Botanical Name

Merremia emarginata (Burm. f.) Hallier f.

Family

Convolvulaceae.

Synonyms

Convolvulus reniformis Roxb., Evolvulus emarginatus Burm. f., Evolvulus glechoma Welw., Ipomoea reniformis (Roxb.) Choisy.  

Regional Name

English : Rats ear, Kidney Leaf Morning Glory, Hindi : Musakani, Musakari, Sanskrit : Akhukarni, Akhuparni, Elikkatukkirai, Perattaikkirai, Urdu : Chukakani, Gujarati : Undarakani, Tamil : Akukarni, Musakakarni, Musakaparni, Malayalam : Elichevi, Telugu : Elikajimudu, Elikajemudu, Marathi : Umdrakani, Undirkani, Bengali : Indurakani, Kannada : Ilikivi gida.

Part Used

Whole Plant.

Description

It is a slender, prostates, creeping, smooth or somewhat hairy herb, found in Southeast Asia, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Australia and tropical Africa. Within India, it is commonly found in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa and Peninsular India. The stems root at the nodes, and are 10-80 cm in length. The leaves are small, kidney-shaped to somewhat heart-shaped, 6-15 mm long, often wider than long, and irregularly toothed. One to three flowers occur on short stalks in the axils of the leaves. The sepals are rounded and about 4 mm long, with few to many white, weak hairs. The corolla is yellow, and nearly twice as long as the calyx. The capsule is rounded and about 5 mm in diameter. The yellow flowers are assembled in small sub-sessile groups in leaf axils. The fruit is a spherical capsule containing 2 or 4 seeds.

Phytoconstituents

It contains tannins, flavonoids, amino acids, starch, glycosides, and carbohydrates. Seeds contains p-coumaric acid, ferulic, caffeic, sinapic acid esters, and tropane alkaloids.

Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa : Katu, tikta, Guna : Laghu, Ruksha, Tiksna, Virya : Ushna, Vipaka : katu, Karma : Kapavata shamaka.

Ayurvedic Applications

Jwara, Sotha, Kasa, Kustha, Krumi, Arti.

Medicinal Uses

It is used for the treatment of swelling, inflammation, Pain, Fever, headache, facial palsy, intestinal worms, snake poisoning, cough, asthma, diabetes and skin diseases.