Barleria cristata L. Family: Acanthaceae
English: Crested Philippine violet, Philippine-violet
Assamese: Jhinili
Bengali: Janti
Chinese: 假杜鹃
French: Gueule de loup
Hindi: Vajra Danti वज्र दंती
Oriya: Koilekha
Tamil: செம்முள்ளி Semmulli
Telugu: Tellanilambari
Thai: อังกาบ, kaan chang, luem thao yai, thong ra-aa
Japan: barureria
Philippines: kolintang, violeta
Tibet: sa ha ra ca, sa ha ra tsap, sa-ha-tsa
Vietnam: hoa ch[oo]ng
Description: An erect, up to 1.5 m tall, much branched, unarmed shrublet with appressedly hairy twigs, densely so at the nodes, Leaves with 1-2 cm long, hairy petiole; lamina elliptic-oblong to lanceolate, 3-12.5 cm x 1-3.5 cm, hairy both surfaces, attenuate at the base, entire, apically acute-acuminate. Flowers purple blue or pink or white, 4.5-5 cm long, in short, 1-5-flowered, axillary or terminal spikes; bracts absent or lanceolate, 8-12 mm long, bristly on margins, scabrous, acute; bracteoles absent. Calyx deeply 4-cleft, outer 2 lobes much larger than the inner pair, ovate-lanceolate, 1.5-2.5 cm x 6-8 (-10) mm, acuminate, bristly toothed on margins, hairy or glabrescent, inner 2-lobes linear, 7-8 mm long, pointed. Corolla glandular-pubescent outside, tube 3.5-4 cm long, infundibuliform, limb with oblong-obovate, up to 2 cm long, unequal lobes. Filaments hairy, anthers oblong, c. 3 mm long. Ovary oblong-conical, mm long; style c. 4 cm long. Capsule ellipsoid, 1.5-2 cm long, glabrous, pointed at the base and apex, 4-seeded. Seeds orbicular, c. 4 mm across, appressed hairy.
Used in Ayurveda and Sidha. Whole plant antiinflammatory, bechic, hypoglycemic, spasmolytic, oxytocic, used in snakebite; a paste or a decoction given in tuberculosis. Leaves for inflammations. Roots and leaves infusion applied to boils and sores to reduce swellings; the bitter juice of the leaves or roots diaphoretic and expectorant; root paste for toothache; roots for anemia and cough, a decoction of the root with Barleria strigosa and dry fish is given in anemia; a decoction of the root of Barleria strigosa with Barleria cristata and Tinospora cordifolia is given in fevers with honey and long pepper [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants]
Extract of the plant—sasmogenic and hypoglycaemic. Root extract—given in anaemia. The leaves are chewed in toothache. Roots and leaves are applied to swellings. An infusion is given in cough. [Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary]
22 Published articles of
Barleria cristataExtract of the plant—sasmogenic and hypoglycaemic. Root extract—given in anaemia. The leaves are chewed in toothache. Roots and leaves are applied to swellings. An infusion is given in cough. [Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary]
