Elytraria acaulis (L.f.) LindauFamily: Acanthaceae
Synonyms: Elytraria crenata Vahl, Elytraria indica Pers.
English: Asian Scalystem
Hindi: पत्थरचट्टा Patharchatta
Tamil: Pumikatampam
Telugu: గొడ్డలి చిప్పాకు, నేలమర్రి, ఎద్దు నాలిక,
Description: Stemless perennial herb with 1-several unbranched flowering stems, up to c. 30 cm tall. Leaves in a basal rosette, subsessile, elliptic to obovate, up to 18 cm long, hairy, particularly on the veins below; margin subentire to scalloped in the upper part. Flowers in 1-several spikes held in tight apiculate, overlapping bracts. Bracts and flowering stem bluish green. Corolla white, lower lip and lateral lobes spreading, 2-lobed. Flowers often not opening. Capsule 5.5-6.5 mm long, hairless.
Used in Siddha. Whole plant decoction along with black, pepper taken in fever, venereal diseases and cough. Leaves, decoction in fever; dried leaves inhaled in bronchitis; fresh, leaves paste applied on wounds and nail diseases. Roots, paste applied to mammary abscesses, snakebites, and also, for tonsillitis, throat complaints and colic pains; tuberous, roots decoction given to subside boils and body swellings. Veterinary medicine, dried powdered roots mixed with powdered tobacco leaves and water forming a paste for treating sores of cattle; a mixture of plant powder and seed powder of, Panicum sumatrense applied as plaster to the broken horns, of cows; whole plant given in dysentery; leaves juice given to, cattle as antidote; contact therapy, fresh roots tied near the, affected part to kill worms in wounds and hasten healing of, wounds and ulcers. [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants]
11 Published articles of Elytraria acaulis
