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Kuppameniya

 

By - Amal Udawatta,


English Name, Indian Acalypha, Indian Mercury, Indian Copperleaf, Indian Nettle, Sinhala Name -  Kuppameniya; Tamil Name – Kuppaimeni; Sanskrit Name- Arittamanjariye

Scientific Name- Acalypha indica

An annual herb 30 -75 cm tall, erect branches numerous , long ascending , angular, leaves.3.7- 7 cm long. 2.8 -7 cm broad. Flowers minute, green  unisexual. Male flowers are very small, white in color, short pedicelled in cluster. Female flowers are solitary or in clusters of 2 or 3 scattered.

Habitat

It grows in disturbed places such as waste lands, road sides, crevices in walls. It also grows in rocky hillsides, forest edges and river banks. It prefers moist and shaded places. It grows from sea-level up to 1350 m altitude.

Kuppameniya occurs widely throughout the Old World tropics. In Africa. It also occurs in   the hotter parts of Sri Lanka.

Traditional medicine

This plant is held in high esteem in traditional Siddha,   Ayurveda and Indigenous medicines as it is believed to rejuvenate the body. The plant has many traditional medicinal uses, In Madagascar, the crushed plant is used for skin parasites. In Mauritius, the sap of crushed leaves mixed with salt, or a decoction of plant, is used for scabies and other skin problems.

The root decoction is also taken for intestinal worms and stomach ache. The leaf sap is taken as an emetic. An infusion together with the roots of Kuppameniya is taken in Réunion as an emetic in the case of poisoning. A leaf infusion is also taken as a purgative and vermifuge in Réunion and Madagascar. In East Africa sap of the leaves is used for eye infections. Leaf powder is used for maggot-infested wounds. Kuppameniya is listed in the Pharmacopoeia of India as an expectorant to treat asthma and pneumonia.

The plant has also been eaten as a vegetable in Africa , India and some parts of Sri Lanka, but care needs when eating it since it contains several alkaloids as well as hydrocyanic acid


Cat plays

Throughout the area where the plant grows, it is widely known for its effect on domestic cats, which react very strongly and favorably to the root of the plant. The chemicals that attract cats are the iridoid compounds isodihydronepetalactone and 

isoiridomyrmecin.

 Referrences

1 )Madicinal Plants used in Ceylon – Jayaweera          D.M.A Dr.- Part 02- page 189- 190

02) Acalypha indica L. Indian Acalypha, on India Biodiversity Portal. Accessed 31.07.2017

 

 


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