Botanical Name
Eclipta alba (L.) L.
Family
Asteraceae /Compositae.
Synonyms
Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk.;Eclipta erecta L.; Ecliptica alba (L.) Kuntze; Ecliptica alba var. erecta Kuntze;Wedelia psammophila Poepp.;Verbesina alba L.
Regional Name
Hindi : Bhangara, Bhangaraiya, Sanskrit : Kesaraja, Tekaraja, Bhrnga, M¡rkava, Bhrngaja, Punjabi : Bhangra, Urdu : Bhangra, Assamese : Bhrngaraja, Bengali : Bheemraja, Kesuriya, Kesari, Gujrati : Bhangaro, Bhangro, Kannada : Garujalu, Gurugada, Soppu, Keshavardhana, Kodigaraju, Malayalam : Kayyonni, Knnunni, Marathi : Bhangra, Bhringiraja, Maka, Tamil : Karisalankanni, Karisalanganni, Karisalai, Telugu : Guntakalagara, Guntagalagara.
Part Used
Whole plant.
Description
Bhringraj is an annual herbs, grows commonly in moist places as a weed all over the world. It is also found in China and Brazil. It is widely distributed throughout India upto 1700 m. Bhringaraja is creeping herb about 3mt in height. This plant has cylindrical, grayish roots. The solitary flower heads are 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) in diameter, with white florets. The achenes are compressed and narrowly winged.
Phytoconstituents
Bhringraj contains ecliptic, Heptacosanol, Hentriacontanol, coumestans, alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, polyacetylenes, triterpenoids, Nicotine and nicotinic acid. The roots contain polyacetylene substituted thiophenes. The leaves contain stigmasterol, a-terthienylmethanol, wedelolactone, dimethyl wedelolactone and dimethyl wedelolactone-7-glucoside.The aerial part is contain a phytosterol, P-amyrin and luteolin-7-glucoside, P-glucoside of phytosterol, a glucoside of a triterpenic acid and wedelolactone. It is also contains cystine, glutamic acid, phenyl alanine, tyrosine and methionine.
Ayurvedic Properties
Rasa- Katu (pungent), Tikta (bitter), Guna (qualities) - Ruksha (dryness), Laghu (light to digest), Virya- Ushna ,Vipaka- Katu.
Ayurvedic Applications
Sotha, Kasa, Svasa, Krmiroga, Hrdroga
Medicinal Uses
Bhringraj is used for wounds healing, Digestive System, Circulatory System, Respiratory System, Urinary System, Reproductive System, Rejuvenation, hair fall treatment, liver disorders,skin diseases.