Rubia cordifolia - Manjishtha

Manjishtha, Rubia cordifolia

Manjishtha or Rubia cordifolia, often known as common madder or Indian madder, is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. It has been cultivated for a red pigment derived from roots.

Description

It can grow to 1.5 m in height. The evergreen leaves are 5–10 cm long and 2–3 cm broad, produced in whorls of 4-7 starlike around the central stem. It climbs with tiny hooks at the leaves and stems. The flowers are small (3–5 mm across), with five pale yellow petals, in dense racemes, and appear from June to August, followed by small (4–6 mm diameter) red to black berries. The roots can be over 1 m long, up to 12 mm thick. It prefers loamy soils with a constant level of moisture. Madders are used as food plants for the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Hummingbird hawk moth.

Uses

Rubia cordifolia was an economically important source of a red pigment in many regions of Asia, Europe and Africa. It was extensively cultivated from antiquity until the mid nineteenth century. The plant's roots contain an organic compound called Alizarin, that gives its red colour to a textile dye known as Rose madder. It was also used as a colourant, especially for paint, that is referred to as Madder lake.

It is known as btsod in Traditional Tibetan Medicine where it is used to treat blood disorders; spread heat , excess heat in the lungs, kidneys, and intestines; reduce swelling; and is a component of the three reds , a subcompound included in many Tibetan preparations in order to remove excess heat in the blood.

Common name

• English - Rubia cordifolia
• Kannada - ಮಂಜಿಷ್ಟ
• Hindi - मजीठ

External Links

• Rubia cordifolia-Wikipedia