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