ajapada :

Anisochilus Wallich ex Bentham is an Asian genus of the Lamiaceae (tribe Ocimeae and subtribe Plectranthinae)

- comprising about 17 species of herbs and subshrubs

- that are distributed in tropical regions of India, Sri Lanka, Himalaya, Myanmar (Burma), South China, Thailand and Indo-China

Taxonomical Classification

Kingdom: Plantae - Plants
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Anisochilus
Species: Anisochilus carnosus

VERNACULAR NAMES

Sanskrit: अजपाद ajapada, इन्दुपर्णी induparni, कर्पूरवल्ली karpuravalli, उत्पलभेद utpalabheda
English: thick-leaved lavender
Hindi: पंजीरी का पत्ता panjiri-ka-patta
Telugu: అడుసుపుండ్ల ఆకు adusapundlaaku, కర్పూర వల్లి karpuravalli, ఒమ మ్ ఆకు omamuaku, పిండి బొండ pindi bonda, రిచురొడ్డ ritchu rodda, రోగ చెట్టు rogachettu, సరగుడు గణప saraguduganapa
Marathi: कापुर्ली kapurli, पानजिरी panjiri
Konkani: साविरसंबार savirsambara
Tamil: கர்ப்பூரவள்ளி karppura-valli
Malayalam: കാട്ടൂകൂർക്ക kaattukoorka, കർപ്പൂരവള്ളി karpuravalli, മതിൽക്കൂർക്ക mathilkkoorka
Kannada: ದೊಡ್ಡಪತ್ರೆ doddapatre, ಕರ್ಪುರದ ಗಿಡ karpurada gida, ಕರ್ಪುರವಲ್ಲಿ karpuravalli, ಕುರುವೇಲು ಬಳ್ಳಿ kuruvelu-balli, ಪತ್ರಿ ಗಿಡ patri gida

Varities:

Anisochilus crassus Benth.

Anisochilus decussatus Dalzell & A.Gibson

Anisochilus eriocephalus Benth.

Anisochilus glaber Schrad.

Anisochilus rupestris Wight ex Hook.f.

Lavandula carnosa L.f.

Plectranthus carnosus (L.f.) Sm.

Plectranthus dubius Spreng.

Plectranthus strobilifer Roxb

Synonyms

Synonyms in Ayurveda: ulpalabheda, induparni

Lavandula carnosa,

Anisochilus glaber,

Plectranthus carnosus

- Fresh juice of the leaves and the volatile oil of this plant are used in the indigenous system of medicine to relieve intestinal colic, colds and coughs, and fungal affections of the mouth in children.

- Investigations conducted on the pharmacological actions and antibacterial activity, indicate that the essential oil of this plant possesses direct muscle relaxant action, musculotroptc and neurotropic antispasmodic activity and possibly a slight degree of neuro-muscular blocking effect.

- The oil inhibits the growth of Staphylo aureus, E. Coll and B. typhosum and exhibits fungicidal action on 74spergil1us flavus and Fusarium nzonilifonne.

Parts used for medicinal purpose

Whole plant, ,

Morphology:

Thick-Leaf Lavender is an aromatic annual herb with stems erect, 1-2 ft tall, robust, branched.

Leaf-stalks are 1.3-5 cm long, densely white velvety. Leaves are ovate-oblong to circular, 5-7 × 5-7 cm, white white-velvety, sparsely red glandular, base heart-shaped to rounded, margin rounded-toothed, tip blunt to rounded. Flowers are borne in spikes 2.5-7.5 × 0.9-1.9 cm, long stalked, 4-angled in fruit. Sepal cup is 4.5 mm, tube constricted at mouth, dilated in fruit. Upper lip is ovate, lower lip flat. Flowers are purplish, 9 mm, densely velvety outside. Flower tube is slender, recurved at middle, dilated at throat. Upper lip is 4-lobed, lower lip concave. Anterior stamens slightly protruding.

Histology:

Transverse section of the leaf through the midrib revealed the presence of dorsiventral nature of the leaf. The lamina consists of upper and lower epidermis having single layer of small, rectangular cells with thin cuticle which contain abundant straight multicellular covering and collapsed trichomes with pointed apex. Below the upper epidermis a single layer of elongated closely packed palisade cells were seen, below which spongy parenchyma with few vascular strands were seen. The epidermal layer of the lamina continuous over the midrib and consists of a patch of collenchymas cells below the upper and above the lower epidermal cells of the cortical parenchyma of the midrib. Bicollateral vascular bundle occupies the central region of cortical parenchyma. Abundant covering trichomes identical to that of lamina will be seen on the epidermal layer of the midrib