St PAUL’S WORT

St Paul’s Wort is a small annual herb, growing up to 2-4 ft tall. Stem and branches are velvety, purple. Oppositely arranged leaves, 5-10 cm long, are triangular-ovate, sharp tipped, with toothed margin. The flowers heads are small with five bracts just below them, which are covered with very sticky glandular hairs. The secretion continues till after the fruit is ripe and aids in its distribution – the whole flower-head breaks off and attaches itself to some passing animal. The flowering heads are yellow, small, somewhat rounded, and 5-6 mm in diameter. The ray flowers are red beneath, very short, curved back, and 3-toothed. The achenes are each enclosed in a boat-shaped bractlet which is hairless but slightly rough. St Paul’s Wort is found in India at altitudes of 400-2700 m. Flowering: October-November.

Medicinal uses: The juice of the fresh herb is used as a dressing for wounds, over which, as it dries, it leaves a varnishing coating. A decoction of the leaves and young shoots is used as a lotion for ulcers and parasitic skin diseases.

SOW THISTLE

The plant is an erect annual with simple branches. One particular feature about this sow thistle is that most of the plant is smooth and glabrous – without any hair or bristles. The stem is hollowed, and have a milky sap and its lower part usually gets a purple-brown colour later in spring. The leaves differ according age. The old (and hence lower) leaves are stalked, elongated and deeply lobed. In fact each lobe, nearly oppositely arranged along the leaf rachis, may appear to be a distinct leaf on its own. There are usually 2, 3 or 4 pairs of lobes per leaf and the terminal apical lobe is the largest and have a shape of a rounded arrow. The younger leaves also possess similar but smaller lobes. However these leaves are sessile, and have characteristic two pointed lobes (auricles) embracing the stem. Colour of the leaves vary from pale green to green-blue and may have a serrated outline but no prickles or hair. The fruits are simple achenes, brownish in colour, and oval/oblong in shape. They are wrinkled and possess obscure longitudinal ribs. At the apex they have a beakless pappus which helps seed dispersal by wind. The shape of involucral fruit is vase like – round bottomed with tapering apex and so differs from the cylindrical shape of the bud.

Medicinal uses: Plant is useful in liver diseases. Leaves and roots are used in indegestion as febrifuge; stem is used as sedative, tonic; root extract is used in ointments for ulcers and wounds. Gum produced by evaporating latex is used for ascites and hydrothorax.

EAST INDIAN GLOBE THISTLE

East Indian globe thistle is a much branched, strongly-scented annual herb with winged stem and the wings toothed. Alternately arranged obovate-oblong leaves are narrowed at the base, dentate and serrate, 1-3 cm long. Flowers occur in purple spherical heads, 8-15 mm, consisting of numerous tiny flowers. Flowers are purple and the stamens pale-purple. Flowering: October-January.

Medicinal uses: According to Ayurveda, this herb is hot, laxative, digestible, tonic, fattening, alterative, anthelmintic and alexipharmic. It is used in insanity, tuberculosis, indigestion, bronchitis, spleen diseases, elephantiasis, anaemia, pain in uterus and vagina, piles, asthma, leucoderma, dysentery, vomiting, hemicrania, etc.

FEVER FEW

Feverfew is a traditional medicinal herb which is found in many old gardens, and is also occasionally grown for ornament, which are then used in Christmas trees. Feverfew is herbaceous and perennial plant. The plant grows into a small bush up to around 18 inches high, with citrus-scented leaves and is covered by flowers reminiscent of daisies. It spreads rapidly, and they will cover a wide area after a few years. Leaves are ovate, pinnately cut, basal, hairy and up to 3 inches long, with 3 to 5 scalloped sections. Daisy-like flowerheads with white ray and yellowish disc florets to 1 inch across are held in dense corymbs. Various cultivars have been developed for ornamental purposes.

Medicinal uses: Feverfew has been used for reducing fever, for treating headaches, arthritis and digestive problems. It is hypothesised that by inhibiting the release of serotonin and prostaglandins, both of which are believed to aid the onset of migraines, feverfew limits the inflammation of blood vessels in the head.