CONVOLVULUS PLURICAULIS
Common
name: Prostrate Bindweed • Hindi: शंख पुष्पी Shankh
Pushpi, Sankh Pushpi, Shankhini, Kambumalini, Samkhapushpi, Sankaphuli
Botanical
name: Convolvulus pluricaulis
Family: Convolvulaceae
(Morning glory family)
Synonyms: Convolvulus prostratus , Convolvulus microphyllus
Introduction: Shankha-pushpi
is an indigenous plant commonly mentioned in Ayurveda, as a rasayana which is
mainly advocated for use in mental stimulation and rejuvenation therapy.
Shankha pushpi is a prostrate, spreading, perennial, wild herb commonly found
on sandy or rocky ground under xerophytic conditions in northern India. The
species is marked by great morphological variability especially in size of the
flower. Stems are ascending or prostrate, 10-40 cm long, densely velvety with
appressed to spreading hairs. Leaves are nearly stalkless, linear to oblong,
lanceshaped or inverted-lanceshaped, 0.8-3 cm long, 1.5-6 mm broad,
wedge-shaped at the base, pointed to blunt at the tip, velvety to hairy.
Flowers are borne in 1-3-flowered cymes which are carried on stalks up to 2-3
cm long but often much shorter or absent. Bracts are linear to lanceshaped,
about 3-7 mm long. Flower-stalks are up to 3 mm long. Sepals are lanceshaped,
long-pointed, 4-8 mm long, the 2 outer longer, hairy. Flowers are white or pale
pink, 1-1.3 cm long, midpetaline areas velvety. Style is about 2-4 mm long,
stigma-lobes 3-5 mm long. Capsule is round, 3-4 mm in diameter. Seeds are 2-4,
about 2-2.5 mm long, dark brown. All the parts of the herb are known to possess
therapeutic benefits. It is believed to be the only herb that is capable of
enhancing all the aspects related to brain power, such as learning, memory and
the ability to recall. However, its popularity stems from its ability to treat
insomnia effectively.
Parts
Used: Entire plant and juice
Habitat: Found
in India and Burma
Chemical Constituents
Carbohydrats: D-glucose, maltose, rhamnose, sucrose, starch and
other carbohydrats
Proteins
and amino acids: Proteins and amino acids
Alkaloids: Shankhapushpine,
convolamine, convoline, convolidine, convolvine, confoline, convosine
Fatty
acids/volatile acids/fixed oil: Volatile oils, fatty
acids, fatty alcohols, hydrocarbons,myristic acids, palmitic acids
and linoleic acids
Phenolic/glycosides/triterpenoids/steroids: Scopoletin,
β-sitosterol, ceryl alcohols, 20-oxodotriacontanol, tetratriacontanoic acids,
flavonoid-kampferol, steroids-phytosterols
Medicinal
uses: It is used for
treatment of hypertension, neurodegenerative diseases, ulcers, high blood
pressure, epilepsy, vomiting, diabetes, sun stroke and bleeding. In addition,
it can also be used to improve memory and decrease cholesterol. The drug
is used as antiepileptic. It is used alone or is administered along with modern
antiepileptic drugs.
Ref : An update on Ayurvedic herb Convolvulus pluricaulis Choisy,Parul
Agarwa,* Bhawna Sharma, Amreen Fatima, and Sanjay Kumar Jain
http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Shankh%20Pushpi.html
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