Habitat: Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh up to 2,500 m.
English: Indian Belladonna, Indian Atropa.Ayurvedic: Suuchi.Unani: Luffaah, Luffaah-Barri, Yabaruj, Shaabiraj.Action: Highly poisonous; sedative, narcotic, anodyne, nervine, antispasmodic (used in paralysis); parkinsonism; encephalitis; carcinoma; spastic dysmenorrhoea; whooping cough, spasmodic asthma; colic of intestines, gall bladder or kidney, spasm of bladder and ureters; contraindicated in enlarged prostate.
Key application: In spasm and colic-like pain in the areas of the gastrointestinal tract and bile ducts. (German Commission E, The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.) It is contraindicated in tachycardiac arrhythmias, prostate adenoma, glaucoma, acute oedema of lungs.A. belladonna L. (European sp. Belladonna, Deadly Nightshade) is cultivated in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.The herb contains tropane (tropine) or solanaceous alkaloids (up to 0.6%), including hyoscamine and atropine; flavonoids; coumarins; volatile bases (nicotine).Tropane alkaloids inhibit the para- sympathetic nervous system, which controls involuntary bodily activities; reduces saliva, gastric, intestinal and bronchial secretions, and also the activity of urinary tubules. Tropane alkaloids also increase the heart rate and dilate the pupils. These alkaloids are used as an additive to compound formulations for bronchitis, asthma, whooping cough, gastrointestinal hy- permotility, dysmenorrhoea, nocturnal enuresis and fatigue syndrome.Atropine provides relief in parkin- sonism and neurovegetative dystonia.The root is the most poisonous, the leaves and flowers less, and the berries the least. (Francis Brinker.)Dosage: Leaf, root—30-60 mg powder. (CCRAS.)... atropa acuminata royle exHabitat: The Western Himalayas from Kashmir to Garhwal.
Unani: Daarunaj Aqrabi Hindi.Action: The root is reported to prevent giddiness caused during high attitude ascents.
The root yields a gum-resin, used in gargle water as stimulant, astringent and in toothpaste. Root—used in rheumatism. Leaves—carminative.... doronicum royleiHabitat: Western Himalaya from Kumaon to Nepal.
Ayurvedic: Snuhi, Snuk, Sehunda, Gudaa (Substitutes.) (Adhogudaa of Ayurvedic medicine and Bana- muuli of folk medicine have been equated with Euphorbia acaulis Rox.)Unani: ThuuharFolk: Thor, Surai.Action: Latex—cathartic, anthelmintic.
The latex yield euphol, cycloeu- calenol, an inseparable mixture of four tetra-and four tri-esters of macrocyclic diterpene ingenol, octacosanol, tetra- cosanol, beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, alpha-amyrin and campesterol. The plant gave ingenol.The latex is a valuable source of in- genol esters. Ingol is a macrocyclic diterpene and is of therapeutic interest due to its antileukemic properties. Fractionation of the latex gave ingol- 12-acetate and 8-tigloyl-12-acetate. The acylation of ingol-12-acetate yielded derivatives which inhibit the growth of the basophilic leukaemia cells in rats.... euphorbia royleanaHabitat: Western temperate Himalaya from Kashmir to Kumaon at 2,700-4,35 m.
Ayurvedic: Kshira-Kaakoli, Viraa, Kaayasthikaa, Vaaysoli.Action: Used in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis and tuberculosis. (Withania somnifera is a substitute for Kaakoli and Kshira-Kaakoli.)
The bulbs gave alkaloids—peimine, peimisine, peimiphine, perminine, permidine and permitidine. The bulbs also gave neutral compounds—prope- imin and a sterol. The plant gave kash- mirine.Dosage: Bulb—3-6 g powder. (CCRAS.)... fritillaria royleiHabitat: Western and Eastern Himalayas, Simla and Kumaon, hills of Assam.
Ayurvedic: Muurvaa (var.).Folk: Maruaa-bel. Khaarchu (Garhwal).M. hamiltonii Wight (sub-Himalayan tract and adjacent plains of Ut- tar Pradesh and Bihar) has also been equated with a Muurvaa var. It is known as Moran-adaa in folk medicine.... marsdenia royleiHabitat: Plain and hills of Kumaon and Punjab, extending westwards to Afghanistan. Imported into India from Persia.
Unani: Baalango, Tukhm-e- Baalango.Folk: Tuut-malangaa.Action: Seed—cooling, diuretic, sedative; given internally as a soothing agent during urinary troubles, also for cough. A poultice of seeds is applied to abscesses, boils and inflammations. (Seeds are not to be used as a substitute for Plantago sp.)
Seeds contain linoleic, oleic, palmitic and stearic acids; beta-sitosterol. Gum contains L-arabinose, D-galac- tose, L-rhamnose, pentosans, protein, uronic anhydride. Amino acids are also found in the plant.... lallemantia royleanaHabitat: Western Himalayas from Kashmir to Kumaon, between 3,300-4,500 m.
English: Blue Poppy.Folk: Gul-e-Nilam (Kashmir), Gudi, Kunda, Kanderi (Punjab), Kalihaari (Himachal).Action: Plant—diuretic. Root— narcotic.
In Garhwal Himalayas, the whole plant is used as a blood purifier and to reduce blood pressure. The natives apply the plant paste externally in rheumatic pains as anodyne.Meconopsis horridula Hook, known as Tasargaun in Tibet, is used for cardiac and respiratory disorder.Meconopsis napaulensis DC., synonym M. wallichii HK. (temperate and alpine Himalaya from Nepal to Bhutan at 2,700-5,200 m) also exhibits narcotic properties. The roots gave alkaloids— protopine, magnoflorine, cryptopine, coptisine, allocryptopine, rhoeadine, papaverrubines E and D, corysamine and2-methyl-6-methoxy-l,2,3,4-tetra- hydro-beta-carboline.... meconopsis aculeataHabitat: Himalaya from Kashmir to Nepal, at 1,200-3,700 m.
Folk: Patkarru; Titpaati, Karanoi, Karui (Kumaon); Kaur, Kauri (Punjab).Action: Leaves—a decoction is used as a bitter tonic and febrifuge; also as a tonic in contusions. The leaves contain betulin, beta-sitosterol, beta-amyrin, stigmasterol, cetyl alcohol, glucose, fructose, arabinose and palmitic, stearic, oleic, gallic, oxalic and tartaric acids. The leaves and stems contain the diterpenes, calyenone, precalyone and calyone, and a triterpene, moronic acid. Precalyone exhibited antitumour activity against P-388 lymphocytic leukaemia.
Aerial parts exhibited spasmolytic and CNS-depressant activity.... roylea cinerea
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