Indian Medicinal Plants/Natural Order Portulaceæ
N. 0. PORTULACEÆ.
118. Portulaca oleracea, Linn, h.f.b.i., i. 246, Roxb. 391.
Sans. : — Loni,
Vern. : — Khursa, khurfa, kurfe-ka-sag, lonia, muncha, lunia, kurfa, munya, kulfa lunuk, nonkha, chhota-lunia, baralunia, luniya-kulfah; Seeds = khurfe-ke-bij (Hind.); Baraloniya, munya, chhotalunia, kulfi; Seed = tukhm-kulpha, baraloniya-bij (Beng.); Puruni-sag (Uriya); Mota uric alang (Santal.); Luniya, nunia lunak, desi-kulfah (U. P.); Luniya-kulfah, lunak (Kumaon); Lonak, kulfa, luniya, kundar; Seeds= dhamni (Pb.); Murlai, tursbuk, warkharai (Pushtu); Lonak (Sind.); Ghol, gholu, (C. P.); Kurfah, gol, moti ghol (Bom.); Bhuigholi (Mar.); Loni (Guz.); Khulfe-ki-bhaji; Seeds =khulfe-ke-binj (Dec); Parpu-kire, passelie kiray, caril-kiray, parupu, puropu-kiray, caric-kiray: Seeds = parpu-kire virai, pedda-pail-kuru, boddu- pavili kura, ganja-pavili-kura, batchali aku: Seeds = pappukura- vittula, pedda-pavila-kura vittulu, boddu-pavili kura-vittulu, (Tam.); Pappu-kura, pedda-pavili-kura, boddu-pavili-kura, ganga-pavili-kura (Tel.); Duda gorai (Kan.); Korie chira (Malay.); Kourfa kara-or, baqlatul humqa, buklut-ul-kukema, khurfa. Seeds = bazrul-baqlatul humqa (Arab.); Cholza, khur-fah, turuk, kurfah, kherefeh, turk: Seeds = tukhme-khurfa (Pers.).
Habitat : — Throughout India, in all warm climates. Found in the Himalaya. An abundant weed, in cultivated grounds, throughout Ceylon.
A short annual herb, with stout, glabrous, numerous, prostrate or ascending subsucculent branches, ½-1 ft. Leaves alternate, ¼-1½ in., rounded-truncate, crowded beneath the branches, oblong spathulate, very obtuse, thick pale and glistening beneath. Petiole very short. No stipular appendages. Infloresence of few-flowered terminal heads, either solitary or in dichotomous cymes. Flowers sessile, inconspicuous, with a few ovate, pointed, scarious scales. Petals 4-5, yellow, about equalling the sepals, very delicate or soon falling off or 0 Stamens 8-12. Style 3-8-fid. Capsule dehiscent transversely, inclosed in sepals, the free portions of which also separate by transverse division and come away with the lid. Seeds numerous, muricate, dark brown. The flowers are yellow and open only for a few hours in the morning. Flowers all the year round.
Parts used :— The plant, leaves, and seeds,
Uses : — The plant has long been used as a domestic remedy by the Hindus, and was early noticed by European writers. Ainslie writes thus of P. quadrifida which posesses the same properties: — "The bruised fresh leaves of this acid and pleasant-tasted purslane are prescribed by the Tamool practitioners as an external application in akki, erysipelas; an infusion of them is also ordered as a diuretic in dysuria, to the extent of half-a-tea-cupful twice daily." He further mentions that in Jamaica, P. oleracea is employed as a cooling and moistening herb in " burning fevers." Bruised, it is applied to the temples to allay " excessive heat " and pain, and that the juice is " of use in spitting of blood." Dymock says that both species are supposed by Arabian and Persian writers to be cold and moist, and to have detergent and astringent properties. The plant and seeds are recommended by them in a great many diseases of the kidneys, bladder, and lungs, which are supposed to be caused by hot or bilious humours. They are also praised as an external application in burns, scalds, and various forms of skin disease (Mat. Med., W. Ind.). Moodeen Sheriff describes the seeds as demulcent, slightly astringent, and diuretic; the leaves as refrigerant, astringent, diuretic, and emollient. He believes, both to be " very useful" in some cases of strangury, dysuria, irritation of the bladder, hæmaturia, hæmatemesis, hæmoptysis, and gonorrhœa. " In addition to this," he writes, " the seeds seem to have some beneficial influences over the mucous membrane of the intestinal canal, and therefore relieve tormina, tenesmus, and other distressing symptoms in many cases of dysentery and mucous diarrhœa. This is particularly the case when they are combined with some other drugs of similar nature." He recommends the -fresh succulent leaves as a cooling external application in the place of ice or cold lotion. The seeds and juice of the fresh leaves may be best administered in the form of a draught, from thirty grains to one drachm of the former, and from one to two fluid ounces of the latter (obtained by pressing the leaves) being the dose. He recommends either of these as substitutes for spirits of nitrous ether, Pareira-brava, tragacanth, elm-bark, rhatany, copaiba, and ice.
