Persicaria ORIENTALIS (L.) Spach.


Synonym : Amblygonum orientale (L.) Nakai
Heptarina orientalis (L.) Raf.
Lagunea cochinchinensis Lour.
Polygonum orientale L.
Bangla Name : Bara Panimarich, Bishkatali.
English Name : Prince’s Feather, Oriental Pepper.
Family : Polygonaceae
Disease : Tonic, vulnerary, and wounds.
Description : A tall annual, with fistulous branches, 0.9-3 m high, usually softly hairy or silky. Stems robust, grooved. Leaves 15-23 cm long, ovate or ovate cordate, long-pointed, stipules short, truncate, hairy, ciliate at the mouth. Flowers white or red in dense, erect or drooping racemes, 5-10 cm long.
Distribution : Throughout the country in damp, lowlying areas, canal banks.
Chemical Constituents : The plant contains ?-sitosterol, orientoside and orientin. An unidentified compound, mp. 69° has also been isolated from this plant (Rastogi & Mehrotra, 1993).
Uses : The plant is a good tonic and vulnerary, used for healing wounds.
Habit : Shrub