Cassytha FILIFORMIS L.


Synonym : Calodium cochinchinense Lour.
Cassytha aphylla Raeusch.
Cassytha macrocarpa Guillaumin
Volutella aphylla Forssk.
Bangla Name : Akasbel.
English Name : -
Family : Lauraceae
Disease : Alterative, tonic astringent, aphrodisiac and diuretic, urethritis, dysentery, dropsy, anasarca, skin diseases, seborrhoea, congestion, rheumatism and waist pain.
Description : A parasitic, herbaceous, leafless plant, stem very long, cord-like, twined and matted together, dark green. Flowers small, sessile, in lax lateral divaricate spikes, 1.3-5 cm long. Fruit 6 mm across, white, globose, smooth, enclosed in the fleshy perianth-tube.
Distribution : Mainly Chittagong, Khulna.
Chemical Constituents : Plant contains alkaloids, cassythine, cassyfiline, nantenine, laurotetamine, cassamedine, cassameridine, cassythidine and its oxymethyl derivative, dulcitol (Rastogi & Mehrotra, 1990, Ghani, 2003).
Uses : The plant is alterative, tonic astringent, aphrodisiac and diuretic, used in bilious affections, urethritis, chronic dysentery, dropsy, anasarca, skin diseases, seborrhoea, congestion, rheumatism and waist pain. The plant is reported to be used as an inse
Habit : Herb