Botanical Name : Chlorophytum Arundinaceum
Family : Liliaceae
Names in different Indian languages :
Sanskrit : Musli Bhed
Unani : Musli Safed, Biskandri
Hindi : Safed Musli
English : India Spider Plant
Morphology :
It is a perennial herb with a short hard root stocks; roots often thick, fleshy and cylindrical.
The leaves are 15-35 cm long and oblanceolate.
The plant is considered endangered species in the country.
Inflorescence is dense; flowers are arranged in raceme and shortly branched.
Flowers white, anthers as long as or longer than the filaments and yellow in colour.
Bracts are usually long and over topping the shortly pedicelled buds.
Cells of the orbicular capsule are 3-4 seeded and black coloured.
Distribution :
Plant is distributed sparsely over Eastern India, mainly Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, Assam and few places in Odisha and Meghalaya.
Parts used :
Tuberous Root
Therapeutic Uses :
Tubers having medicinal value are used as general tonic, containing the steroid sapogenine (1-2%), protein (10-20%) and calcium.
Tubers are fat free and they have high aphrodisiac property.
It is also useful in diseases like renal calculus, leucorrhoea and diabetes.
