SATSA Mukhapatra - Annual Technical Issue 21 : 2017 ISSN 0971-975X Short Communication

Ethnobotanical Study of Kulekhara

(Hygrophila auriculata) - A Review
S. Bera*1, S. Das1 and A. Roy2
(Received : December 22, 2016; Revised : January 29, 2017; Accepted : January 31, 2017)

Since ancient time, human being has
been using herbs or plant products as
medicine for combating ailments viz. cold,
joint pains, fever, etc. and building up
immunity or resistance. A majority of rural
population depends largely on herbal
remedies. A good number of herbal
remedies have stood the test of time
particularly for the treatment of allergic,
metabolic and degenerative diseases
associated with aging. Even a number of
weeds possess specific medicinal values,
for which they can be utilized for remedies
from several ailments of human and pet
animals (Bhowmick et al., 2011). However,
no scientific data regarding identity and
effectiveness of these herbs are available
except that in the treatise of Ayurveda and
Unani medicine. A pioneering research on
indigenous medicinal plants was initiated
by Sir Ram Nath Chopra, “Father of Indian
Pharmacology”, and it is well documented
in a comprehensive treatise (Chopra et al.,
1958). In recent times, traditional
knowledge system of medicine has become
a topic of global concern.
Human being has been using plant and
plant products in different ways according
to their needs, particularly as food, fuel and
medicine. Among the entire flora, 35,000-
70,000 species are used for medicinal
purposes. India is one of the richest floristic
regions of the world and has been a source
of plants and their products since ancient
times. China and India are two major
producers of medicinal plants having more
than 40% of global biodiversity (Vijeesh and
Velumani, 2011). Presently more than half
of the global population experiences some
forms of anemia in their life time that
affects people of all ages, although the
elderly and young pregnant women are at
greater risk leading to various diseases
(Duff, 2008). People below poverty line in
the developing countries just cannot afford
for the treatment of anemia and other
dreadful diseases because of involvement
of high cost of available allopathic
medications. Moreover, the rural
population in various parts of the globe
does not have adequate access to high
quality drugs for this problem, thus
compelling them to depend heavily on
plants and herbal products. Since, anemia
is very common and its incidence is likely
to increase in future, there is need to
prevent it or seek for more cost-effective
and better treatment strategies. Anemia is
claimed to have been treated successfully
with herbal materials by traditional
medicine practitioners.

*1
College of Agriculture, Extended Campus of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Burdwan
713 101, West Bengal, India, *E-mail: soumen.bckv@gmail.com;
2
All India Coordinated Research Project on Sunflower (ICAR), Sri Ramkrishna Ashram, Nimpith
743 338, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India

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 SATSA Mukhapatra - Annual Technical Issue 21 : 2017
Among them, kulekhara (Hygrophila
auriculata) is very promising owing to the
content of various groups of phyto-con-
stituents viz. phytosterols, polyphenols,
proanthocyanins, mucilage, alkaloids,
flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides etc. and
is useful in the treatment of anasaraca,
diseases of urinogenital tract, dropsy of
chronic Bright’s disease, hyperdipsia, vesi-
cal calculi, flatulence, diarrhea, dysentery,
leucorrhoea, gonorrhoea, asthma, blood
diseases, gastric diseases, painful mictu-
rition, menorrhagea etc. Therefore, proper
morphological characteristics and uses
should be explored for its popularization
among farming community as well as re-
searchers.
Ecological and Geographical
Distribution :
Habitat : It is native to India and
commonly grows in most wetlands, fresh
as well as brackish water.
Occurrence : It is widely distributed in
India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, China,
Malaysia, Burma, Bangladesh, Nepal,
Pakistan and Tropical Africa. In West
Bengal, it is commonly found in moist
places on the banks of paddy fields, tanks,
ditches etc.
Ethnobotany :
Kulekhara (Table 1) is an annual,
robust and erect herb, belonging to the
family Acanthaceae, with sub-
quadrangular thickened nodes,
oblanceolate leaves with yellow spines in
axils, flowers pale to purple blue, densely
clustered in axils, fruits oblong, glabrous
capsules 4- to 8-seeded. In India, it is
commonly used as vegetable in some states
233
like Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West
Bengal, and is employed for the treatment
of cancer, arthritis, hepatotoxicity,
inflammation, blood diseases, diabetes,
fever, constipation, bacterial infection etc.
Details of morphological features (botany)
along with utilities of different plant parts
(ethnobotany) are given hereunder.
Root : It is used for the treatment of
diuretics, dropsy, rheumatism, jaundice
and also to kill abdominal insects.
Stem : The plant is a robust herb or under-
shrub, growing up to 80 cm tall with
sparsely sub-hispidly hairy stems and
whorled spines at the nodes; spines 1.3
cm long, often 6 in a whorl.
Leaves : Leaves are sessile, pseudo-whorl
from the shortened axillary branchlets;
leaves often 6 in a whorl, the two outer
one often larger; oblong or linear oblong,
5-15 cm x 1.3-2.5 cm, entire or mi-nutely
dentate, acute and sub-hispidly hairy. The
decoctions of the young leaves are taken
orally for two consecutive weeks in empty
stomach to treat anemia.
Flower : Flowers are purple blue, in
axillary whorled fascicles, 8 at each node,
3.0-3.7 cm long, bracts lanceolate,
bracteoles linear; calyx 4-lobed, silky,
posterior lobes 1.8 cm, lateral, smaller,
anterior two-toothed; corolla tube 1.2-1.5
cm, cylindric below, enlarged above; upper
lip 2-lobed, the lower trilobed with 2
crested folds on the paltate; stamens 4,
didynamous, all fertile, anther oblong;
ovule oblong, 4-ovuled and style filiform.
Flowering and fruiting occurs during the
months of August-March.
Seed : Capsule is linear oblong, 7.5 mm
 SATSA Mukhapatra - Annual Technical Issue 21 : 2017

