1458

 

Ophiorrhiza mungos L.

Synonym	:	Ophiorrhiza ostindica Christm.
Family	:	Rubiaceae
Local name	:	English -Indian snake root Malayalam-  Avilpori,Chembajarinjil
Flowering and fruiting period	:	August-October
Distribution	:	India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka
Distribution in Kerala	:	Alapuzha, Idukki, Kasaragod, Kollam, Kottayam, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvananthapuram, Wayanad
Habitat	:	Semi-evergreen forests, also in the plains
Uses	:	The bark of the root is said to be laxative and sedative. A decoction of the leaves, roots and bark make an agreeable, bitter tonic and stomachic. The plant is used as a poultice for keeping the skin moist and soft. Decoction of the leaves, roots and bark is made into a bitter tonic and stomachic. It contain an alkaloid; Camptothecin, which  has also been shown to have potentially useful against protozoan  diseases like Leishmaniasis and sleeping sickness.  The alkaloids 9-amino-camptothecin isolated from this plant  have been tested in clinical trials and show good responses in a number of cancers, including colon, lung, ovarial and cervical cancers. Both camphothecin and 10-methoxycamphtothecin also possess antivirus activity against Herpes simplex virus.
Key botanical characters:  Annual erect herbs, rooting at lower nodes. Leaves 7-15 x 3-6 cm, elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, base attenuate, apex acuminate, chartaceous, hirsute on veins below; petiole to 1.5 cm; stipules subulate, 3-5 mm long, 2-fid at tip. Flowers in terminal branched, scorpioid cymes, dense. Peduncle to 2.5 cm long, rusty pubescent. Calyx tube c. 1 mm long; lobes obscure. Corolla 0.8-1 cm long, white with pink shades on lobes. Capsule 2.5-3 long, 4-6 mm wide, obcordate, laterally compressed, glabrous, dehiscence loculicidal. Seeds many, angular.