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Velvet Leaf
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Velvet Leaf
P Native Photo: Tabish
Common name: Velvet Leaf, False Pareira Brava, Abuta, Pereira Root, Barbasco • Bengali: Kijri • Gujarati: વેણીવેલ Venivel • Hindi: Akanadi, Batindu • Kannada: ಪರೆರಾ ಬೇರು parera beru • Khasi: Jyrmi salla • Konkani: पहाडवेल Pahadvel • Malayalam: മലതാണ്ടി malathaanti, പാടത്താളി paataththaali • Marathi: धाकटी पाडावळ dhakati padaval, लहान पहाडवेल lahan pahadvel, पहाडमूळ pahadmul • Nepali: बाटुलपाते Baatulpaate, गुदरगानो Gudargaano,जलुको Jaluko, बाटुले लहरा Baatule Laharaa, पाठा Paathaa • Oriya: ghodakur • Sanskrit: लघु पाठा laghu patha • Tamil: வட்டத்திருப்பி vatta-t-tiruppi • Telugu: పాట విష బొద్ది pata visah boddi • Urdu: Patha پاٹھا • Mizo: Hnahbial-hrui
Botanical name: Cissampelos pareira var. hirsuta    Family: Menispermaceae (Moonseed family)
Synonyms: Cissampelos hirsuta, Cissampelos nepalensis, Cissampelos cordifolia
Velvet Leaf is a small climber with velvety branches. Leaf stalk is inserted to 2 mm from margin - it is up to 7.4 cm long. Leaf blade is 6-12 cm long, 7-14 cm broad, membranous to nearly leathery, ovate to nearly round. Flowers are borne in 5 cm long cymes in leaf axils. Male flowers are interesting - there are 4 roundish sepals, larger than the petals. The four petals are fused into a disc. Stamens arise in a central column. Female flowers have 1 sepal and 1 petal. Fruit is round, red. Velvet Leaf is native to India, Africa and S. Asia. It is also found in the Himalayas, up to altitudes of 2300 m. Flowering: August-October.
Medicinal uses: Velvet Leaf is known as Midwife's herb as mainly used in women aliments. It is used for menstrual problems, hormonal imbalance, ease childbirth, postpartum pain, prevent threatened miscarriage, and control uterine hemorrhages, hormonal acne and premenstrual syndrome. It is used for heart problems, kidney stones, kidney infections and pains, asthma, arthritis, muscle cramps and stomach pains.
Identification credit: Nidhan Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Ushadi Photographed in Sundar Nursery, Delhi & Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra.
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