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Indian Birthwort
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Indian Birthwort
P Native Photo: Pravin Kawale
Common name: Indian Birthwort, Duck flower • Assamese: অৰ্ক মূল arka mula, ঈশ্বৰী মুল iswari mul • Bengali: ঈশ্বরমূল isvaramula • Gujarati: ઈશ્વરમૂળ iswarmul, નાની નોળવેલ nani nolvel, સાપસૂન sapsun • Hindi: ईशरमूल isharmul, विषापहा vishapaha • Kannada: ಗೋಪಾಲಪುಟ್ಟಿ ತೊಟ್ಟಲು gopalapatti toppalu, ಈಶ್ವರ ಬಳ್ಳಿ ishvara balli, ಈಶ್ವರ ಬೇರು ishvara beru • Konkani: ಸಾಪ್ಸಿಕಡ್ಡೂಲ sapsikaddula, सापुर sapur • Malayalam: ഈശ്വരമൂലി eeswaramooli, കടലിവേഗം kadalivegam, കരളവേകം karalavekam, കരളേകം karalekam • Marathi: सापसण sapsan, सापसंद sapasanda • Nepali: इसहरमूल Isaharamool, इश्वरी Ishwaree • Odia: ଇଶରମୂଳ isharamula, ଇଷୁ ishu, ସୁଗନ୍ଧା sugandha • Sanskrit: अर्कमूला arkamula, ईश्वरी isvari, रुद्रजटा rudrajata, सुनन्दा sunanda, विषापहा vishapaha • Tamil: ஈச்சுரமூலி ishvara-muli, மாம்பாஞ்சான் mampancan, பெருமருந்து peru-maruntu • Telugu: ఈశ్వరవేరు ishvara-veru, దూలగోవిల dulagovila • Tibetan: na ku li dri z im po • Tulu: ಇಸರಬೇರು isaraberu, ಇಸ್ವರ ಬಳ್ಳು iswara ballu Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Aristolochia indica    Family: Aristolochiaceae (Birthwort family)
Synonyms: Aristolochia maysorensis, Aristolochia pandurata, Aristolochia lanceolata
Indian Birthwort is a twining perennial herb, with branchlets slender. Leaves are 3.5-8 x 2-3.5 cm, ovate-lanceshaped or ovate-oblong, base flat, tip pointed to tapering, hairless; 3-5-nerved at base; leaf-stalk up to 2.5 cm long. Flowers are borne in few-flowered racemes in leaf-axils. Flower-stalks are about 7 mm long, elongate in fruits. Bracts are about 1.5 mm long, lanceshaped. Flower tube is dull brown, 1-1.5 cm long, bulbous base 3-5 mm across, green; limb 2-2.5 cm long, linear-oblong, rounded at tip, greyish-green. Stamens 6. Ovary is about 2 mm long; stigmas 6, fleshy. Capsule is 1.5-3 x 1.5-2 cm, spherical-pear-shaped, 6-ridged, splitting from the base, parachute-like after splitting. Seeds are 4-6 mm across, broadly deltoid, flat, winged. Indian Birthwort is found in Indo-Malesia. In India it is seen in Peninsular India.
Medicinal uses: Roots and rhizome are used as gastric stimulant and bitter tonic. Aristolochic acid is used for stimulating phagocytosis in infectious diseases in combination with antibiotics. Juice of leaves are used in cough and seeds in inflammation and biliousness.
Identification credit: Pravin Kawale Photographed in Lonavala, Maharashtra.
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