Scientific Name Ajuga bracteosa Wall ex. Benth.
Family Lamiaceae
Used Part Leaves.
Distribution Area
Distrubuted from Kashmir to Nepal at an altitude of 2,000 m. It is also found in the sub-Himalayan tract, plains of Punjab and the upper Gangetic plain.
Common Uses . The herb has been in use since ancient times and is mentioned
Ayurvedic literature. A bitter astringent given in fevers. An aromatic tonic, specially useful in ague. On salt range it is used to kill lice, and is regarded as depurative. It is credited with astringent, febrifugal, stimulant, aperient, tonic, diuretic and depurative properties, and is used for the treatment of gout and rheumatism, palsy and amenorrhoea. It is used also to kill lice. The juice of the leaves is used as a blood purifier and also for fevers, and the powdered leaves for burns and boils The plant exhibited anticancer activity.
Pharmacological Effect An aqueous extract of the leaves showed diuretic
activity on rats almost equal to that of urea. An alkaloidal fraction isolated from the leaves showed stimulant action on the isolated perfused frog heart, rabbit auricle and rat ventricle.