Hygrophila. Hygrophila spinosa.
Botanical name:
Hygrophila. Br. Add. 1900.—The dried herb including the root of Hygrophila spinosa T. And. (Asteracantha longifolia Nees). Br. Add. (Fam. Acanthaceae.) This species of hygrophila has long been used in India as a diuretic in the treatment of dropsies, especially where there is hepatic obstruction, and also as a popular aphrodisiac. In Southern India the root is an article of commerce, but in Bombay the seeds are commonly employed. By means of petroleum benzin C. H. Warden obtained from the roots a crystalline principle (Phg. Ind., vol. 3). The decoction, of hygrophila (Decoctum Hygrophilae, Br. Add., 1900), two ounces of the root with three pints of water boiled to a pint, is given in doses of one-half to two fluid-ounces (15-60 mils).
