Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary

592 Scoparia dulcis Linn.
S
Habitat ◮ Throughout India, up to
an altitude of 900 m, except in acrid
areas in the West.
English ◮ Scleria.
Action ◮ Plant—antinephritic.
Root—decoction is given after
parturition. Young tops—given to
children for enlarged stomach.
The roots of Scleria biflora Roxb.
smell strongly of camphor or cajeput.
The fruits of S. levis are used for
cough and stomach disorders.
A decoction of the sedge of S. pergracilis
(Nees) Kunth (the Himalayas
from Garhwal to Assam at altitudes of
1,500 m and in Bihar, West Bengal and
Deccan Penninsula) is used for cough.
(Folk names not known. About 28
species are found in India.)
Scoparia dulcis Linn.
Family ◮ Scrophulariaceae.
Habitat ◮ Indigenous to tropical
America; introduced into India,
commonly found as a weed in
Bengal and Tamil Nadu, and in
many parts of India.
English ◮ Sweet Broomweed.
Folk ◮ Jastimadhu, Madhukam,
Ghodaa-tulasi.
Action ◮ Plant—decoction is used
for gravel and other renal affections.
Leaves—infusion used in fever,
cough and bronchitis. Root—
febrifuge. Stem and leaves—used in
anemia, albuminaria, ketonuria and
other complications associated with
diabetes mellitus.
An antidiabetic compound, amellin,
occursintheleavesandstemsofthe
green plant.
According to some researchers, hypoglycaemic
compounds were not
present in the extracts obtained from
dry plant material.
The leaves contain the flavonoids,
scutellarein and 7-O-methylscutella
rein. Whole plant gave the triterpenoids,
dulcitol, friedelin, scopadol, betulinic
acid, dulcitolic acid and dulciolone.
Benzoxazolinone, beta-sitosterol,
D-mannitol, hexacosanol and tritriacontanewerealsoobtainedfrom
the plant.
Scopolia anomala Airy Shaw.
Synonym ◮ S. lurida Dunal.
Family ◮ Solanaceae.
Habitat ◮ The Himalayas from
Kumaon to Sikkim, up to 3,900 m.
English ◮ Scopolia.
Action ◮ Used like belladonna.
Dried leaves contain 0.32% of alkaloids
comprising hyoscyamine, himaline,
atropine and scopolamine.
Ripe seeds contain a small amount of
atropine but no hyoscyamine. Extracts
of leaves, stalks and seeds showed presence
of atropine, scopolamine, cuscohygrine,
hellaradine, tropine, scopine.
The alkaloid himaline exhibits atropine
type activity. Roots (total alkaloid content
1.9–2.8%), in addition, contain
hyoscyamine and himaline. The alkaloid
content of the root is reported to
be 4.64 times more than that of the
leaves of Atropa belladonna.