Botany names

Description - Erect herb growing up to 1 m in height; stem simple or branched from the base, glabrous below and puberulous above; leaves simple, 5-10 cm in length, ovate or orbicular, cordate, more or less 5-lobed, toothed, upper leaves entire; flowers in panicled racemes, bracteate-bracts sharply toothed, flowers more than 2.5 cm in length, bright blue or greenish blue with purple veins, helmet half as high as long and shortly beaked; follicles downy; seeds smooth. Phenology: Flowering and Fruiting : July-November.

Chemical Constituents- Root: atisine (0.4%) and heteratisine, hetisine, heterophyllisine. heterophylline, atidine, heterophyllidine, F-dihydroatisine, isoatisine, hetidine and hetisinone.

Use - MATSYA PURANA : the decoction of this plant can be used as universal antidote of poison; AGNI PURANA : refers this plant as medicinal and recommends the following uses : (i) to treat gastroenteritis, the patient should drink water containing the decoction of A. heterophyllum Wall., Aegle marmelos Corn, Cyperus rotundus L. and vatsaka; (ii) to cure children suffering from fever A. heterophyllum should be used; AYURVEDA : Root of white, yellow, red and black varieties used; white is the best and is bitter tonic, hot, stomachic, digestive, alleviates dysentery and bilious complaints, good in periodic and intermittent fevers, useful in bites from snakes, scorpions, etc. Root is one of the constituents of medicine for ziardiasis, hysteria, piles, acute inflammation, diseases, loss of memory and antifertility agents. UNANI : White and dark varieties-tonic, useful in dysentery, piles, bilious complaint, plethoric conditions; removes gases from the stomach. HOMEOPATHY: Root: to relieve pain and fever. Modern use : Root: cures acute dysentery and chronic enteritis; used in splenic lever and gastric troubles; good astringent and tonic, but its efficacy as antiperiodic is disputed considered as antifertility agent; used externally for rheumatism.