Pankaj Oudhia
Society for Parthenium Management (SOPAM)
28-A, Geeta Nagar, Raipur - 492001 India
pankaj.oudhia@usa.net
www.pankajoudhia.com
Copyright © 2004. All Rights Reserved. Quotation from this document should cite and acknowledge the contributor.
Scientific Name: Achyranthes aspera var. perphyristachya
Hook F.
Family: Amaranthaceae
English Name: Prickly Chaff-flower.
Hindi Name: Chirchita, Latjira, Onga.
General Description: It grows as wasteland herb every where. Since time immemorial, it is in use as folk medicine. It holds a reputed position as medicinal herb in different systems of medicine in India.
Botanical differences between Achyranthes subspecies.
| Characters | A. aspera var. argentea | A. aspera var. perphyristachya |
| Plant | Erect, branched herbs or under shrubs, upto 15 cm. high | An erect or subscandent annual herb upto 1m high |
| Stem | -- | Angular, ribbed, thickened above the node, more or less densely hairy |
| Leaves | Ovate-elliptic, acute, silky oboxillary | Opposite, elliptic or obovate, form an acute or obtuse base, acuminate or rounded at apex |
| Flowers | -- | Deflexed, congested near the apex of the axis, perfect, bracts and bracteoles subequal |
| Fruits | -- | An utricle, oblong-cylindric, truncate at apex, rounded at base |
| Seeds | -- | Subcylinderic, truncate at apex, reddish brown |
| Flowering & Fruiting | Aug.-Dec. | Sept. - Dec. |
Useful Parts: All parts
Traditional Medicinal Uses: According to Ayurveda, it is bitter, pungent, heating, laxative, stomachic, carminative and useful in treatment of vomiting, bronchitis, heart disease, piles, itching abdominal pains, ascites, dyspepsia, dysentery, blood diseases etc.
Ayurvedic Preparation: Apamarga Taila, Agnimukha etc.
Chemical Constituent: Plant yields achyranthine.
Other Uses
Useful for reclamation of wastelands.
Leaf is consumed as potherb.
Seeds rich in protein, cooked and eaten.
Used in religious ceremonies in India.
Internet Resources
Chirchita (Achyranthes aspera) as medicinal weed in Chhattisgarh, India : Natural Occurrence, Traditional medicinal knowledge and Trade http://botanical.com/site/column_poudhia/134_chirchita.html
Some less common uses of medicinal herbs : The results of recent Ethnobotanical surveys conducted in Southern Chhattisgarh, India http://botanical.com/site/column_poudhia/231_recentsurveys.html
Traditional knowledge about common herbs used for Vashikaran or Sammohan in Chhattisgarh, India http://botanical.com/site/column_poudhia/244_vashikaran.html
Traditional medicinal knowledge about common herbs used in treatment of Bukhar (Fevers) in Chhattisgarh, India http://botanical.com/site/column_poudhia/117_bukhar.html
Traditional medicinal knowledge about common herbs, and soils used for the treatment of headache (with special emphasis on Migraine) in Chhattisgarh, India http://botanical.com/site/column_poudhia/36_migraine.html
References
Agharkar, S.P. (1991). Medicinal plants of Bombay presidency. Pbl. Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur, India : 7-8.
Bhandari, M.M. (1990). Flora of the Indian desert. Pbl. MPS Repros, Jodhpur, India : 287-288.
Pankaj Oudhia
Society for Parthenium Management (SOPAM)
28-A, Geeta Nagar, Raipur - 492001 India
pankaj.oudhia@usa.net
www.celestine-india.com/pankajoudhia