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CLASSIFICATION

ORDER	: Gentianales
FAMILY	: Rubiaceae
GENUS	: Oldenlandia L.
SPECIES	: umbellata L.
BOTANICAL NAME	: Oldenlandia umbellata L.
SYNONYMS	: ---
COMMON NAME	: Chay- root, Indian madder.
TAMIL NAME	: Chayam
HINDI NAME	: ---

PLANT DESCRIPTION

HABIT:  Chay Root is a spreading or prostrate herb, with root-stock woody.

LEAVES:  Leaves are stalkless, 0.5-1.6 x 0.2-0.4 cm, linear-lanceshaped, base narrowing into wings on stalks, margin curled, tip pointed, scabrous, 1-nerved; stipules with several bristles, base triangular.

FLOWERS:  Flowers are borne in many-flowered umbel-like cymes at branch-ends, and also sometimes in leaf-axils. Sepals are 4, persistent, about 1.5 mm long, ovate-tapering. Flowers are pinkish-white, about 3 mm across, bell-shaped; petals 4, lanceshaped. Stamens are 4, in the throat of the flower tube, protruding; filaments linear. Ovary is about 1 mm across, spherical, hairy; stigma 2-fid, recurved.

FRUIT:  Capsules are 2-2.5 mm across, spherical, didymous, rough.

SEEDS:  Seeds angular, netveined

MEDICINAL USES

This plant is well known in Siddha Medicine for its styptic property.

It is also a drug that can be administered for bronchial asthma, as a decoction of the entire plant, a decoction made from its root and liquorice in the ratio-10: 4, or the powdered root is given either with water or honey

A decoction of the root also is a febrifuge.

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