Family: Malvaceae
Synonym:Sida indica L.
Bengali/Vernacular name: Jhumka, Potari, Petari.
Tribal name: Potari (Chak), Ha-nijang-zalek (Garo).
English name: Indian mallow, Moon flower.
Description of the plant: An annual or perennial herb or undershrub, up to 3 m high. Leaves green and toothed, orbicular-ovate to broadly ovate, shallowly 3-lobed, 5-12 cm long and nearly as wide, with a prominently heart-shaped base and pointed apex, margin entire or irregularly toothed. Flowers yellow, solitary, borne in the axils of the leaves. Fruit a rounded capsule, 1.5-2 cm in diameter, with 15-20 mericarps, somewhat hairy.
Plant parts used: Leaf, stem, root, flower, seed.
Herbal uses: An extract made with the leaves and stems of the plant by boiling in water is taken twice a day (50 ml amount each time) until the constipation is cured.
Infusion of rootis used to relieve strangury and haematuria; also used for leprosy.
Decoction made with the leaves of the plantisused as mouthwash in toothache and tender gums; also used in gonorrhoea and bladder inflammationtreatment.
Flowers and leaves of the plant areapplied locally to treat boils.
Decoction prepared from the seeds of the plant is used for the treatment of piles.
A decoction made with the leaves of the plant is taken twice a day (10 ml amount each time) until dysuria, diabetes, anddysmenorrhoea is cured.
Infusion prepared from the leaves of the plant is taken thrice a day (5 ml amount each time) for three days to treat fever.
Decoction made with the leaves of the plant is used for cleansing wounds and ulcers.
The plant is used to treat tinnitus, deafness, earache, hives, tuberculosis, cough, body ache, haemorrhoids, bronchitis, and boils.
Distribution: The species occurs throughout the country.
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