गर्भनुत् - Gloriosa superba
Name - कलिहारी
Botanical name - Gloriosa superba
Description - Gloriosa superba is a herbaceous, tall, glabrous, branching, tendril climber with underground solid, fleshy, white, cylindric, tuberous rhizomes; Stems annual, 10-12 ft long, given off from the angles of the young tubers, herbaceous. Leaves sessile or so, ternately whorled ovate-lanceolate, with acuminate tips prolonged into spiral tendrils. Showy flowers, Solitary or sub-corymbose, greenish at first, later becoming yellow and finally scarlet or crimson. Fruits are linear-oblong capsules with many rounded seeds
Chemical Constituents- Air dried rhizomes contain Beta-sitosterol and its glucoside, 2-hydroxy 6-methoxy benzoic acid. Flowers contain glucosides. Tuber and seeds contain colchicine, isoperlolyrine and related tropolane alkaloids. Young leaves contain chelidonic acid.
Use - Tubers regarded tonic, stomachic and anthelmintic; used as an abortifacient; externally used for neuralgic pains and skin troubles. Contains colchicine which is used in the treatment of gout, rheumatism -- used in skin disorders, oedema, non-bleeding piles and act as an analgesic.