By Natives generally at the present day, the herb is chiefly valued as a refrigerant and alterative pot herb, particularly useful as an article of diet in scurvy and liver disease. In addition to the properties above detailed, the seeds are believed in the Punjab to be vermifuge.
The juice of the stems may be applied with advantage to prickly heat, as well as to the hands and feet when a burning sensation is felt.
119. P. quadrifida, Linn., h.f.b.i., i. 247.
Syn. : — P. meridiana, Roxb. 391.
Sans : — Laghu Lonika
Vern. : — Chounlayi, loniya, khate chawal (Hind.); Nuniya, chhota lunia (Beng.); Lunak, haksha, lunki-buti (Pb.); Kota, chaval-ke-bhaji, barika, ghola (Bomb.); Luni(Guz.); Rân Ghol (Mar); Choulayi-ki-bhaji, ghol-ki-bhaji, chowli (Dec); Soin- parpu-kirai, pasarai-kirai, siru-pasarai-kirai, passeli-kirai(Tam.); Sanna-pappu, sanna-pavili, goddu pavili, pedda pavili, sunpail kura, pavili, kura, payalaku, sanna payala (Tel.); Hali bachcheli (Kan.); Hin-gende-kola (Sing.); Baqlatul-yamaniah, baqlatul- aarabbiyah budelut-ul-mobarik (Arab.)
Habitat : — Throughout the warmer parts of India.
A diffuse, annual, succulent herb. Stem filiform. Rooting at the nodes; nodal appendages pilose, more or less copious. Leaves flat 1/5-⅓ in., opposite, very shortly petioled, ovate or ovate-lanceolate. Flowers terminal, solitary. Calyx-tube ½-immersed in the extremity of the axis, surrounded by a four- leaved involucre, and long silky hairs. Petals 4, yellow; stamens 8-12 (Hooker); anthers two-celled. Style filiform, 4-fid to the middle. Ovary half-adnate. Fruit a capsule dehiscing transversely. Seeds minutely tubercled, compressed.
Parts used : — The leaves and seeds.
Uses : — The leaves are similar to those of P. oleracea. The seeds also possess identical qualities to those of the former species.
120. P. tuberosa, Roxb. H.F.B.I., i. 247. Roxb. 391.
Vern. : — Loonuk (Sind); Dhamnee— the seed; Bodda kura (Tel.)
Habitat: — Behar, Sind, the Punjab, and the Western Peninsula.
A diffuse, succulent, perennial herb. Root tuberous, 2-3 in., slightly fusiform. Stem short, 2-3 in., spreading from the root, with a few branches towards the extremity, villous. Leaves ½-3/5 in., alternate, fleshy, linear; nodal appendages 1/6 in., of sparingly tufted brown hairs. Flowers yellow, in small terminal clusters, surrounded by about 8 leaves and tufted hairs. Stamens 20. Style filiform, 5-cleft. Seeds black, granular.
Use:— The fresh acid leaves are used medicinally; an external application is prescribed by native practitioners in erysipelas and an infusion in dysuria (Murray, 96 )
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