Tamil Name: நாணாறி Sariva is known as Indian Sarsaparilla. It is different from Sarsaparilla. Its botanical name is Hemidesmus indicus. In Ayurveda system of medicine, it is widely used in the treatment of oligospermia, gastritis, anorexia, menorrhagia etc.
Tamil Name: செம்பருத்தி Hibiscus are large trumpet-shaped tropical flowers that have five or more petals. The color ranges from white to pink, red, orange, purple or yellow. The leaves are alternate, ovate to lanceolate, often with a toothed or lobed margin. The species includes perennial herbaceous plants, woody shrubs and small trees that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. The hibiscus flowers used in herbal teas are from Hibiscus sabdariffa, also called Jamaican Sorrel. The Roselle hibiscus are those used in Sudanese tea, the red tea, or the Jamaica sorrel. The flowers of the hibiscus are mostly used in the preparation of herbal teas and juices.
Tamil Name: காட்டு ஆமணக்கு Jatropha curcas is an ornamental plant with plum-sized fruit that has been widely used in holistic medicine. This plant can be found in many different tropical areas. It can withstand long periods of drought. The seeds are picked by hand when they fall from the plant. External Uses The oil from Jatropha curcas seeds is used in helping with rashes and parasitic skin diseases. Sap form the bark is used to dress wounds and ulcers and can also be used to stop bleeding. When you mix oil from the seeds with benzyl benzoate, it becomes effective against scabies and dermatitis. You can use the sap from the leaves on bee and wasp stings. Internal Uses Jatropha is most commonly used to purge the stomach, causing vomiting and diarrhea. When you drink it in a tea, it can help with the reduction of fevers and will also help with jaundice and gonorrhea. Many people chew on the seeds to aid in constipation. The stems of young leaves are said to aid urinary infections. Tea made from the bark of jatropha is given to people with rheumatism and leprosy. The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Dehradun, says the roots can be used to make an antidote for snakebites. The fruits and seeds of jatropha are said by jstor.org to contain a contraceptive principle. Teeth The small tender twigs can be used as a toothbrush to clean the teeth. When jatropha is mixed with something that has a pleasant taste, it can be used as a mouthwash. Jatropha can be used to strengthen gums. Making a compress from the leaves and placing it on a sore tooth will help with the pain. The sap from the leaves can be rubbed onto the gums of babies to aid with teething.
Tamil Name: ஆடாளை Glandular Jatropha is an evergreen shrubs or treelets 3 - 5 m tall, often shrub-like, with sticky, transparent juice; trunk stout; branches with sparsely glandular hairy Leaves simple, alternate, 5-15 cm long, 2.5 - 5-5 cm wide, base rounded or flat, rarely shallowly heart-shaped, lower base with densely glandular hairs, tip caudate, entire or near base bilateral 2-lobed, lobes triangular, pointed, sometimes toothed, glandular-hairy above, hairless below, margins sparsely glandular-pilose; basal veins 5, lower base with densely glandular hairs; leaf-stalks 2 - 9 cm long, glandular-hairy. Flower are borne In cymes, greenish yellow. Fruit A capsule, three-lobed. Glandular Jatropha is found in Peninsular India, Sri Lanka and tropical Africa. Fruiting throughout the year. Flowering: All year. Medicinal uses: Warning: Unverified information Root and oil from seed is purgative. Oil is considered antirheumatic, antiparalytic. Used externally on ringworm and chronic ulcers. Roo is used for glandular swellings. Latex is applied to warts and tumours.
Tamil Name: பூல்லாங்கிழங்கு The whole plant is used as a postpartum protective medicine, treatment for stomachache, diarrhoea, dysentery, treatment for rheumatism, swellings, fever, coughs, asthma and as a tonic/lotion. In Malaya, the leaves and rhizomes are chewed to stop cough. In Indonesia, it is used for abdominal pain, for swelling and muscular rheumatism. In the Philippines, the rhizome is used for boils, chills, dyspepsia, headache and malaria. The Indians also use the rhizomes as lotions, poultices for fever, rheumatism, sore eyes, sore throat and swellings. The rhizomes are stimulant, used to treat toothache, chest pains and constipation. They are also used as carminative, prophylactic, stomachic, for dandruff and scabs. A decoction of the rhizome is used for cholera, contusion, dyspepsia, headache, lameness, lumbago, and malaria. It is also roasted and applied to rheumatism and tumours. To facilitate delivery during birth, it is mixed with the juice of Curcuma montana, C. aromatica and ginger rhizomes and consumed.
Tamil Name: உன்னிசெடி Lantana is a perennial flowering plants native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa. It is a somewhat hairy shrub that when bruised gives a spicy pungent odor. The aromatic flowers are borne in clusters and are a mixture of red, yellow, blue, lilac, white and orange florets. The leaves are pointed at the tip, rounded at the base and toothed in the margins. Lantana is an introduced species in the Australian-Pacific region and it is a low-maintenance, gregarious plant that can grow up to 1.2 m high. Despite it's nickname, lantana is not related to the Sage family instead they are in the same family and are close relatives of Verbena. Another plant named, wild lantanas is also not related and belong to the genus Abronia.
