MALABAR NUT

Justicia adhatoda

Reference No :

0000011

Scientific Name :

Justicia adhatoda

Sinhala Name :

ආඩතෝඩ (ADATHODA), පාවට්ටා (PAWATTA), අගල් අදර (AGAL ADARA), වනේපලා (WANEPALA), වැටහෙර (WETAHERA), දත් අනෝදා (DATH ANODA)

Tamil Name :

ஆடாதோடை (ADATODAI), வாசை(VACHI)

Other Common Names :

Common Cough Cure

Synonyms :

Plant Family :

Acanthaceae

Plant Group :

Angiosperms (Enclosed Seed)

Plant Types :

Shrubs

Crown Architecture :

Vase Canopy

Plant Categories :

Agricultural plants;   Aromatic Plants;   Border Plants;   Colorful Plants;   Common Landscaping Plants;   Dark Green Plants;   Dry Zone Plants;   Edible Plants;   Flowering Plants;   Fruiting Plants;   Ground Covers;   Hedging Plants;   Herbal Plants;   High Leaves Density Plants;   Home Garden Plants;   Intermediate Zone Plants;   Kitchen Garden Plants;   Low Maintenance Plants;   Ornamental Plants;   Small Shrubs;   Fast Growing Plants;   Vertical Landscape Plants;   Wet Zone Plants;   Wild Plants;   Cultivating plants;   Evergreen Plants;   Shade Loving Plants;   Bushy Plant;   Decorative plants

Native Region(s) :

Afghanistan to Indo-China

Plant Distribution(s) :

India;   Sri Lanka;   Malaysia;   Vietnam

Habitat :

The plant grows in plains and in lower Himalayan ranges up to 1000m above sea level.

Elevation :

Above sea level up to 1,300 m

Average Height :

2 - 3m

Maximum Height :

5m

Average Width :

3m

Maximum Width :

5m

Root System(s) :

Tap Root

Propogation(s) :

By Seeds;   By Cutting

Average Longevity :

Perennial

Medicinal Use :

Yes

Medicinal Value :

A decoction of the boiled leaves together with other plant elements is commonly taken as an effective remedy against coughs, asthma, phlegm and fever.

The whole plant is antiinflammatory, antispasmodic, febrifuge, pectoral. It is used to remove phlegm and as a treatment for excessive menses. The roots and leaves are widely used in the Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine in India and Thailand for treating bronchitis, asthma, fever and jaundice. A medicine for setting broken bones, relieving pain, resolving phlegm. 

About 50 g of the freshly collected root is boiled and mixed with cow milk (125 ml), then given orally once a day as a treatment for diabetes. The plant is potential anti-diabetic due to the presence of the compounds vasicine and vasicinol. 

The plant is said to have definite expectorant activity and is used in the treatment of bronchitis.

Benefits & Uses :

The young tender shoots are boiled and eaten with salt.

The plant is often used in hedges.

The plant is traditionally grown in living fences in the northwestern Himalayas, where it helps to exclude livestock and other animals; mark out land boundaries; whilst also providing a range of medicinal and other uses.

The plant is used for reclaiming waste land.

The leaves, when boiled with the sawdust of Jack wood (Artocarpus integrifolia), yield a yellow dye.

Extracts of the leaves are used as insecticides and fungicides.

The wood is made into beads.

The wood is used for fuel and a good quality charcoal is made from it.

Special Features :

Every part of plant has medicinal value

Plant Disease(s) :

Leaf Spot

Foliage

Leaf / Habit :

Evergreen

Leaf Shape :

Lanceolate shape

Arrangements :

Simple

Leaf Arrangement :

Opposite leaf arrangement

Leaves :

Leaf: 11-28.2 X 4.2-9.4 cm up to 25 cm (10 in) long, on top bright green and prominently ribbed, underneath pale green smooth-edged, and borne on short petioles

Flowering

Is Flowering :

Yes

Blossoms :

White, inflorescence shows large, dense, axillary spikes

Blooming Season :

January;   February;   March;   April;   May;   June;   December

Fruiting

Bears Fruits :

Yes

Fruit :

Capsule, pubescent, and are with club-shaped capsules

Fruiting Season :

January;   February;   March;   April;   May;   June;   December

Seeds :

Large, non-endospermic and provided with hooks (Jaculators).

Maintenance

Level :

Low

Soil Types :

Sandy Soil;   Loam Soil;   Neutral Soil (pH 6.6-7.3);   Well Drained Soil

Water :

Medium/Moderate

Sunlight :

Full;   Semi Shade

Humidity :

High;   Average

Edibility

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