Desmodium

Scientific name of Desmodium: Desmodium gangeticum

Name of Desmodium in different languages:-

English: Sal Leaved Desmodium

Sanskrit: अंशुमती anshumati, ध्रुवा dhruva, दीर्घमूला dirghamoola, पीवरी pivari, शालपर्णी shalaparni

Hindi: Shalaparni

Malayalam: Orila ഓരില

Plant Description of Desmodium:

Orila or Sal Leaved Desmodium is an annual herb, usually found in abandoned areas, roadsides etc., growing up to 1.5 m in height, it is woody near the base. Leaves are simple, green, ovate and elliptic, 1.2 cm to 15.5 cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide. Flowers are pink or purple. Sepal cup is seen pale green. Peas are found in leaf axils, fruits are almost stalk less, sized up to 7 to 8-jointed.

Leaf Arrangement

Shape-Oblong	Margin-Entire	Venation-Pinnate

Useful plant parts:

Root, whole plant

Medicinal uses:

To control Tridoshas (Vata, Pita, and Kapha), cough, fever, bronchitis, vomiting, and wounds.

Chemical Contents:

alkaloids like desmodin, gangetin, gangetinin, pterocarpan phytoalexin desmocarpin, 5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine etc.

How to prepare medicines:

The decoction is capable of inducing the blood flow to the heart; it is also helpful to control alcoholism, ground leaf juice is used to treat scorpion bite poison.

It is one of the ingredients in Ayurveda medicines like-