SHAHEED KARTAR SINGH SARABHA AYURVEDIC MEDICAL COLLEGE & HOSPITAL

Congress Grass

Botanical Name : Parthenium hysterophorus Linn.

Family : Asteraceae

Introduction :

This drug used as diuretic. It is also used as a Rasãyana. Some people says this plant is not punarnava it is varshabu, according to them  punarnava and varshabu are different.

Names in different Indian languages :

English : Parthenium
Hindi : Parthenium
Malayalam : Parthenium

Synonyms :

Vishalata, Parthenia, Svasini

Morphology :

A rapidly spreading herb grows up to 50 cm in height. Leaves deeply lobed and alternate. Flowers small whitish heads in terminal or axillary panicles. Fruits bearing large number of seeds, crowned with small tuft of silky hairs.

Properties :

Plant has no known medicinal properties; instead it is a poisonous plant, causing allergic asthma, hay fever and dermatitis. It is also toxic for cattle’s. Due to its rapid invasive nature, it suppresses the growth of other plants; is a potent threat for native medicinal plants. The major component of these toxins being parthenin and other phenolic acids such as caffeic acid, vanillic acid, anisic acid, chlorogenic acid, parahydroxy benzoic acid and p-anisic acid are lethal to humans and animals.