Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Unani
Fumitory (Fumaria indica), of the Papaveraceae (Fumariaceae) family. Slender diffuse winter annual with finely cut glaucous leaves; native range: the plains and lower hills of the Indian subcontinent, a winter weed of cultivation. Globally recognized as parpata / parpataka in Sanskrit, pittapapra / shahtara in Hindi, shahtara (شاهترة) in Arabic, and Indian fumitory in English. The part used is whole plant. Fine blue-green much-divided foliage and tiny pink-tipped flowers; intensely bitter, faintly saline, with a cool grassy smell when bruised.
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.
FUMITORY
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Fumitory
- Scientific name
- Fumaria indica (Hausskn.) Pugsley
- Family
- Papaveraceae (Fumariaceae)
Form
- Part used
- whole plant
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- bitter (tikta)
- Unani
- bitter
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- cooling (shita)
- Unani
- hot
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- liver · stomach · blood · skin
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- raktaprasadana (blood-purifier), pittahara, jvaraghna (antipyretic), dipana-pachana (digestive), kandughna (antipruritic)
- Unani
- musaffi-e-dam (blood-purifier), muffateh-e-sudad (deobstruent), musakkin-e-hararat (refrigerant of heat) and daf-e-humma (febrifuge)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- cold, depleted states; low blood pressure with large doses
- Toxicity
- none of note in customary dose; excess purges and gripes
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