Kalmegh

HABITAT

Both in Ayurveda and Unani, it is confused with ‘Chitetta’ (Swertia chirata), but both are different plants. It is widely available in Arabia. It was advertised in England as a substitute for quinine. It grows throughout India from Assam and Himachal Pradesh to all over south India. Grows well in moist and shaded places, but it prefers sunny situations.

INTRODUCTION

Kalmegh is an erect annual herb extremely bitter in taste in all parts of the plant body. The plant is known in north-eastern India as Maha-tita, literally "king of bitters", and known by various vernacular names. As an Ayurveda herb it is known as Kalmegh or Kalamegha, meaning "dark cloud". It is also known as Bhui-neem, meaning "neem of the ground", since the plant, though being a small annual herb, has a similar strong bitter taste as that of the large Neem tree (Azadirachta indica). In Malaysia, it is known as Hempedu Bumi, which literally means 'bile of earth' since it is one of the bitterest plants that are used in traditional medicine.

It is used for digestive complaints including diarrhoea, constipation, intestinal gas, colic, and stomach pain; for liver conditions including an enlarged liver, jaundice, and liver damage due to medications; for infections including leprosy, pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhoea, syphilis, malaria, cholera, leptospirosis, rabies, sinusitis, and HIV/AIDS; and for skin conditions including wounds, ulcers and itchiness.

BENEFITS

Digestive: Promotes digestion

Hepatoprotective: Protects the liver and gall bladder. Kalmegh is used extensively in the Indian traditional system of medicine as a hepatoprotective and hepatostimulative agent. The aqueous extract of the leaves of this plant has traditionally been used for treatment of various liver disorders and jaundice.

Vermicide: Kills intestinal worms & support intestine.

Anti-Acne: Protect skin from pimples.

Analgesic: Pain killer

Anti-inflammatory: Reduces swelling and cuts down exudation from capillaries

Antibacterial: Fights bacterial activity. Although Kalmegh appears to have weak direct antibacterial action, it has remarkably beneficial effect in reducing diarrhoea and symptoms arising from bacterial infections.

Expectorant: Promotes mucus discharge from the respiratory system.

Hypoglycaemic: Helps reduce blood sugar.

MECHANISM OF ACTION

It plays a hepatoprotective role by reducing a lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA), in which the lowering of MDA formation conveys the free radical scavenging property of diterpene lactones of andrographolide, as well as by maintaining high level of glutathione, glutamic pyruvate transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase in carbon tetrachloride or tert-butyl hydroperoxide treated mice. Kalmegh was proposed as a potent stimulator of immune system by two approaches. First was an antigen specific response; in which antibodies were made to counteract invading microbes and the second was a nonspecific immune response; macrophage cells scavenged and destroyed invaders.

CLINICAL STUDIES & REFERENCES

Handa SS, Sharma A. Hepatoprotective activity of Andrographolide from Andrographis paniculata against carbontetrachloride. Indian Journal of Medical Research. Section B. 1990;92:276–283.
Gupta S, Choudhary MA, Yadava JNS, Srivastava V, Tandon JS. Antidiarrhoel activity of diterpenes of Andrographis Paniculata (Kal-Megh) against Escherichia coli enteroroxin in in vivo models. Int J crude Drug Res. 1990; 28: 273-283.
Shen YC, Chen CF. Chiou, WF. Androgrpholide prevents oxygen radical production by human neutrophils: possible mechanism(s) involved in its anti-inflamatory effect. Br J Pharmacol. 2002; 135: 399-406.
Trivedi NP, Rawal UM. Hepatoprotective and antioxidant property of Andrographis paniculata (Nees) in BHC induced liver damage in mice. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology. 2001;39(1):41–46.