Botanical Name : Blumea lacera
Family : Compositae; Asteraceae
Introduction :
Latin name: Blumea = flowers: lacero = torn, irregularly cleft,
Names in different Indian languages :
Hindi : Kukundhara
Kannada : Kukundaru
Malayalam : Kukuravriksham,rakkila
Sanskrit : Kukundara
Tamil : Kattumullanki
Telugu : Kukundaramu
Unani : Kakarondaa
Synonyms :
Kukurunda, Tamrachooda, Sookshmapatra. Mriducchada, Kukudru, Kukurbandha, Kukuninda
Morphology :
A shrub of 30 to 60 coms. high.
Leaves – stout like kasani, hairy with strong smell,
flowers – tiny, yellowish, hairy and heterosexual.
Seeds – small, black. Upper part of the plant is red in colour.
These plants grow in rainy season and dry up in summer (which is used as a medicine), flowering and fruiting occur in winter. There are many varieties of this plant.
Distribution & Habitat :
In watery but at the height of 700 mtrs, but grows all over India
Chemical constituents :
cineold-fenchone, citral , coniferyl alcohol, acetylenic, thiophene, campesterol, hentriacontane, hentriacontanol, alpha-amyrin , acetate, lupeol,acetate, beta-sitosterol
Properties :
Guns: laghu, ruksha, tikshna;
Rasa: tikta, katu;
Veerya: ushna;
Vipaka: katu
Karma :
Jwara hara, deepana, pachana,
Antipyretic, astringent, febrifuge, diuretic, deobstruent, anthelmintic
Indication :
Kusta, raktaruk, daha
fever, skin disease, cough, piles, leucorrhoea, vomiting, dysentery, gout, burning sensation, dyspepsia, cephalgia, worm infection
Part used :
Whole plant
Dosage :
Leaf juice 10-15 ml
Powder 2-4 g
Decoction 50-100 ml
Internal uses :
Leaf juice or powder is used as a nasya in rhinitis, headache. Warm leaves are tied on inflammation. Conjunctivitis is treated by local application of leaf juice. The leaf juice kills maggots and is also used in wounds, Being appetizer, laxative, stimulant and anthelmintic properties, it is used in ascites, worms, liver disorders, haemorrhoids, In haemorrboids, mixture of leaf paste and black pepper is given. As it ads on rakta dhatu, it is used in blood disorders, bleeding disorders and oedema, It is useful in rhinitis, cough, asthma, fever and menorrhagia. Especially in rabies, 6 gms. of root powder is given along with the water. (It acts by its emetic action).
