Achyranthes aspera - Apamarga, Devil's horsewhip

chaff-flower

Achyranthes aspera is a species of plant in the Amaranthaceae family. It is distributed throughout the tropical world. It can be found in many places growing as an introduced species and a common weed. It is an invasive species in some areas, including many Pacific Islands environments.

Uses

Blisters in mouths, mouth sores, bleeding piles, leucorrhoea, Mild diabetes, Cough, physical weakness, ulcer, Urinary trouble, snakebite, infection in intestine.

Parts Used

seeds, leaves.

Chemical Composition

Achyranthes aspera contains triterpenoid saponins which possess oleanolic acid as the aglycone. Ecdysterone, an insect moulting hormone, and long chain alcohols are also found in Achyranthes aspera Other chemical constituents such as achyranthine, betaine, pentatriaontane, 6-pentatriacontanone, hexatriacontane, and tritriacontane are also present.

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	Uttaranee
Hindi	Chirchita, Latjira
Malayalam	Kadaladi, Katalati
Tamil	Nayurivi, Shiru-kadaladi
Telugu	Antisha, Apamargamu, Uttareni
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit	Apamarga
English	Prickly Chaff Flower, Chaff-flower, Crocus stuff

Habit

A small wiry straggler(5m)

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Paripinnate	Oblong	Leaf Arrangementis Alternate-spiral

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Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Unisexual	2-4cm long	pink		Flowering throughout the year and In terminal and/or axillary pseudoracemes

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
oblong pod	Thinly septate, pilose, wrinkled		seeds upto 5	Fruiting throughout the year	{{{6}}}

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

• Vishatinduka Taila as root juice extract

Mode of Propagation

Seeds.

How to plant/cultivate

The more common species of Aconitum are generally those cultivated in gardens, especially hybrids. They typically thrive in well-drained evenly moist garden soils like the related hellebores and delphiniums, and can grow in the shade of trees.

Commonly seen growing in areas

tropical, Caribbean Islands, subtropical, pinelands, hammocks.

Photo Gallery

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  White variety of seeds.

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  Abrus precatorius leaves and flowers

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  Abrus precatorius flowers

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  Abrus precatorius seeds

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