Agrimonia eupatoria auct non L.
Synonym A. pilosa Hook.f. non
Ledeb.
A. pilosa Ledeb. var. nepalensis (D.
Don) Nakai Family Rosacae.
Habitat The Himalayas from Kashmir to West Bengal at 900— 3,000 m, and in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Meghalaya.
English Agrimony, Stickle Wort.
Unani Ghaafis.
Folk Belu.
Action Astringent, anti- inflammatory, hepatic, cholagogue, diuretic, mild haemostatic, antibacterial. Used for irritations and infections of the intestinal tract, gallbladder diseases, hyperacidity, colic, urinary disorders (bed- wetting, incontinence), sluggish liver, mucus membrane inflammations; externally for ulcerated
and discharging skin, psoriasis and seborrhoic eczemas.
Key application In mild, nonspecific, acute diarrhoea and in inflammation of oral and
pharyngeal mucosa; as astringent.
(German Commission E, The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.)
The herb contains condensed tannins up to 8%, coumarins, flavonoids (glucosides of luteolin, apigenin and quercetin), p olysaccharides, volatile oil. Luteolin 7-glucoside shows a cholegogic action. Aqueous extracts inhibited Mycobacterium tuberculosis, also strains resistant to streptomycin and p-aminosalicylate. Essential oil is antibacterial, active against Bacillus subtilis.
The ethanolic extracts of the herb are used for their antiviral properties. (Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007.)
Coumarins interact with anticoagulants, and drugs that increase the risk of bleeding Furanocoumarin content increase photosensitivity. (Sharon M. Herr.)
