An erect, branched, very variable annual.

The petals are reported to contain a dark red pigment, namely mecocyanin chloride and another cyanidin derivative. Later investigations have revealed the presence of cyanidin-B and pelargonidin-C in the flowers. An alkaloid rhoeadine is present in all parts of the plant including roots, leaves, flowers and capsules. The capsules contain also the alkaloids morphine, thebaine and narcotine, and meconic acid. Protopine and coptisine, besides a number of other phenolic and nonphenolic, crystalline and amorphous bases have been reported in the roots and aerial parts.

The petals are mucilaginous and bitter. They are expectorant and have been used for cough or hoarseness; they also possess sedative and pain relieving properties. The fresh petals are used for the preparation of galenicals. Syrup or tincture made out of petals is used for coloring medicines and food materials to which they impart a red color and a bitter flavor. The aqueous extracts of the plant exhibit antibiotic activity.

Parmelia perlata is a lichen growing in rosettes or irregularly spreading over the substratum giving the appearance of a flower - hence the name.

It is mainly composed of fungal mycelia which forms a network enclosing algal cells or gonidia. The plant is astringent, bitter, acrid, cooling, anti-inflammatory and aphrodisiac. It is useful in sores, boils, inflammations, seminal weakness and amenorrhea.

A tall tree. The fruit is an oblong berry that is reddish or yellowish brown when ripe.

Dates are considered demulcent, expectorant and laxative and are used in respiratory diseases and fever. They are rich in sugars.

• fever

A herb with a rigid, short, prostrate stem.

Amariin, a novel hydrolysable tannin together with geraniin, corilagin, 1,6-digalloyl-glucopyranoside as well as a rutin and quercetin-3-O-glucopyranoside have been isolated from the plant.

The plant is often used in the traditional system of medicine for a variety of ailments including flu, dropsy, diabetes, jaundice, asthma, bronchial infections, and diseases of the liver. In the ayurvedic system of medicine it is used in problems of the stomach, genitourinary system, liver, and kidney.

• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Diabetes, gestational
• Diabetic retinopathy

• Peripheral neuropathy

• Diabetic retinopathy

• Autonomic neuropathy

• Jaundice

• Liver Flush

It is a perennial herb with elongate, stout and creeping rootstock found in the alpine regions. The plant is mainly used as the therapy for liver and lung diseases. The plant exhibits potent immunostimulant activity and is considered a immunomodulatory agent. The phenolic glycoside, androsin isolated from the plant, is reported to be as active compound which prevents allergies and platelet activating factor-induced bronchial obstruction in guinea pigs in vitro. It also has anti-inflammatory activity.

A tall tree, with spreading branches covered with a dark gray bark that is deeply fissured and rough.

The turpentine oil obtained from the chir pine is valued in medicine as a rubefacient in various rheumatic affections, such as lumbago, arthritis, and neuralgia. The oil is also an ingredient in many ointments, liniments and lotions for treating minor aches and pains as well as colds when applied externally.

Piper longum is a slender, aromatic, climber with perennial woody roots, creeping and jointed stems, and fleshy fruits embedded in the spikes.

Its principal constituents are piperine and piplartine The fruits are used for diseases of the respiratory tract, viz. cough, bronchitis, asthma, etc.; as counter-irritant and analgesic when applied locally for muscular pains and inflammation and as general tonic and hematinic. It is known to enhance the bio-availability of food and drugs as well as being a carminative.

It is used in coughs, coryza, asthma, hoarseness of voice, bronchitis, etc.

• Asthma

• Bronchitis

Piper nigrum is a climbing perennial shrub, rooting at the stem nodes with ovoid or globose fruits.

Its principal constituents are piperine, chavicine, piperidine and piperettine. It is much employed as an aromatic stimulant in weakness following fevers, coma, etc., as a stomachic in cholera, dyspepsia, flatulence, indigestion, Diarrhea and various other gastrointestinal ailments. It has bacterio static, fungi static, anti-inflammatory and rubefacient properties.

• diarrhea

• fever

• Flatulence

• Indigestion

A small deciduous tree, which has fruits with a grayish white, bony, keeled nut-shell, which encloses light yellow to deep green edible kernels with a reddish coat.

The kernels are considered to be digestive, sedative and tonic and contain a melting fatty oil.

A perennial, sub-scandent shrub found wild.

The root bark of P. zeylanica contains plumbagin (distributed in most of the secondary cortex and medullary ray cells), free glucose and fructose, and the enzymes protease and invertase.

It is a powerful irritant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and diuretic that is useful in rheumatism.

Latin Names:

Pongamia glabra, Pongamia pinnata

English Names:

Pongam Oil Tree, Indian Beech

Sanskrit / Indian Name:

Karanja

It is a medium-sized glabrous tree with single seeded, compressed and woody pods. Karanjin in the seed oil has antimicrobial and insecticidal properties.

It is a rich, natural source of calcium, and, due to appropriate ayurvedic processing, has the advantage of easy absorption in the intestine.

• Calcium (Calcium citrate)

• Calcium Gluconate)

Prunus amygdalus is a tree with minutely serrate leaves.

It is known for its astringent effect. It has a globulin called amandin. It contains folic acid, alpha tocopherol and zinc, which are useful in skin disorders. In Ayurveda, Almond kernels are considered demulcent, lithontriptic and diuretic as well as being a nervine tonic.

It is reported to improve brain functions.

It is an erect annual herb with broadly-elliptic leaves, yellow or bluish purple flowers and small pods with one seed, which is adhering to the pericarp. Psoralen and isopsoralen are the active principles of the drug. Bavachinin -A a flavanone isolated from the fruits revealed marked anti-inflammatory and mild analgesic properties.

Pterocarpus marsupium is a large deciduous tree.

Its principal constituents are liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin. An aqueous infusion of the wood is used in diabetes. It has been found to reduced the glucose absorption from the gastrointestinal tract and improve insulin and pro-insulin levels. It is effective in beta cell regeneration and has also been found to have a hypocholesteremic effect.

It is a small to medium-sized, deciduous tree, restricted to parts of South India. The bark is blackish-brown, deeply cleft into rectangular plates, and exuding a deep red juice when cut. The wood contains 16 per cent of a red coloring matter santalin [santalic acid] possessing a quinonoid structure. Santalin yields a blood red solution with alcohol, yellow with ether and violet with ammonia and caustic alkalis. It has cooling properties and mitigates thirst.

A shrub or small tree with edible fruits.

The rind contains tannins and ursolic acid. Extracts of the fruit rind and root bark showed antibacterial activity. It is valued as an astringent in cases of Diarrhea and dysentery.

• diarrhea

A low round-crowned tree. The composition of the apple fruit varies with variety, climatic conditions during the growing season, and the stage of maturity.

It is a rich source of various vitamins, trace elements, amino acids and flavanoids. Malic acid is the principal acid (90-95% of the total acids) of the fruit. It has tonic, keratolytic and antiseptic properties. The astringent principles of apple include tannins, tannin derivatives and coloring materials (flavones). Apple is one of the fruits with low antigen content diet and is useful in the management of immunomediated diseases such as mixed cryoglobulinemia and Ig A neuropathy. Apple fruits contain a ß-glycol, octane-1, 3-diol which is an antifungal constituent. It reduces skin inflammation and helps in removing dead skin fragments.