The meaning of the symbols of urena, lobata seen in a dream.

Linn. Mast.

Family: Malvaceae.

Habitat: Throughout warmer parts of India, frequent in West Bengal.

Ayurvedic: Naagabalaa (Grewia hirsuta and Sida veronicaefolia are also equated with Naagabalaa). Used as Balaa in Kerala.

Siddha/Tamil: Ottatti.

Action: Root—diuretic, emollient, antispasmodic (roots and stem used in severe windy colic), antirheumatic. Flowers—used as a pectoral and expectorant in dry and inveterate coughs. An infusion is used as a gargle for aphthae amd sore throat.

The aerial parts gave magniferin and quercetin. Alkanes, stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol are reported from the whole plant. The seeds contain protein, pentosan and mucilage.... urena lobata

(Willd.) Ohwi.

Family: Papilionaceae; Fabaceae.

Habitat: Eastern Himalayas, Assam and Khasi Hills.

English: Tropical Kudze.

Ayurvedic: Vidaari (var.).

Action: Root—antipyretic, antiinflammatory, spasmolytic. Flower—hepatoprotective.

The root of P. lobata is used in Chinese medicine as an antipyretic and spasmolytic agent.

The root contains pueraria glyco- sides and puerarol. The glycosides showed strong antioxidant activity and inhibited lipid peroxidation. The root also contain several flavones which showed 66.8% inhibition against stomach cancer in vivo in mice. The isofla- yvonoids, daidzein, formononetin, daidzin and puerarin. Daidzein and puerarin show significant anti-inflammatory activity.

The cosmetics containing the root extracts with 20-40% puerarin and 2045% sugars (as sucrose) are used as moisturizing, skin-lightening and sun- screening and hair-growth stimulating preparations.

An isoflavonoid, triterpenoid sapo- nin and tryptophan derivative isolated from the flowers showed protective effect against experimental liver injuries in mice.

The tryptophan derivatives and their glycosides exhibited antihyperglycae- mic activity.

Pueraria phaseoloides (Roxb.) Benth., synonym P. javanica Benth. (Sub-Himalayan regions; Assam, An- dhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, up to 1,100 m) is equated with Tropical Kudze. The plant is used against ulcers and boils.... pueraria lobata