STROBILANTHES Strobilanthes ciliatus
Acanthaceae
San: Sahacarah, Sairyakah; Hin: Karvi, Kara; Mal: Karimkurunji, Kurunji;
Tam: Kurunji, Sinnakurunji
Importance
Strobilanthes is an important shrub used in the treatment of rheumatism. The roots are
useful in rheumatalgia, lumbago, siatica, limping, chest congestion, strangury, fever,
leucoderma, skin diseases, inflammations, cough, bronchitis, odontalgia and general debility.
The leaves and bark are useful in whooping cough, fever, bronchitis, dropsy, leucoderma,
leprosy, pouritus, inflammations, scrofula and fever (Warrier et al, 1995).
Distribution
It is distributed in tropical countries, such as India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and in a few
subtropical countries. It is observed in India, throughout the evergreen forests of Western
Ghats upto 1200m. It is also cultivated.
Botany
The genus Strobilanthes belonging to the family Acanthaceae consists of 3 species
namely,
S. ciliatus Nees.,syn. Nilgirianthus ciliatus (Nees) Bremek
S. auriculatus Nees. and
S. callisus Nees.
S. ciliatus is a slender shrub with subquandrangular white dotted dark green or purple
stems and branches. Leaves are dark green, elliptic, accuminate at both ends, serrate, glabrous
with 6-7 pairs of main nerves. Flowers are white to lilac, arranged in axillary slender
glabrous spikes. Fruits are very rarely formed. Adventitious roots arise from a few basal
nodes also. The main roots as well as the nodal roots are used as raw drugs (Warrier et al,
1995).
Agrotechnology
Strobilanthes prefers silty loam soil, mixed with sand, for good growth. It grows
abundantly in river banks, lowlands and plains. The best season of planting is May-June. The
field is to be ploughed to a fine tilth and mixed with 5-7t/ha of FYM/compost/dried cowdung.
Seed beds of size 3m length, 0.5m width and 15cm height are to be made in which 10cm long
stem cuttings are to be planted at a spacing of 30cm between plants. Rooting occurs within 20
days. Two weedings should be carried out at 2 months and 4 months after planting, followed
by organic manure application. Irrigation is not a must but during summer months it is
beneficial. The plant is not attacked by any serious pests or diseases. Harvesting can be done
at the end of the second year. For this the plants are to be cut, roots dug out and collected.
Roots are to be washed well, dried in sun and marketed. Roots, leaves and bark constitute the
economic parts (Prasad et al, 1997).
Properties and Activity
The leaves and stem yield essential oil which is of good medicinal value. The roots
are bitter, sweet, thermogenic, emollient, diuretic, febrifuge, diaphoretic, depurative,
antiinflammatory and tonic. Leaves and bark are diaphoretic, expectorant, depurative and
febrifuge.