Botanical Name

Sida cordifolia L.

Family

Malvaceae.

Synonyms

Sida altheifolia Sw., Sida conferta Link, Sida decagyna Schumach. & Thonn. ex Schumach., Sida herbacea Cav.,  Sida maculata Cav., Sida pungens Kunth, Sida rotundifolia Lam., Sida  rotundifolia  Lam. ex Cav., Sida velutina Willd. Ex Spreng.

Regional Name

English : Country mallow, Heart-leaf sida, Hindi : Kharinta, Barial, Sanskrit : Badiyalaka,, Bala, Baladaya, Bengali : Berela, Assamese : Bor sonborial, Kannada :Chittuharalu, Hettuti-gida, Malayalam: Katturam, Tamil : Chittamuttie, Telugu : Chirubenda, Mailmanikkam, Marathi : Bala, Chikana,, Tupkaria, Oriya : Bajromuli, Bisiripi, Marathi : Chikana, Karaiti, Gujarati : Jangli methi.

Part Used

Whole Plant, Seed & Root.

Description

Bala is a perennial herb with long hairs, grows 50-200 cm in height. It grows along wastelands and roadsides and is native to India. It is found throughout tropical and sub-tropical regions of India and Sri Lanka. It is considered as invasive weed in Africa, Australia, and Hawaiian island, Southern United States and New Guinea. Leaves of this plant are oblong or ovate and are 2.5-7cm long and 2.5-5cm broad with 6-7 veins, serrate, truncate and heart-shaped. Plant bears small, solitary, axillary and white or yellow colored flowers. Both roots and stems of the plant are stout and strong. Roots are bitter in taste, odorless and grayish yellow in color. Fruits are moong sized, disc-shaped smooth and grayish black in color and velvety in upper half about 6-8mm in diameter.

Phytoconstituents

The major chemical constituents are ephedrine, sterculic acid, malvalic and coronaric acid, pseudoephedrine, fatty acid, saponine, hypaphorine, ecdysterone, indole alkaloids, palmitic acid, stearic acid and ole-beta-sitosterol.

Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa : Tikta (Bitter), Madhura (Sweet), Guna : Guru (Heavy), Snigdha (Unctuous), Virya (Action): Shita, Vipaka : Madhura, Dhatu (tissue): All tissues, primarily nerve and reproductive, Srotas (channel): Nervous, reproductive, urinary, circulatory, respiratory.

Ayurvedic Applications

Balya, Brimhana, Hridaya: Heart tonic, Jivaniya: Promotes energy, Medhya: Promotes intellect, Ojovardhana: Increases ojas, Rasayana: Rejuvenative, Shvas-kasa-hara: Alleviates breathing, Vajikaran: Aphrodisiac, Vatashamana: Pacifies vata and neurological disorders, Vrishya: Increases sexual potency.

Medicinal Uses

It is used to treat bronchial asthma, tuberculosis, colds, cough, wheezing, flu,  swine flu, chills, lack of perspiration,  headaches, nasal congestion, urinary infections, sore  mouth, and fluid retention. It is also used for heart disease, stroke, facial paralysis, tissue pain, nerve pain, and swelling (inflammation), sciatic nerve pain, insanitynerve inflammation, ongoing achy joints (chronic rheumatism), and unwanted weight loss. It is used for weight loss, erectile dysfunction (ED), sinus  problems, allergy, throat diseases, asthma, and bronchitis.  It is applied directly to the skin for numbness, nerve pain, muscle cramps, skin disorders, tumors, joint diseases, wounds, ulcers, scorpion sting, snakebite, and as a massage oil.