Yugaphala is a popular medicinal plant of India. These are widely distributed in hedges throughout India at an altitude of about 1000 metres in the Himalayas and 900 metres in southern India. The botanical name of this Indian medicinal plant is Pergularia daemia. Yugaphala is known by several common names throughout the country. These names vary according to the languages of different regions of India, such as in Bengali it is popular as Chagulbanti and Chagulbati; in Gujarati it is known as Amaradudheli, Chamardudheli, Nagaladudhi and Nagla dudheli; in Hindi it is called Dudhi, Dudhi Bel, Jutuk, Sagovani, Utranajutuka, Utran and in Sanskrit it is famous as Kurutakah, Uttaramarani, Yugaphala, and Yugmaphala.
Yugaphala is generally a slender and fetid-smelling perennial climber. The leaves of this plant are 3-9 cms long, opposite, membranous, and broadly ovate. Its flowers are greenish-yellow or dull white tinged with purple colour. The fruits or follicles of Yugaphala medicinal plant are 5 cms long, pointed with soft spines. It bears seeds which are pubescent and broadly ovate.
Yugaphala is important for its medicinal values. The whole plant is recognized with emetic and expectorant properties. The plant extract has a stimulatory action on uterine and other involuntary muscles and is used to treat uterine and menstrual troubles and to facilitate childbirth. The leaf juice of Yugaphala plant is an expectorant in catarrhal affections and is emetic. It is also used to treat infantile diarrhea; the leaf juice is mixed with lime or ginger and applied externally for the treatment of rheumatic swellings. In some parts of India, the leaf juice is used for treating asthma, piles and boils. The leaf juice is also used in the preparation of purgative medicinal oil given for treatment of severe diseases like amenorrhea and dysmenorrheal. The root bark of this medicinal plant is mixed with cow`s milk as a purgative.
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