Rhinacanthus nasutus or Snake jasmine is a plant commonly found in India, Myanmar, and other South east countries.
This herb is a member of Acanthaceae (Ruellia family) family. The synonyms are Rhinacanthus nasuta, Justicia nasuta and Rhinacanthus communis
This is a small useful shrub. The leaves are elliptic- lanceolate, acute, entire and with narrow base. The flowers blooming in October to January. The flowers are sessile, solitary or 2 to
3 together, forming large pennicles. Bracts and bracteoles are ovate- lanceolate. Calyx deeply 5-partite, segments narrow and unequal. Corolla is white and hairy. the capsules are on
long stalks and 4 seeded.
Usage:
As per Ayueveda in India the leaves alongwith lemon juice is a cure for Ringworm and other skin Diseases. The seeds and roots are also used for Dhobie's
itch and other skin irritations. The crushed leaves are used in numbing effacts.
Plant extracts has good larvicidal properties against mosquitoes.
Chemical compounds obtained:
Liposomal naphthoquinone esters are obtained from this plant, these are useful as anti tumor compounds.
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Gujarati: Gajkarni
Marathi: Gajkarni, Nayati
Bengali: Jui pani
Kannada : Nagamallige, Doddapatike
Tamil: Uragamalli, Nagamalli
Malayalam:Nagamulla,
Puzhukkolli
Telugu:Nagamalle