long, shorter than calyx, 4-8 seeds on hard
retinacula, flat and white hairy when wet.
Seeds are orbicular and 0.3 mm across.
Seed powder mixed with raw cow milk is
taken in the morning for treating
impotency. Dry seed powder mixed with
milk and sugar is taken to cure
spermatorrhoea. It is also used for removal
of gall stones as aphrodisiac.

Table 1. Taxonomy and vernacular names of kulekhara

Taxonomy Synonyms Name

Kingdom : Plantae Astercantha longifolia (L.) English : Long leaved

Clade : Angiosperms Nees; Barleria auriculata barleria
Clade : Eudicots Schumach.; Barleria Hindi : Talimakhana
Clade : Asterids longifolia L.; Hygrophila Odiya : Koilekha
Order : Lamiales
schulli M. R. Almeida & S. Telugu : Nerrugubbi
Family : Acanthaceae
M. Almeida; Hygrophila Bengali : Kulia khara
Genus : Hygrophila
Species : auriculata spinosa T. Anderson

Conclusion :
As per the findings, it can be concluded
that H. auriculata encompasses various
phytoconstituents, which are responsible
for various medicinal properties. Though
the plant is investigated by many workers
for its medicinal properties, still further
research for studying in detail is needed.
Moreover, purification, identification of
active principles and standardization of
dosage forms of H. auriculata will have an
immense therapeutic implication in
human and animal health care system.
Since the herbal medicines both in
developed and developing countries are
economical and easily available with less
or no side effect, the interest towards plants
having medicinal values is increasing
substantially day by day. Hence, kulekhara
(Hygrophila auriculata) will positively
prompt the scientists and researchers to
screen out the bioactive compounds for
further medical uses.
References :
Bhowmick, M. K., Ghosh, R. K., Duary, B.
and Bhattacharyya, P. 2011. Weeds of
medicinal importance and their
utilization as a way of management.
Proceedings (Ghosh, S. N., ed.).
International Symposium on “Minor
Fruits and Medicinal Plants for Health
and Ecological Security”, December 19-
22, 2011, Faculty of Horticulture, Bidhan
Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Kalyani,
Nadia, West Bengal, India. pp. 365-369.
Chopra, R. N., Chopra, I. C., Handa, K. L.
and Kapur, L. D. 1958. Chopra’s
indigenous drugs of India. U. N. Dhar
and Sons Pvt. Ltd., Calcutta.
Duff, S. 2008. Types of anaemia. Available
at: www.innvista.com (Accessed on
November 25, 2016).
Vijeesh, P. and Velumani, K. 2011. Use of
ethno medicinal plants among Mullu
Kuruma tribe of Wayanad district,
Western ghats, Kerala, India. Plant
Archives 11(1): 193-200.

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