Tephrosia purpurea (L.) Pers.
Family: Fabaceae
Synonyms: Cracca piscatoria (Aiton) Lyons, Cracca purpurea L., Galega piscatoria Aiton, Glycyrrhiza mairei H.Lev., Tephrosia colonila (Ham.) Benth., Tephrosia crassa Bojer ex Baker, Tephrosia diffusa (Roxb.) Wight & Arn., Tephrosia indigofera Bertol., Tephrosia ionophlebia Hayata, Tephrosia lanceifolia Link, Tephrosia piscatoria (Aiton) Pers., Tephrosia purpurea var. diffusa (Roxb.) Aitch., Tephrosia wallichii Graham ex Fawcett & Rendle
English: Fish Poison, Wild Indigo, Purple Tephrosia, avasa; can-ja-da; pea bush
Bengali: বননীলগাছ bannilgach
Chinese: Hui mao dou.
French: Guiana: bois-nivre
Gujarathi: ઘોડાકાન ghodakan
Hawaiian: ʻAuhuhu, Ahuhu, ʻAuhola, Hola
Hindi Name: सरफोंक, Sarphonk, Sharpunkha शरपुंखा,
Kannada: empali, koggili, phanike
Malayalam: kozhinjil
Marathi: शरपुंखा sharpankha, उन्हाळी unhali
Nepalese: Kande sakhinu, Sakinu.
Oriya: ଶରପୁଙ୍ଖା soropunkha
Punjabi: bansa-bansu
Rajasthani: biyani, Masa
Sanskrit: शरपुंखा sarapunkha
Tamil: காவாளி kavali, கொள்ளுக்காய்வேளை kolluk-kay-velai, Kawati, Kolinchi
Telugu: వెంపలి Vempali
Thai: Cha khram, Cha khram dok daeng, Khram pa.
Malagasy: Katafotsy, Kimahandzy, Makalala
Portuguese: Tefrósia
Sinhalese: Gam-Pila, Pila
Vietnamese: Cốt khí tía
Unani: Sarponkhaa, Sarphukaa
Ayurvedic uses: Anthelmintic, alexipharma. The drug is considered specific for the treatment of inflammation of spleen and liver (is known as Plihaa-shatru, Plihaari in Indian medicine). Dried herb—diuretic, deobstruent, laxative. Given for the treatment of cough, bronchitis, bilious febrile attacks, insufficiency of the liver, jaundice (not effective in infantile cirrhosis), kidney disorders and for the treatment of bleeding piles, boils, pimples. Also used as a gargle. Root—decoction used in dyspepsia, diarrhoea, cough, bronchitis, adenoids, asthma and rheumatism. Juice is applied to skin eruptions. A liniment prepared from the root is employed in elephantiasis. Oil from seeds—specific against eruptions of the skin, eczema, scabies, leprosy. Seed extract—hypoglycaemic. Powdered aerial parts prevented elevation of SGOP, SGPT and bilirubin levels.
Indications — Acne, Ascites, Asthma, Biliousness, Bleeding, Boil, Bright’s Disease, Bronchosis, Cancer, Cardiopathy, Caries, Colic, Constipation, Cough, Dermatosis, Diarrhea, Dropsy, Dyspepsia, Dysuria, Eczema, Elephantiasis, Enterosis, Fever, Gas, Gonorrhea, Hemorrhoid, Hepatosis, Impotence, Inflammation, Itch, Jaundice, Leprosy, Nephrosis, Pain, Pulmonosis, Rheumatism, Scabies, Snakebite, Sore, Splenosis, Syphilis, Thirst, Urogenitosis, VD, Worm, Wound. [Handbook Of Medicinal Herbs]
Leaf, Root - Skind diseases. Juice of fresh root is given orally for stomach disorders. [INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINES AMONG GOND TRIBALS]
Stem: An ingredient of fish poison made by the French Guiana Galibi. [Medicinal Plants of the Guianas (Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana)]
Chemical constituents: Rotenoid, triterpenoid, lupeol, and beta-sitosterol. Seeds contain a diketone-pongamol; a dimethylchromene flavanone isolonchocarpin; furanoflavones karanjin and kanjone; a flavanone purpurin; and sitosterol. A flavonoid, lanceolarin B, is also present in seeds.
118 Published articles on Tephrosia purpurea
