FoI
Small-Flowered Willow-Herb
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Small-Flowered Willow-Herb
ative Photo: Gurcharan Singh
Common name: Small-Flowered Willow-Herb, Hoary Willowherb
Botanical name: Epilobium parviflorum    Family: Onagraceae (Evening primrose family)
Synonyms: Chamaenerion parviflorum, Epilobium molle, Epilobium villosum

Small-Flowered Willow-Herb is a plant typically 1-2 ft tall. Flower are small, pink, 6-9 mm across, with 4 pink petals. Sepals are 2.5-6 mm, keeled. Stigma is 4-lobed. Leaves are about 3-12 cm long, 0.5-2.5 cm wide. Leaves are stalkless, but their edges not at all decurrent onto stem. Stem is densely covered with spreading hairs. Small-Flowered Willow-Herb is is found in the Himalayas, from Kashmir to Nepal, at altitudes of 500-2500 m. Flowering: June-September.
Medicinal uses: Small-Flowered Willow Herb had been traditionally used in treatments of numerous conditions: prostate enlargement, inflammation of the prostate (prostatitis), gastrointestinal disorders, kidney and bladder disorders, rectal bleeding, menstrual disorders, cystitis, urinary infections, diarrhea, mouth lesions and irritable bowel syndrome. Now, after thorough researches, Willow Herb has been recognized as a powerful herb against bladder and kidney ailments, various urinary tract disturbances and especially helpful in cases of prostate disorders. Tea made from the Willow herb can be a very beneficial treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia. It has also been useful in controlling urinary incontinence in both men and women. Made into an ointment, it can soothe skin problems in children.

Identification credit: Gurcharan Singh
Photographed in Gulmarg, Kashmir.
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