Family: Amaranthaceae

Synonym: Achyranthes digera Poir.                        

Bengali/Vernacular name: Gungatiay, Lata mahauria, Boutibon sak.

English name: False amaranth.

Description of the Plant: An annual, erect or ascending slender herb. Leaves ovate to elliptic-ovate, base rounded or truncate, acute or rounded at the apex, thin, glabrous, sometimes with reddish tinged margin. Inflorescence a pedunculated axillary raceme, up to 25 cm long. Flowers sessile, glabrous, often tinged with pink, greenish-white after anthesis. Fruits subglobose, slightly compressed, margin muriculate with a persistent style base; seeds rhombic, yellowish-brown.

Plant parts Used: Leaf, young shoots, flower, seed, and root.

Traditional Uses: Leaves and young shoots are locally used as a vegetable for control the diabetes.
Boiled root infusion given to mother after child birth.
The flower and seeds are used to treat urinary discharges.
The whole plant extract improves blood content.
The leaves and young shoots are locally used as a vegetable and given to relieve constipation.
Decoction prepared from the leaves of the plant is given once in a day for kidney stone treatment.
The crushed plant is used as mild astringent in bowel complaints, and antibilious.

Distribution: It is found in almost all parts of the country.

Is this plant misidentified? If yes, please tell us….

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