Mimosa pudica - Lajjika

Lajjika, Mimosa pudica

Lajjika is an annual to perennial, more or less prostrate creeping plant. The plant can grow up to 1 metre tall, but is more likely to be 15 - 45cm tall, the stems usually becoming woody. The plant is gathered from the wild for local medicinal use. It is cultivated as a green manure and for soil stabilization, and is sometimes also cultivated for its uses in folk medicine. Probably arose in the Neotropics, but now Pantropical.

Uses

Female reproductive disorders, Diarrhea, Bleeding disorders, Ulcers, Inflammation, Gastritis, Fatigue, Asthma, Skin diseases

Parts Used

Whole plant

Chemical Composition

Chemical analysis has shown that Mimosa pudica contains various compounds, including "alkaloids, flavonoid C-glycosides, sterols, terenoids, tannins, saponin and fatty acids". The roots of the plant have been shown to contain up to 10% tannin. A substance similar to adrenaline has been found within the plant's leaves.

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	naachike gida, naachike mullu, ganda kaali, hadergitte, lajja, lajjaavathi
Hindi	chui mui, lajalu, lajawanti, lajjavanti, lajjavati
Malayalam	thendarmani, thotavadi, tindarmani
Tamil	alavananki, cuntiyilai, thottal shurungi
Telugu	atthapatthi, lajjavanthi, manugumaramu, mudatha damara, munuguda, muttavapulagamu-chettu, nidrakanti
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit	ajalikalika, alambusa, anjalikaraka, khadiraka, khadirpatrika, namaskari, prasarini, raktamula, shamipatra
English	Sensitive plant

Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Rasa

Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Pungent)

Guna

Laghu (Light), Rooksha (Dry)

Veerya

Sheeta (cold)

Vipaka

Katu (Pungent)

Karma

Pitta, Kapha

Habit

Herb

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Bipinnate	alternate	Borne on stalks (i.e. petioles) 15-60 mm long. They consist of one or two pairs of branchlets (i.e. pinnae) that often have a covering of stiff, prickly, bristles. Each of these branchlets (2.5-8 cm long) bears 10-25 pairs of small dark green leaflets. The leaflets are elongated or oblong in shape (6-15 mm long and 1-3 mm wide) with entire margins. Both surfaces of the leaflets are sparsely hairy (i.e. puberulent) and their margins are lined with tiny bristly hairs. The leaves are very sensitive and fold up when touched (they also fold up at night).

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Bisexual	axillary	Pink	4	The pink or purplish coloured flowers are arranged in small, fluffy, globular or egg-shaped (i.e. ovoid) clusters (9-15 mm across). These clusters are borne on bristly stalks (i.e. peduncles) 1-4 cm long in the forks (i.e. axils) of the upper leaves. Individual flowers have four tiny pink petals (about 2 mm long) and four minute sepals. However, the four pink stamens (8-20 mm long) are the most prominent part of the flowers and give them a fluffy appearance

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
A Pod		10-25 mm long and 3-6 mm wide	The oblong and flattened seed pods are borne in clusters at the ends of the flowering stalks. These pods each contain 1-6 seeds and their edges are covered in stiff, almost prickly, bristles. They are initially green in colour, but turn brown when mature and eventually break apart into one-seeded segments	The seeds (2.5-3 mm long) are light brown in colour, somewhat flattened, and have a finely textured surface.	{{{6}}}

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

• Kutajavaleha
• Samangadi churna
• Lakshadi churna

Mode of Propagation

Seeds

How to plant/cultivate

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.

Commonly seen growing in areas

Tropical area, Sub tropical area

Photo Gallery

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  Flowers

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  Plant

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  Flowers

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  Pods

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  Closed leaves

External Links

• [1]
• [2]