Common Name: Karvi

General Information

Strobilanthes callosa is a deciduous shrub growing around 180 - 270cm tall[, ].
The plant is much used In domestic medicine by the local people of the regions where it cccurs, and is also a local source of materials.

Known Hazards

The leaves are said to be poisonous[]. The plant may cause painful itching, swelling, and blistering when handled[]

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - central to southern India

Habitat

Forming dense undergrowth in forests, growing on laterite or hard rocky ground[, ].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	1.80 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant is strongly aromatic[].
The flower spikes resemble hops in shape and size, and are covered with a visid resinous exudation called Mel, having a musky and resinous odour[].
The plant only flowers once every several years. Each year the plant comes into active growth with the advent of the monsoon,and once the rains are over, what is left behind is dry and dead-looking stems.This pattern repeats itself for around seven to nine years until the plant eventually explodes into a mass flowering and the stems die[]..

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bark, combined with an equal proportion of that of Calophyllum inophyllum, is applied as a fomentation in the treatment of tenesmus (a cramping pain in the rectal area)[].
The juice of the bark, combined with an equal quantity of that of Eclipta alba, boiled down to one-half and mixed with old sesamum oil, a few pepper-corns and ginger, is heated and used as an external application in the treatment of parotitis (swelling of the parotid glands in the neck)[].

The flowers are vulnerary[]. Equal quantities of the juice of the tlowers and of those of Randia duraetorum are smeared over bruises[].

The leaves are crushed and the juice is believed to be a sure cure for stomach ailments[]..

Other Uses

The leaves and the stems are used for thatched roofs after the growing season is over[].

The stems are used with mud plaster for making the walls of huts[].

The dry stems of dead plants are used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -

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