Ayurvedic Dudhi (smaller
var.), Dugdhikaa, Naagaarjuni, Swaaduparni.
Siddha/TamH Sittrapaladi.
Action Plant—antispasmodic, bronchodilator, antiasthmatic (used in bronchial asthma), galactagogue (also used for spermatorrhoea). Root—used in amenorrhoea. Latex—used in ringworm, dandruff. Leaf, seed and latex—purgative. A decoction of the plant, with honey, is given to treat haematuria.
Aerial parts gave epitaraxerol, nhexacosanol, euphorbol, two derivatives of deoxyphorbol-OAC, 24-meth- ylene cycloartenol and quercetin galactoside. Co-carcinogenic activity is due to phorbol derivatives. The plant exhibits antimicrobial activity due to alkaloids.
Dosage Whole plant—10—20 g paste. (CCRAS.)
Euphorbia tirucalli Linn.
Family Euphorbiaceae.
Habitat Native to Africa; naturalized in the warmer parts of India.
English Milk-Bush, Milk Hedge, Indian tree Spurge, Aveloz, Petroleum Plant
Ayurvedic Saptalaa, Saatalaa.
Siddha/TamiI Tirukalli.
Folk Angulia-thuuhar.
Action Purgative, emetic, antiasthmatic, bechic. Used for whooping cough, asthma, dyspepsia, biliousness, jaundice, enlargement of spleen, leucorrhoea. Latex—applied externally on warts.
Used as a purgative and for rheumatism and neuralgia. Stem bark—used for gastralgia, colic, asthma.
The latex contains an ingol ester besides triterpenoids, euphorbinol and cycloeuphordenol.
Presence of a number of ingenol and phorbol esters (diterpenoids), and tnterpenoids are reported from the plant. The stem gave hentriacontane, hentriacontanol, beta-sitosterol, Me-ellagic and ellagic acids and kaempferol glucoside.
The latex is a weak tumour promoter.
Euphoria longan Steud.
Family Sapindaceae.
Habitat South India, Assam and Bengal.
English Longan
Euryale ferox Salisb. 255
Ayurvedic Aakshiki (non-classical). Siddha/Tamil Puvatti, Shempuvan. Folk Aashaphala (Bengal), Naaglichi (Assam).
