BOTANICAL NAME: Alternanthera sessilis
FAMILY: Amaranthaceae
ENGLISH NAME: Sessile joyweed and dwarf copperleaf.
COMMON NAME:
TAMIL: Ponnanganni
KANNADA: honnagone
HABITAT: South East Asia, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION: This is a perennial herb with prostrate stems, rarely ascending, often rooting at the nodes. Leaves obovate to broadly elliptic, occasionally linear-lanceolate, 1–15 cm long, 0.3–3 cm wide, glabrous to sparsely villous, petioles 1–5 mm long. Flowers in sessile spikes, bract and bracteoles shiny white, 0.7–1.5 mm long, glabrous; sepals equal, 2.5–3 mm long, outer ones 1-nerved or indistinctly 3-nerved toward base; stamens 5, 2 sterile. In the wild it flowers from December until March.
AYURVEDIC CHARACTERISTICS:
| RASA | GUNA | VEERYA | VIPAKA | PRABHAVA | DOSHGHNTA |
| Tikta, kashaya, Madhur | Laghu | shita | katu | Pita, kaphhara |
AYURVEDIC ENERGETICS:
| TASTE | PROPERTY | POTENCY | POST DIGESTIVE EFFECT | EFFECT ACTION | DOSHA ACTION |
| Bitter, astringent, sweet | Light | cold | pungent | Pacify kaphavata doshas |
MAJOR CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS: 2, 4- methylenecycloartanol and cycloeucalenol, choline, oleanolic acid.
THERAPEUTIC USES:
- ANOREXIA- Fresh leaves adding little grated coconut form paste.
- INSOMNIA- Fine paste of matsyakshi, sesame oil and decoction of plant and oil is cooked, filtered and apply to the scalp.
INDICATIONS
Chardi Vomiting, Kasa Cough, Atisara diarrhea, Pravahika Dysentery and Prameha Diabetes.
USEFUL PART: Whole Plant
DOSAGE:
Juice: 10-20ml.
Powder: 3-7g