Botanical Name :- Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br. ex Schult., Family :- Apocynaceae /Asclepiadaceae

Synonyms :- Periploca indica L.,

Regional Name :- English : Indian Sarasa Parilla, Hindi : Anantamul, Sanskrit : Ananta, Gopasuta, Sariva, Urdu :Ushba, Punjabi :Anantmool, Ushbah, Gujrati : Upalsari, Kabri, Assamese : Vaga Sariva, Bengali : Anantamul, Shvetashariva, Kannada : Namadaveru, Bili Namadaberu, Anantamool, Sogadeberu, Namadaberu, Kashmiri : Anantmool, Malayalam : Nannari, Nannar, Naruneendi, Marathi : Upalsari, Anantamula, Oriya : Dralashvan Lai Anantamool, Tamil : Ven Nannar, Telugu : Sugandhi Pala, Tella Sugandhi.

Part Used :- Root.

Description :- Sariva is globally distributed in India, SriLanka, South East Asia and Malesia. Within India, it is found in moist deciduous forests, scrub jungles, hedges and degraded sites from Upper Gangetic plains of North India, Sikkim, Assam and Peninsular India. Svetasariva is a prostrate or semi-erect shrub. Sariva root usually occurs in long, slender, rigid pieces, often more than 30 cm. in length, but seldom exceeding 6 mm. in thickness, which branch occasionally and bear a few fibrous rootlets. Portions of the slender aerial stems with opposite leaf-scars are attached to the upper extremity. The root varies in colour from brick-red to dark brown or nearly black; it is rather tortuous, nearly cylindrical in shape, and marked with longitudinal wrinkles, and, at rather distant intervals, with conspicuous transverse cracks. The thin cork with which the root is covered shows a disposition to separate from the cortex, and on one side may often be observed to be distinctly raised above it. The transverse section exhibits a large, porous, but not distinctly radiate yellowish wood surrounded by a thin greyish or sometimes dark grey bark. The drug has an agreeable odour, distinctly recalling tonco beans; the taste is slightly aromatic and sweetish, but not otherwise characteristic

Phytoconstituents :- The roots of Sariva contains Easential oil, saponin, resin, tannins, sterols and glucosides. Main chemical constituents are hexatriacontane, hyperoside, rutin, desinine, lupeol, its  octacosanoate, α amyrin, β-amyrin, sarsaponin, smilacin, p-methoxy salicylic aldehyde, beta-sitosterol, sarsapogenin, smilgenin, sitosterol and stigmasterol. It also contains new coumarino-lignoid-hemidesminine, hemidesmin I and hemidesmin II, six pentacyclic triterpenes including two oleanenes, and three ursenes.

Ayurvedic Properties :- Rasa : Madhura, Guna : Guru, Snigdha, Vipaka : Madhura, Virya : Sita, Karma : Raktasodhaka, Visaghna, Tridosanasana, Dipana, Amanasana, Jvarahara.

Ayurvedic Applications :- Agnimandya, Aruci, Atisara, Svasa, Jvara, Kasa, Kandu, Kustha, Raktavikara.

Medicinal Uses :- The root of Sariva is used in the treatment of wound, bronchial asthma, fever, malarial fever, intrinsic haemorrhage, skin diseases, itching, pruritis, erysipelas, poisoning, rejuvenation therapy in children and during pregnancy, improves sperm quality and quantity, oligospermia, urinary tract disorders, Diarrhoea, dysentery, low digestion strength, gastritis, anorexia, bleeding disorders, nasal bleeding, purifies blood, menorrhagia, leucorrhea and dysmenorrhea etc.