.
Alocasia indica (Lour.) Spach.
Synonym A. macrorrhiza (Linn.) G. Don
Family Araceae.
Habitat A genus of topical Asia, Malayasia and the Pacific. Found wild and cultivated all over India.
English Giant Taro.
Ayurvedic Maanaka, Maana,
Maankanda, Kasaalu, Hastikarni.
Siddha/Tamil Merukan kizhangu.
Action Rootstock—mild laxative, diuretic (in anasarca); used in
inflammations and diseases of
abdomen and spleen. Leaf—astringent, styptic, antitumour. Root and leaf—rubefacient. Tubers—used as vegetable after eliminating oxalate content.
All parts of the plant, except tubers, contain cyanogenic principle, a mixture of triglochinin and isotriglochinin. The tubers contain sterols and high concentration of soluble oxalates (prolonged use may lead to calcium deficiency and oxaluria.) The tubers contain a trypsin/chymotrypsin inhibitor. The plant contains HCN (0.0027%). It is found to be mitogenic
36 Aloe barbadensis Mill.
to human peripheral blood lymphocytes.
