Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary

activity and is a uterine stimulant. Alkaloids
from the flowers produced curarimetic
effect of the non-polarizing
type.
Dosage ◮ Root—50–100 ml decoction.
(CCRAS.)
Asarum europaeum Linn.
Family ◮ Aristolochiaceae.
Habitat ◮ Indigenous to the northern
parts of southern Europe, Central
and East-Central Europe; cultivated
in the United States. A related
sp., Asarum himalaicum, synonym
A. canadense, isreportedfromthe
eastern Himalayas.
English ◮ Asarbacca, Hazelwort, Wild
Nard.
Unani ◮ Asaaroon, Subul-e-Barri,
Naardeen-Barri.
Folk ◮ Tagar Ganthodaa.
Action ◮ Brain and nervine tonic,
diuretic, deobstructant and antiinflammatory;
used in bronchial
spasm and in preparations of
cephalic snuffs.
The volatile oil (0.7–4%) consists of
asarone up to 50%, asaraldehyde 2–3%,
methyleugenol 15–20%, with bornyl
acetate, terpenes and sesquiterpenes.
Asarone and its beta-isomer is found
to be carcinogenic in animals. The rhizome,inaddition,containscaffeicacid
derivatives and flavonoids.
A related sp., Asarum canadense
L., indigenous to North America and
China, contains a volatile oil (3.5–
Asclepias curassavica Linn. 67
4.5%) with methyl eugenol (an important
constituent of A. europaeum), and
also aristolochic acid. (Aristolochic
acid is carcinogenic and nephrotoxic.)
Asarum sp. are not used as a substitute
for ginger.
Asclepias curassavica Linn.
Family ◮ Asclepiadaceae.
Habitat ◮ Naturalized in many parts
of India as an ornamental.
English ◮ Curassavian Swallow-
Wort, West Indian Ipecacuanha,
Blood-Flower.
Ayurvedic ◮ Kaakanaasikaa (substitute).
Folk ◮ Kaakatundi (Kashmir).
Action ◮ Spasmogenic, cardiotonic,
cytotoxic, antihaemorrhagic,
styptic, antibacterial. Various
plant parts, as also plant latex,
are used against warts and cancer.
Root—used as an astringent in
piles. Leaves—juice, antidysenteric,
also used against haemorrhages.
Flowers—juice, styptic. Alcoholic
extract of the plant—cardiotonic.
An alcoholic extract of the Indian
plant has been reported to contain
a number of cardenolides, including
calactin, calotropin, calotropagenin,
coroglaucigenin, uzarigenin, asclepin,
its glucosides and uzarin. Asclepin, the
chief active principle, is spasmogenic
and a cardiac tonic, having longer duration
of action than digoxin (96 h in
cat, as opposed to the 72 h of digoxin).
Calotropin exhibits cytotoxic activity.
A