Chitra
From DrugPedia: A Wikipedia for Drug discovery
Common name: Chitra, Indian barberry, Tree turmeric, Nepal barberry • Hindi: चित्रा Chitra • Tamil: Mullukala • Malayalam: Maramanjal • Bengali: Darhaldi
Botanical name: Berberis aristata/chitria
Family: Berberidaceae (Barberry famil)
Chitra is an evergreen shrub found commonly in Garhwal and Himalayas. It grows to 4 m high and 0.5 m wide. Leaves, in tufts of 5-8, lance-like, simple spiny, toothed, leathery, stalkless, pointed, 4.9 cm long, 1.8 cm broad, deep green on the dorsal surface and light green on the ventral surface. Spines (which, in fact, are modified leaves) are three-branched and 1.5 cm long. Flowers, stalked, yellow, in simple to corymbose raceme, with 11-16 flowers per cluster. The average diameter of a fully opened flower is 12.5 mm. Six yellow sepals (3 small, 3 large), with 6 petals, yellow, 4-5 mm long.
Medicinal uses: It is one of very important medicinal plants. Almost every part of this plant has some medicinal value. A bitter tonic antiperiodic and diaphoretic An infusion is used in the treatment of malaria, eye complaints, skin diseases, menorrhagia, diarrhoea and jaundice. Berberine, universally present in rhizomes of Berberis species, has marked antibacterial effects. Since it is not appreciably absorbed by the body, it is used orally in the treatment of various enteric infections, especially bacterial dysentery.
