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Ornamental and Medicinal Plants, 2020, 4(1-2): 1-3
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Seeds of Ruellia tuberosa L. as a new adulterant for the seeds of Hygrophila auriculata (Schumach.) Heine

R. Kannan, U.V. Babu, C. N. Prasannakumar, M. V. Sumanth, O. Sandeep
R and D Center, The Himalaya Drug Company, Bengaluru 562162, Karnataka, India

Received 5 March 2020;Accepted 5 April 2020;Published 1 June 2020
IAEES

Abstract
Hygrophila auriculata (Schumach.) Heine. (Family: Acanthaceae) is called as Kokilaksha in Sanskrit, Neermulli in Tamil, and Marsh Barbel in English. It is commonly found in tropical Asia and Africa; in India, this aquatic annual herb is generally found in moist places, especially in agriculture fields, on banks of canals and rivers, in ponds, and in other water-stagnant areas (during rainy season). The whole plant, roots, and seeds are used in the treatment of various ailments in Ayurveda. Also, the whole plant and seeds are being traded. Till date, there is no report on the adulteration of the market sample of H. auriculata seeds. In the present study, we aimed to report the presence of Ruellia tuberosa seeds as an adulterant in market samples of H. auriculata. The characters that help distinguish these both samples are also discussed. The authentic H. auriculata seeds are dark brown, angled, nonreflective, and dull, whereas the spurious seeds are brick red, circular, disc like, and shining.

Keywords Ruellia tuberosa;Hygrophila auriculate;adulteration;Ayurveda.

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