Traditional uses and benefits of Aquatic Rotula

Sylvia

2 years ago

Aquatic Rotula scientifically known as Rotula aquatica is a species of aromatic flowering shrub in the borage family, Boraginaceae. It is a rare rheophyte plant native to eastern Brazil, western Africa, and from India, throughout continental South-East Asia, to southern China and the Malesian region, where it is found in Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, the Philippines, Sulawesi and New Guinea. Apart from Aquatic Rotula it is also known as kallurvanchi. The plant is a mandatory component of many Ayurvedic drug preparations and is an important traditional medicine for kidney and bladder stones.

Aquatic Rotula Facts

Aquatic Rotula Quick Facts
Name:	Aquatic Rotula
Scientific Name:	Rotula Aquatica
Origin	Eastern Brazil, western Africa, and from India, throughout continental South-East Asia, to southern China and the Malesian region
Colors	Initially green turning to yellowish to brownish-red
Shapes	Somewhat rounded, subglobose, fleshy drupes that are about 4 mm in diameter, and contain four seeds
Taste	Bitter, Astringent
Health benefits	Support for piles, diabetes, venereal diseases, kidney and bladder stones, coughs, heart problems, dysuria, blood disorders, fever, poisonings, ulcers and uterine diseases

Name	Aquatic Rotula
Scientific Name	Rotula Aquatica
Native	Occurs in eastern Brazil, western Africa, and from India, throughout continental South-East Asia, to southern China and the Malesian region, where it is found in Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, the Philippines, Sulawesi and New Guinea
Common Names	Aquatic rotula, kallurvanchi
Name in Other Languages	Chinese: Lun guan mu (轮冠木), Lún guān mù shǔ (轮冠木属) English: Aquatic rotula, kallurvanchi Garo: Singkhantha Hindi: Pashanabhed (पाषाणभेद) Kannada: Paashaanabheda (ಪಾಷಾಣಭೇದ) Khasi: La khowang Malayalam: Kallorvanchi- കല്ലൂർവഞ്ചി Marathi: Machim (मचिम) Mizo: Tuipui-suthlah Oriya: Jamchi, Jamoch Philippines: Takad, kulutai, bongtal Sanskrit: Ashmahabhedah (अश्मःभेदः), Mutrala (मूत्रल), Pashanabhedah (पाषाणभेदः) Tamil: Ceppunerinji (செப்புநெரிஞ்சி) Telugu: Pashanabhedi (పాషాణభేది) Vietnam: Rù rì cát
Plant Growth Habit	Small branched aromatic flowering shrub or bush
Growing Climates	Among rocks crevices, rocky riverbeds, forested lowland areas, where it grows in rocky, gravelly or sandy localities that are periodically inundated, especially along streams and trailing over gravel bars in stream beds
Plant Size	2 to 3 meters
Root	Cylindrical, often develops from lateral branches
Leaf	Leaves are arranged alternately or clusters, overlapping, oblong to obovate or linear-oblong, usually 0.6-2.5 cm long and 0.2-0.9 cm wide, and short-stalked
Flower	Flowers are small and crowded, and are borne in clusters at the end of branches. There are 5 narrow sepals which are about 4.5 mm long, with sharp points. The flowers are purplish or pink, 5-6 mm long, with 5 petals.
Fruit Shape & Size	Somewhat rounded, subglobose, fleshy drupes that are about 4 mm in diameter, and contain four seeds
Fruit Color	Initially green turning to yellowish to brownish-red
Taste	Bitter, Astringent
Plant Parts Used	Stems, leaves, tuberous roots

Plant Description

Aquatic Rotula is a small branched aromatic flowering shrub or bush that normally grows about 2 to 3 meters tall. The plant is found growing among rocks crevices, rocky riverbeds, forested lowland areas, where it grows in rocky, gravelly or sandy localities that are periodically inundated, especially along streams and trailing over gravel bars in stream beds. It is pantropic in distribution. The plant has numerous short lateral arrested branchlets often rooting, aromatic, pinkish and glabrous, mostly found in the rocky riverbeds. The plant is distributed throughout peninsular and Western Ghats of India in the sandy and rocky beds of streams and rivers. Roots are cylindrical, often develops from lateral branches.

Leaves

The leaves are arranged alternately or clusters, overlapping, oblong to obovate or linear-oblong, usually 0.6-2.5 cm long and 0.2-0.9 cm wide, and short-stalked. They are entire or shallowly toothed, glabrescent or sparsed scabrous, ciliate along the margins, cuneate at base, obtuse or shortly apiculate at apex; petioles 0.5-3 mm long and greenish.

Flower

The flowers are small and crowded, and are borne in clusters at the end of branches. There are 5 narrow sepals which are about 4.5 mm long, with sharp points. The flowers are purplish or pink, 5-6 mm long, with 5 petals. Nearly 5 Stamens are exserted at the base of the corolla tube, with filaments up to 0.3 cm long and oblong-ovate anthers almost 0.2 cm in length.

Fruit

Fertile flowers are followed by somewhat rounded, subglobose, fleshy drupes that are about 4 mm in diameter, and contain four seeds. Fruits are initially green turning to yellowish to brownish-red with a strongly 4-lobed endocarp breaking up into 4 single-seeded pyrenes at an early stage. Seeds are oblong, without endosperm.

Traditional uses and benefits of Aquatic Rotula

Decoction of stems is used as sudorific and diuretic.
In Ayurveda, plant used for piles, diabetes, venereal diseases, kidney and bladder stones.
Root decoction is used as diuretic and laxative.
In Indian traditional system, it is used for cancer treatment.
Root tuber is astringent, bitter and diuretic and is used for treating coughs, heart problems, dysuria, blood disorders, fever, poisonings, ulcers and uterine diseases.
In Kerala, plant is reportedly used by tribal people as a psychoactive agent.
Leaves and tender stems are sliced in tiny pieces and sun dried for half an hour or warmed on hot earthen or metals pots, then mixed with bidi tobacco in 1:1 ratio, wrapped in bidi leaves and smoked.
Adding a little tea powder or decaying of leaves is reported to enhance the psychoactive property.
It is an important traditional medicine for kidney and bladder stones.
Traditionally roots are used in renal and vesicle calculi, hemorrhoids, venereal diseases and diabetes.
The roots also used for the treatment of piles and as a laxative.
In the Philippines and Thailand a stem decoction is used as a sudorific and diuretic.
In the Ayurvedic system of medicine the root is well known for the treatment of urinary troubles.
In Kerala (India) tender stems and leaves are used as a psychoactive agent; they are dried and smoked in combination with tobacco, or drunk mixed with coconut milk.
It is said that R. aquatica provokes physical and mental stimulation and boosts thought processes.
The plant is a mandatory component of numerous Ayurvedic drug preparations and is an important traditional medicine for kidney and bladder stones.
Root decoctions are both diuretic and laxative and are used to treat bladder stones and sexually transmitted diseases.
The Malapandram tribes in achenkovil forest of Kollam district in Kerala use Aquatic Rotula root for treating skin disease.
Ground root boiled in milk is taken internally on an empty stomach for one week against body heating and prickles.
The Malamalasar tribes of Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary in Kerala use the decoction of Aquatic Rotula for treating urinary disorders.
They use Aquatic Rotula root decoction for treating stomach ulcers.
They are used in the treatment of piles, kidney stones and venereal diseases.
In India, especially in the states of Kerala and Karnataka, Aquatic Rotula is one of the most extensively used medicinal plants in the Ayurvedic system to dissolve urinary calculi and kidney stones.