Hygrophila auriculata - Hygrophila Plant - Plant India

Hygrophila or marsh barbel or Kulekhara (Hygrophila auriculata) is a herbaceous, medicinal plant in the acanthus family that grows in marshy places and is native to tropical Asia and Africa. In India, it is commonly known as kokilaksha or gokulakanta, in Sri Lanka as neeramulli. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu it is called vayalchulli and Neermulli respectively, and in the Telugu states, it is known as Godugu-gaddi or Gruddi-kamanchi. It is an annual herbal plant growing up to 60 cm in height. The stem of the plant is tetragonal, hairy, and stiff at the nodes. The bark is dark brown, although the leaves are elliptic-lanceolate and herpid. The flowers are purple and to a lesser extent violet blue. The fruit resembles a four-sided shape, linear, glabrous and about 1 cm long with seeds that are hairy and brown in color. In ayurveda, its seeds, roots and panchanga (pancha = five and anga = parts, i.e. root, flowers, stem, fruits and leaves as ash burnt together) are used as a medication. It has hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity and can reduce toxic accumulation from certain therapies. Hygrophila auriculata is traditionally used in medicine to treat a variety of ailments, primarily related to urinary issues like kidney stones, edema, and urinary infections, due to its strong diuretic properties; it is also considered beneficial for liver health, with potential anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-tumor effects, and is sometimes used as a remedy for diabetes and pain relief. it can significantly increase white blood cell (WBC) count, good for Red blood cells (RBC) because it boosts hemoglobin levels due to its relatively high iron content. Here is a Hygrophila or marsh barbel (Hygrophila auriculata) plant with flowers on sunny noon at Tehatta, West Bengal; India on 01/12/2024.