संस्कृत नाम- धातकी
Botanical name - Woodfordia fruticosa
Description - Shrubs with spreading branches; bark smooth, brown, peeling off in fibrous strips. Leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, punctuate beneath. Flowers many, red, in axillary, paniculate cymose clusters. Capsule ellipsoid; seeds brown, obovate, smooth
Chemical_Constituents- Stem contains C-glycoside norbergenin, yields gum, Beta-sitosterol. Leaves contain lupeol, betulin, Beta-sitosterol , ursolic acid, betulinic acid, woodfruticosin, lawsone, dyeing principle of henna. Flowers contain woodfordins A-D, oenotherin A. Leaves and flowers contain ellagic acid, cyanidins, Beta- sitosterol.
Uses - Dried flowers astringent and stimulant. Commercial drug consisting of dried fruits, flowers, buds and broken pieces of inflorescence are used in bowel complaints, haemorrhage, menorrhagia and seminal weakness. It is used in dysentery, menorrhagia, dearrangement of the liver, inflammations and haemorrhoids. It is considered as a safe stimulant in pregnancy