Habitat:

Dhataki consists of flowers of Woodfordia fruticosa (Linn.) Kurz. (Fam. Lythraceae) : much branched, semi deciduous, undershrub or shrub, 1-3 m high, rarely upto 3 m, found throughout India, ascending to 1500 m in Himalayas and also in the Gangetic plains , also cultivated in gardens.1

Morphology Description (Habit):

Flower, about 1.2 cm long, occurs as single or in bunches of 2-15, calyx 1.0-1.6 cm long, ridged and glabrous, bright red when fresh but fades on drying, with campanulate base and oblique apex having 6 triangular and acute teeth, each tooth being, 2-2.5 mm long, 6, very minute accessory sepals attached outside at the juncture of calyx tooth and deeper in colour, petals 6, attached inside the mouth of calyx-tube, slightly longer than calyx tooth, alternating with calyx-tooth pale rose or whitish, thin, papery, lanceolate, acuminate, stamens 12, united at the base, about 1.5-2 cm long, filament filiform, curved at the apex, keeping anthers inside calyx-tube , anthers dorsifixed brown, almost rounded or broadly ovate, carpels 2, united, ovary superior, style filiform, longer than ovary and stamens, taste, astringent.

Parts Used:

Flowers

Phytochemistry:

A wide range of chemical compounds including tannins (especially those of macrocyclic hydrolysable class), flavonoids, anthraquinone glycosides, and polyphenols have been isolated from this species in recent times. Extracts and metabolites of this plant, particularly those from flowers and leaves, possess useful pharmacological activities.2

As per Ayurveda:

           Rasa (Taste)                 : Pungent and astringent

           Guna (Property)           : Light

           Veerya (Potency)         : Cold

           Vipaka (End Result)    : Pungent

Pharmacological Actions:

The flowers of Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz, Lythraceae, have been used traditionally in the treatment of diabetes, dysentery, diarrhea, other bowel complaints, internal haemorrhages, in leucorrhoea and menorrhagia. Externally powdered flower is sprinkled over foul ulcers and wounds for diminishing their discharge and promoting granulations. In Konkan leaves are used in bilious sickness. W. fruticosa is also reported to have DNA topoisomerase inhibitor, antibacterial, antifertility, antipeptic ulcer, free radical scavenging, and hepatoprotective activity. W. fruticosa is a medicinal plant used to treat a wide range of disorder including diabetes.3

The primary pharmacological actions of this cooling flower are summarized as under:

Respiratory System:

i. Woodfordia fruticosa flower (WFF) extracts exhibited anti-asthmatic effect by demonstrating bronchoprotection, bronchorelaxation, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and mast cell stabilization ability.4

Digestive System:

i. Exerts hepatoprotective activity and is useful in the management of liver disorders.5,6

Endocrinal System: 

i. W. fruticosa possess potential antihyperglycemic effect by regulating glucose homeostasis and antioxidant efficacy.7

Reproductive System: 

i. The flowers are useful in menorrhagia, metrorrhagia and leucorrhea.

Skin and Hair: 

i. Possesses excellent wound healing activity.8

Others: 

i. Exhibits significant antioxidant activity.9

ii. Exhibits immunostimulatory activity by stimulating non-specific immune responses, macrophages and bone marrow cells.10

iii. Used in preparation of Asava, Arishta and Pravahi Kwaths.

Indications:

Excessive bleeding during menstruation (Menorrhagia)

White discharge per vaginum (Leucorrhea)

Type 2 Diabetes mellitus

Liver disorders

General well-being

References:

1. The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part-1, Vol-1.

2. Das PK, Goswami S, Chinniah A, et al. Woodfordia fruticosa: traditional uses and recent findings. J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 Mar 21;110(2):189-99.

3. Santosh S. Bhujbal, Clarine A. Providencia, et al. Effect of Woodfordia fruticosa on dexamethasone induced insulin resistance in mice. Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia. 2012; 22(3).

4. Hiralal Ghante M, Bhusari KP, Duragkar NJ, Ghiware NB. Pharmacological evaluation for anti-asthmatic and anti-inflammatory potential of Woodfordia fruticosa flower extracts. Pharm Biol. 2014 Jul;52(7):804-13.

5. Baravalia Y, Vaghasiya Y, Chanda S. Hepatoprotective effect of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz flowers on diclofenac sodium induced liver toxicity in rats. Asian Pac J Trop Med. 2011 May;4(5):342-6.

6. Nitha A, Ansil PN, Prabha SP, et al. Preventive and curative effect of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz flowers on thioacetamide induced oxidative stress in rats. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine. 2012; 2(2): S757-S764.

7. Verma N, Amresh G, Sahu PK, et al. Antihyperglycemic activity of Woodfordia fruticosa (Kurz) flowers extracts in glucose metabolism and lipid peroxidation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Indian J Exp Biol. 2012 May;50(5):351-8.

8. Verma N, Amresh G, Sahu PK, et al. Wound healing potential of flowers extracts of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz. Indian J Biochem Biophys. 2013 Aug;50(4):296-304.

9. Ramesh MG, Latha MS. Antioxidant potential of the flowers of Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz. In albino rats. Research Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. 2013; 5(3): 127-129.

10. Shah AS, Juvekar AR. In vitro and in vivo immunostimulatory activity of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers on non-specific immunity. Pharmaceutical Biology. 2010; 48(9): 1066-1072.

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Femina Capsule , Irimedadi Taila