Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Spider wisp (Gynandropsis gynandra), of the Cleomaceae family. Erect glandular-hairy annual herb with palmate leaves and long-stalked white-pink flowers; native range: waste ground and cultivated fields across the tropics of the Old World. Globally recognized as ajagandha · pashugandha in Sanskrit, hurhur · safed hurhur in Hindi, and spider wisp, cat's whiskers, African cabbage in English. The part used is seed and leaf. Sticky, strong-smelling foliage of a goatish mustard pungency; small dark seeds.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
SPIDER WISP
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- spider wisp
- Scientific name
- Gynandropsis gynandra (L.) Briq.
- Family
- Cleomaceae
Form
- Part used
- seed and leaf
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- pungent (katu) · bitter (tikta)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- krimighna (anthelmintic), deepana (kindles appetite); the bruised leaf a rubefacient and counter-irritant (vedanasthapana)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- pitta-predominant heat conditions; the leaf is vesicant and not for broken skin
- Toxicity
- the fresh leaf blisters the skin on prolonged contact
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