Common Name: Manjith, Manjistha
English Name: Madder Root, Indian Madder
Botanical Name: Rubia cordifolia Linn.
Family: Rubiaceae
Description: A branched climber with bristles. The stem is slender and four angled. The leaves are rough, and arranged in whorl of four per node and oval to heart shaped with long leaf stalk. The leaves have 5-7 main nerves.
Chemical Constituents: Anthraquinone, anthraquinone glycoside, naphthoquinone, naphthoquinone glycoside, furomollugin, mollugin, Manjistin and Garancin, alizarin, lucidin pimeveroside, ruberythric acid, purpurin, xanthopurpurin, cyclohexapeptide, alkaloid and lignan have been also reported from Manjistha.
Properties: It has a variety of uses such as blood purifier, immunomodulator, anti-inflammatory and anti-PAF. Rubia cordifolia is helpful in treating skin diseases, in blood purification, increasing appetite and in stimulation and contraction of uterus. Rubia cordifolia is popular all over the world for its medicinal uses in skin diseases like eczema, dermatitis, skin ulcers. R. cordifolia is used for the treatment of skin itches and as an antiseptic for wounds
Used in the following MATXIN products: