Common name: Kakronda, Blumea • Hindi: जंगली मूली Jangli Muli, ककरौंदा Kakronda • Marathi: Bhamurda, बुरंडो Burando • Tamil: Kattumullangi, Narakkarandai • Telugu: Advimulangi, Karupogaku • Bengali: কুকুৰমুতা Kukurmuta, Kukursunga • Gujarati: કોલહાર Kolhar, પીલો કપૂરિયો Pilo Kapurio • Sanskrit: कुक्कुरद्रु Kukkuradru, कुकुंदर Kukundara, म्रदु छड़ Mridu chhada, ताम्रचूड़ा Tamrachuda
Botanical name: Blumea lacera Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower family)
Kakronda is an annual herb with a strong odor, distributed throughout the
plains of north-west India, up to an altitude of 2,000 m. The stems of this
hairy or glandular herb are erect, simple or branched, very leafy and 1-2
ft in height. The leaves are obovate or oblanceolate, 5-12 cm long, 2-6 cm
wide, smaller toward the top, stalked, and toothed or (rarely) lobulated at the margins. The
bright yellow flowering heads are about 8 mm across, borne on short
axillary cymes, and collected in terminal, spike-like panicles. The
involucre-bracts are narrow and hairy. The achenes are not ribbed, are
somewhat 4-angled, and are smooth.
Medicinal uses: Blumea is described by Ayurveda experts as hot,
pungent and bitter; antipyretic; good for bronchitis, diseases of the blood,
fevers, thirst and burning sensations. The root kept in the mouth is said to
cure disease of the mouth. In the Konkan region of India, the plant is used to
drive away fleas and other insects. In Homoeopathic system,
it is given in enuresis, neuralgia, headache and cold borne cough.
Identification credit: Prashant Awale
| Photographed at Taleran, near Malshej Ghat, Maharashtra. |
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