Unattractive Useful Wild plants – চন্দ্রমা মুখার্জি

How many of us are aware of the usefulness of the wild plants? Many wild plants (mainly herbs and shrubs) considered as weed grow spontaneously in our garden and we destroy them completely due to their lack of fragrance and beauty. But it is not known to all that among those plants some have very potential medicinal properties. These plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds generates defense against insects, fungi and herbivorous mammals and have some specific drought resistant gene which give capacity to grow spontaneously without any water and fertilizer. Some wild plants and their medicinal properties are described below:

Tridax procumbens commonly known as ‘Tridhara’ found in our surroundings which have very unique medicinal properties. It produces secondary metabolites which have anti-anemic, anti-inflammatory, anti- diabetic, antifungal and anesthetic properties. The leaf extract is directly applied on wound and also used for infectious skin diseases. I have known from my parents that they used to take direct leaf extracts of Tridax sp. For wound healing during playing time.

The herbaceous plant Croton bonplandianum of the family Euphorbiaceae are found everywhere in our locality. The latex of this plant stops bleeding immediately and relieves pain within a few minutes. Then I speak about Heliotropium indicum (Hatisur) of the family Boraginaceae have a beneficial role in the treatment of cough and fever.

Next I draw about the medicinal properties of the familiar plant ‘Kalkasunda’ (Cassia sophera) belongs to the family Leguminosae which are available in roadsides, bushy and unclean areas. The decoction of the leaves of this plant are used in the treatment of Bronchitis and Ringworm.I saw in our childhood days, the tribal communities collected the leaves of Kalkasunda for their medicinal purposes. But now a days, the population of Cassia sophera may be abolished by the accumulation of invasive species Parthenium sp. Scoparia dulcis (Madhumalati) is another medicinal plant belongs to the family Plantaginaceae. Extract of the leaves potentially used as bronchitis, cough, fever and skin disorders.

It is very disheartening that among those plants, some plants are at high risk, became rare endangered because of some anthropogenic activities, overexploitation and some exotic species destroy the population of native species (e.g. Rouwolfia etc.) of India. We have to conserve those plants for our near future.