Upodhika

Botanical Name : Basella alba Linn. var. rubra Stewart.

Family : Basellaceae

Identification No.: SDACH/HG/225

Names in different Indian languages :

English : Indian Spinach

Hindi : Poi, lalbaclu

Kannada : Bansali

Malayalam : vashalacheera

Sanskrit : Upodikaa

Tamil : Vaslakkirai

Telugu : Baccali

Synonyms :

पोतक्युपोदिका सा तु मालवाऽमृतवल्लरी

B. rubra Linn

Upodikaa, Potaki, Maalvaa, Amritvallari

Morphology :

Basella alba is a fast-growing, soft-stemmed vine, reaching 10 metres (33 ft) in length. Its thick, semi-succulent, heart-shaped leaves have a mild flavour and mucilaginous texture.

Action & uses :

Demulcent, diuretic, laxative

Chemical constituents :

It is rich in vitamins A and C, iron and calcium, arginine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, threonine

IUCN Status: Not Evaluated

Research updates:

  1. Rahmat A, Rosli R, Jayabalan N. Antioxidant properties of Basella alba extracts in vitro. Food Chem.
  2. Tan YF, Chua KH, Ravichantar N. Anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties of Basella alba leaf extract. J Ethnopharmacol.
  3. Islam T, Chowdhury MA, Hossain MS. Evaluation of hepatoprotective activity of Basella alba in paracetamol-induced liver damage. Int J Pharm Sci Res.
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