Botanical Name
Leptadenia reticulata (Retz.) Wight & Arn.
Family
Apocynaceae/Asclepiadaceae.
Regional Name
English : Jiwanti, Cork Swallow-wort, Hindi : Dodi Shak, Jivanti, Sanskrit : Arkapushpi, caksusya, jivaniya, jivanti, Bengali : Jiwanti, Gujrati : Dodee, Malyalam : Atapatiyan, Marathi : Kheerakhodee, Kannada : Bugudi hoovina gedde, Hirandhodi, Tamil : Palalkkodi, Telugu : Palatige, Mukkutummudu.
Part Used
Roots
Description
Jivanti is globally distributed in Mauritius, Madagascar, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India and Malesia. Jivanti is a much branched twining shrub found in the Sub-Himalayan tracts of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and throughout Deccan peninsula in India up to an altitude of 900 m. Roots cylindrical, 5 to 7 cm in length and 1 to 3 cm in thickness, surface light brown to greyish brown with longitudinal wrinkles; fracture, tough; fractured surface creamish and horny; odour and taste indistinct.
Phytoconstituents
The main chemical constituents of jivanti are Hentriacontanol, α- and β-amyrin, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, tocopherols and leptadeno. It is also contains flavonoids-diosmetin, rutin and luteolin.
Ayurvedic Properties
Rasa : Madhura, Kasaya, Guna : Laghu, Snigdha, Vipika : Madhura, Virya : Sita, Karma : Balya, Brmhana, Caksusya, Grahi, Rasayana, Stanyajanana, Tridosahara, Vrsya, Visaghna.
Ayurvedic Applications
Atisara, Daha, Jvara, Ksaya , Kasa, Sosa, Mukharoga, Naktandhya, Netraroga, Raktapitta, Trsna, Urhksata and Vrana.
Medicinal Uses
It is used in Diarrhoea, Burning sensation, Pthisis, Cachexia, Disease of mouth, sore throat, Night blindness, Eye Diseases, ear problems, nasal disorder, ringworm infection, wounds, Bleeding disorder, Thirst, Pulmonary cavitation, Ulcer, seminal debility, sexual diseases, general weakness, dyspnoea, fever, asthma, cough, constipation and gonorrhoea. It promotes health and vigour, improves voice, hematemesis and emaciation.