Botanical Name : Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.)
Family : Crassulaceae
Identification No.: SDACH/HG/094
Vernacular names:
- Hindi: Patharchatta, Paan-futti
- English: Air Plant, Life Plant
- Bengali: Patharkuchi
- Tamil: Runakkalli
- Telugu: Ranapala
- Kannada: Gandukalinga
- Malayalam: Ilayinmeltai
- Gujarati: Patherchat
Synonyms :
पर्णबीजः स्मृतो देवैः श्वेतपुष्पो घनस्रवः।
क्षतक्षीणहरः शीघ्रं विशेषात् पित्तनाशनः॥
Bryophyllum calycinum Salisb.
Cotyledon pinnata Lam.
Crassula pinnata L. f.
Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers.
Sedum madagascaricum Clus.
Morphology :
a fleshy upright plant usually growing 60-120 cm tall.
its relatively broad leaves have scalloped margins and are oppositely arranged.
these leaves may be simple or compound, with three or five leaflets.
its drooping bell-shaped flowers are greenish-yellow to pinkish-red in colour (up to 7 cm long).
these flowers are borne in branched clusters at the top of its stems.
Stems and Leaves
The upright (i.e. erect) stems are fleshy (i.e. succulent) and hairless (i.e. glabrous).
The leaves are also fleshy (i.e. succulent) and are either simple (particularly on seedlings) or compound (i.e. trifoliate or pinnate). They are oppositely arranged, flattened, and the number of leaflets present varies from one near the base of the stems to three or five (i.e. trifoliate or pinnate) higher up the stems. These leaves (5-25 cm long and 2-12.5 cm wide) are green or yellowish-green in colour, hairless (i.e. glabrous), and are borne on stalks (i.e. petioles) 2-10 cm long. The leaflets are oval or narrowly oval (i.e. elliptic) in shape with rounded tips (i.e. obtuse apices), and when more than one leaflet is present the end (i.e. terminal) leaflet is usually significantly larger than the others. Tiny plantlets may occasionally be formed in the scalloped (i.e. crenate) margins of these leaflets. These plantlets are more often produced if the leaves become detached from the stems.
Flowers and Fruit
The bell-shaped (i.e. tubular), drooping (i.e. pendulous), flowers (up to 7 cm long) are arranged in branched clusters at the tips of the stems (i.e. in terminal inflorescences). Each flower is borne on a stalk (i.e. pedicel) 10-25 mm long. They have prominent, inflated, yellowish-green or pale green coloured sepals (25-55 mm long) that are partially fused into a tube (i.e. calyx tube) and streaked with pink or reddish coloured blotches. The yellowish-green to dark red coloured petals (3-6 cm long) are also partially fused into a tube (i.e. a corolla tube) that divides into four petal lobes (i.e. corolla lobes) near the tip. Flowers are produced mainly during winter and spring.
The fruit are papery and membranous (about 15 mm long), with four slender compartments (i.e. carpels). They generally remain enclosed within the old flower parts and contain numerous minute, slender, brownish-coloured seeds (less than 1 mm long).
Habitat :
A garden escape that is naturalised in tropical, sub-tropical and warmer temperate regions. It is a weed of gardens, parks, roadsides, railways lines, waste areas, coastal environs, creek-banks, open woodlands, forests and forest margins.
Substitute/Adulterant:
– Substitute: Aloe vera for wound healing properties
– Adulterant: Sometimes mixed with other Bryophyllum species
Phytochemicals:
– Flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol)
– Bufadienolides (Bryophyllin A, B)
– Phenolic acids
– Triterpenes
Rasapanchaka:
– Rasa: Kashaya (astringent), Tikta (bitter)
– Guna: Laghu (light), Rooksha (dry)
– Virya: Sheeta (cooling)
– Vipaka: Katu (pungent)
– Prabhava: Vranaropana (wound healing)
– Dosha Shamakta: Pitta-Kapha shamak, Vata vardhak in excess
Karma (Rogaghnata):
– Vranaropana (wound healing)
– Shothahara (anti-inflammatory)
– Mutrala (diuretic)
– Raktastambhana (hemostatic)
Amayika Prayoga/Therapeutic Uses:
External:
– Leaf paste for wounds, burns, boils
– Juice drops for earache
– Poultice for insect bites
Internal:
– Leaf juice (5-10 ml) for kidney stones
– Decoction for diarrhea, dysentery
– Powder for respiratory disorders
Part used: Leaves (fresh preferred), plantlets
Dose:
– Juice: 5-10 ml
– Powder: 1-3 g
– Decoction: 30-50 ml
Yoga/Formulations:
– Parnabeeja Lepa (for external wounds)
– Parnabeeja Kwath (for urinary disorders)
– Included in some Ayurvedic skin ointments
IUCN Status: Least Concern (widely distributed)
Research updates (past 5 years):
1. 2020: Wound healing efficacy comparable to silver sulfadiazine
2. 2021: Nephroprotective effects in animal studies 3. 2023: Anti-cancer potential of bufadienolides
