Witnessed by: Ayurveda
Granthiparni / lion's ear (Leonotis nepetifolia), of the Lamiaceae (Labiatae) family. Tall erect annual herb with a square stem carrying globes of bristly orange two-lipped flowers in knotted whorls; native range: tropical Africa and southern India, naturalised as a weed of waste ground across the tropics. Globally recognized as granthiparṇī in Sanskrit, hejurchhei, guma in Hindi, and lion's ear, Christmas candlestick in English. The part used is whole plant; leaf; flower. Coarse toothed leaves of a sharp bitter herby scent; the spent flower-balls dry to hard prickly burs that hold on the stem.
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.
GRANTHIPARNI
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- granthiparni / lion's ear
- Scientific name
- Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) R.Br.
- Family
- Lamiaceae (Labiatae)
Form
- Part used
- whole plant; leaf; flower
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- bitter (tikta) · pungent (katu)
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna)
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- jwaraghna (antipyretic), kasahara (relieves cough), shwasahara (relieves wheezing), shothahara (reduces swelling), vedanasthapana (allays pain), krimighna (antiparasitic)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- pitta-predominant and hot states; caution in pregnancy
- Toxicity
- low in ordinary use; the dry flower-burs are prickly and irritate the handling skin
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