Botanical Name

Convolvulus prostratus Forssk.

Family

Convolvulaceae.

Synonyms

Convolvulus pluricaulis Choisy , Convolvulus pluricaulis var. macra Clarke.

Regional Name

English : Bind weed, Hindi : Shankhapushpi, Sanskrit : Sankhpuspa, Sankhahva, Urdu : Sankali, Punjabi : Ksirapuspi, Sankhapuspi, Sankhahuli, Bengali : Sankhapuspi, Gujrati : Shankhavali, Kannada : Bilikantisoppu, Shankhapushpi, Shankhauli, Malayalam : Sankhupuspam, Marathi : Sankhahuli, Shankhavela, Sankhapuspi, Oriya : Sankhapuspi, Tamil : Kakattam, Kakkanangudi, Karakhuratt, Sanghupushpam, Telugu : Shankhapushpi.

Part Used

Whole plant.

Description

Perennial herb, 10-30 cm high, with a woody base, branching basally, branches ascending or decumbent, rufous-fulvous tomentose, varying in density, patent or/and appressed. Leaves sessile, (6-) 14-30 x 3-6 mm, linear to oblong, oblanceolate to lanceolate, subacute to obtuse, villous, mid-vein prominent on the lower surface, leaf sometimes slightly mucronate. Flowers 1-3 (-5), sessile to subsessile in axillary heads, peduncles up to 20 mm long, decreasing in length upwards, finally becoming subsessile. Bracts linear to oblanceolate, acute. Bracteoles filiform. Sepals 4-7 mm long, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, acuminate, villous, proximally convex and colourless, distally green, the outer sepals longer, the inner short. Corolla 10-12 mm long. Style slender, glabrous, stigma 2-3 times the length of the style, filiform. Capsule glabrous, somewhat scarious, bilocular, subglobose, 3 mm in diameter. Seeds 2-4, brown-black, c. 2 mm long, sparsely to densely white pubescen.

Phytoconstituents

Main chemical constituent is Alkaloids contains- convolmine, conoline, phyllabine, convoline, convosine, convolvidine, Sankhapushpine, B- sitosterol, Kaempferol, N- hexacosanol, Hydroxy Cinnamic acid.

Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa : Katu, Tikta, Kasaya, Guna : Sara, Vipaka : Katu, Virya : Sita, Karma : Balya, Ayusya, Kaphahara, Medhya, Pittahara, Rasayana, Mohanasaka.

Ayurvedic Applications

Apasmara, Manasaroga.

Medicinal Uses

Sankhapuspi is used to improves memory and intelligence, improves strength, improves life expectancy, longevity, mental disorders, insomnia, induces sleep, depression, epilepsy, psychiatric disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, cough, cold, asthma and bronchitis, vomiting, constipation, high blood pressure, skin diseases, hematemesis (blood vomiting), sexual disorders of men, migraine and tension headaches.