THE FOLK MEDICINES USED IN THE PROVINCE OF SINDH, Pakistan.
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Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Solanales
Family: Convolvulaceae
Genus: Cuscuta
Sindhi Name: Bay PaariDescription of the Cuscuta compestris:
Stems thin, green when young, branched,. intermingled, brown. Leaves minute, scarious, 1-1.5 x c. 0.5 mm. Flowers in compact clusters, each with 2-8 flowers, 2-3 mm long; pedicel glandular, 1-2.5 nun long; bract cup-shaped, brown, 1-2 x 0.5-0.7 mm or sometimes obsolete: Calyx lobes 5, 1.2-1.5 x 1-1.7 mm, fleshy, oval to orbicular, obtuse, glandular, usually with reticulate venation, ± glossy, covering more than half of corolla, tube lobes c. 0.7 mm long. Corolla lobes 1-1.5 x 0.7-1.2 mm, light brown to yellow, oblong-elliptical, acute-obtuse, inflexed, with reticulate venation, lower half usually glossy, upper half mostly non-glossy, tube c. 1 mm long; scarious, slightly bigger than the corolla tube, abundantly fringed. Stamens 5, filament broader at the base, tapering towerds the apex, 0.3-0.7 mm long, fused part of the filament not prominent in the petals; anther oblong-elliptical to oval, c. 0.5 x 0.2-0.3 mm. ovary globular, fleshy, brown, 1-1.2 mm long; styles 2, linear, reddish-brown, 0.5-1 mm long; stigma rounded or capitate, brown, c. 0.2 mm long, and wide; ovule 4, reddish-brown, triangular or ovoid, c. 0.5 x c. 0.3 mm. Capsule depressed-globose, membranous; with a intrastylar opening with glands, 2-2.5 mm long, and broad, not definitely circumscissile, surmounted by sepal lobes, petals and stamens. Seeds 4, reddish-brown, ovoid or somewhat triangular, usually flattened, on one side, 1-1.5 x c. 1 mm; hilum short oblong, usually with small dark circular area around it.
Medicinal Uses of Cuscuta reflexa in Sindh:
Whole plant is used against diabetes, against hepatitis, retention of urine, hair fall and dandruff and against laziness.
1. Method of use for hepatitis and retention of urine:
Take 8-10 g of the plant and grind that in claypot and slowly add 1 glass of water and then filter it, drink that water twice a day for 40 days, for retention of urine just drink 1-2 glass of that water, urine will pass quickly.2. Method of use for hair fall and dandruff:
Take 15 grams of fresh plant and add 250 mL of hair oil and heat them together gently for for 10-15 minutes. Keep them in metal pot together just use that hair oil every day and keep doing that practice for 40 days.
3. Method of use against laziness:
Just 2-3 grams of the fresh plant grind that and take it in fasting with butter or 15-20 days.
Bioassays of Cuscuta compestris:
The methanolic extract of whole plant showed antibacterial, antimalarial, antifungal, and anti leishmanial, insecticidal, and phytotoxic activities.
Previous studies on Cuscuta compestris:
To the best of our knowledge so a no phytochemical work has been camed out on this plant.
