Rubia cordifolia

The plant grows throughout India, in hilly districts up to 3500 meters height. It is a perennial, herbaceous climber. The stems are often long, rough and grooved, with woody base. The leaves often in whorls of four. They are 5 -10 cm long, variable, cordate – ovate to cordate-lanceolate, rough above and smooth beneath. The flowers, 0.3 -2.5 cm long, blackish or greenish black, in terminal panicled glabrous cymes. The fruits are globose, fleshy, smooth, purplish black when ripe and shining. The roots a re 4 -8 cm long, reddish, cylindrical, flexuous, with a thin red bark. Manjistin, garancin, orange red alizarin, Anthroquinones pentacyclic triterpenes, quinines, cyclic hexapeptides and diethylesters are the reported constituents. Other compounds isolated are xantho-purpurin, or Purpuroxanthin and Pseudopurpurin, glucose, sucrose and ruberythric acid. Alizarin, purpurin, purpurin carbohydrate, quinizarine and christofin isolated from roots. Antitumor cyclic hexapeptides – RA-V and RA-VII – isolated from roots. Skin diseases associated with edema and oozing, wounds and ulcers, acne, gives the skin an even tone and smoothness, powerful dye, imparting a reddish tinge to the skin and is used in dying the clothes, In diarrhea, in gastrointestinal ailments like loss of appetite, dyspepsia and worm infestations, as an appetizer, digestant, destroys AMA and avermicide, blood purifier, erysipelas, eczema, acne, scabies and allergic manifestations, epilepsy, improves the menstrual bleeding and relieves the pain in dysmenorrhea, cleanses the uterus -useful in postnatal ailments, oligomenorrhea, amenorrhea, as an adjunct in treating hepatitis, anti -diabetic and useful in treating urinary calculi, rejuvenative in pigment disorders of the skin and in general debility.

Product Details

• Botanical Name: Rubia cordifolia.
• Family Name: Rubiaceae
• Common Names: Indian Madder, Majeeth, Manjistha
• Part Used: Leaves
• Habitat: throughout India, in hilly districts upto 3500 meters
• Product offered: Leaves, Extract