Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Tick clover (Desmodium gangeticum), of the Fabaceae family. Erect woody undershrub of scrub and forest margins; native range: open forests and wastelands of the Indian subcontinent. Globally recognized as shalaparni, sthira in Sanskrit, sarivan, salpan in Hindi, and tick clover, tick trefoil in English. The part used is root, whole plant. Slender woody root of mild sweet-bitter taste; leaves single, with clinging seed-pods.
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.
TICK CLOVER
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- tick clover
- Scientific name
- Desmodium gangeticum (L.) DC.
- Family
- Fabaceae
Form
- Part used
- root, whole plant
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- sweet (madhura) · bitter (tikta)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna virya)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- nervine tonic and restorative (balya, rasayana), febrifuge (jvaraghna), anti-inflammatory (shothahara), digestive (deepana), vata-anchoring (vatahara)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- generally safe and well tolerated; moderate in high pitta with fever
- Toxicity
- no significant toxicity at customary doses
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