Dried whole plant of Achyranthes aspera. Family: Amaranthaceae.

1. Apmarg

2. Apmarg: keeps away the dosas
Vernacular name
• Pratyakpuspa (sans.)
• Aghedo (Guj.)
• Latjira, Chirchita (Hin.)
• Prickly chaff flower (Eng.)
Botanical Source
• Dried whole plant of
Achyranthes aspera.
• Family: Amaranthaceae.

3. Morphology:
Root: Tap root
• Cylindrical tapering, rough due to
presence of root scars of
secondary and tertiary root.
• Yellowish brown in colour
• Odour non distinct
Stem:
• Erect,branched,cylindrical,hairy
solid, hollow when dry
• Marketed product occurs in cut
pieces (0.3-0.5 cm)
• Yellowish brown in colour

4. Morphology: Leaf &Flower
Leaf:
• Simple,subsessile,exstipulated,op
posite,Wavy margin, ovate-elliptic
or obovate-rounded in shape.
Apex slightly acuminate,Surface
pubiscent
Flower:
• arranged in inflorescence of long
spikes.
• Greenish white or purplish
greenis-white in colour

5. Chemical constituent:
• Betaine and Achyranthine are the principal
alkaloidal constituent of whole plant of
A.aspera
• Seeds of A. aspera are contains the saponins
A and B. They are glycosides of oleanolic
acid.
• Ecdysterone (polypodine A) and ecdysone
isolated from roots.
• seed-oil linoleic , oileic ,Palmitic , stearic ,
beheic , arachidec , myristic and lauric acids
present.
• carbohydrate components are the sugars D-
glucose,L-rhamnose,D-glucuronic acid

6. Pharmacology:
• Alcoholic and aqueous extracts of the roots cause fall in
blood pressure but the chloroform extract raised the blood
pressure in dogs.
• Root paste or decoction, is taken internally with buttermilk
as an antifertility drug in female.
• ethanolic extract of the roots possesses spermicidal activity
• methanol extract of the leaves of A.aspera has antitumor
activity
• Leaf extracts are reported to posses hypoglycemic thyroid
stimulating and antiperoxidative properties
• The antioxidative effect is reported mainly due to phenolic
components.

7. Use:
• According to Ayurveda, it is bitter, pungent, heating,
laxative, stomachic, carminative and useful in treatment of
vomiting, bronchitis, heart disease, piles, itching abdominal
pains, ascites, dyspepsia, dysentery, blood diseases .
• Decoction & infusion of the plant is diuretic
• Leaf-Juice relieves stomachache, piles, boils & skin
problems.
• Root powder and Seeds is used as expectorant,
• used for bites of poisonous snakes & reptiles, also in
pneumonia.
• Dried whole plant alleviates infantile colic, and also as an
astringent in gonorrhea.

8. Marketed product:
Classical Ayurvedic
Preparations
• Apamarga ksara
• Apamarga siddha taila
• Agnimukha
• Agasti-haritaki leha
• Cystone-uricare:
himalya
• Nefrotech DS- himalaya
• Uriflow: Vulvodynia
• Apamarga Kshara,
Kaphaketu-ras, Sundari-
Kalp, Agastya-haritaki –
Baidyanath
• Superliv:Herbal
healthcare