Family: Fabaceae
Synonym:Desmodium motorium (Houtt.) Merr.
Bengali/Vernacular name: Turut chandal, Gorachan.
English name: Indian telegraph plant.
Description of the plant: An undershrub, glabrous. Leaves 1-3 foliolate, leaflets oblong-lanceolate, 7-10 cm long, subcoriaceous, obtuse, glabrous above, silky-pubescent beneath. Racemes axillary and terminal, the latter copiously panicled, up to 15 cm long.Flowers hidden by the large, ovate, deciduous bracts, pink. Fruit a pod, slightly falcate.
Plant parts used: Leaf, stem, flower.
Herbal uses: Paste prepared from the leaves and stems of the plant is applied to treat lipoma (tumour).
Decoction prepared from the leaves and stems of the plant is taken thrice a day (100 ml amount each time) for four days to treat measles.
A fresh juice extracted from the leaves and stems of the plant is taken two or three times a day (5 ml amount each time) until the malaria is cured.
A paste made with the leaves and stems of the plant is applied to the biting place by tightly tying with piece of cloth to treat snake bite.
The leaves of the plant are used for heart diseases, rheumatic problems, diabetes, and skin disorders treatment.
A fresh juice extracted from leaves and flowers of the plant is utilized as a home remedy to treat wounds.
The plant is used as remedy for various ailments such as paralysis, cough, pyrexia, dysentery, hepatitis, and haemoptysis etc.
Distribution: It is found in most of the districts.
Is this plant misidentified? If yes, please tell us….
