Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Unani
Country mallow (Sida cordifolia), of the Malvaceae family. Small woody perennial herb with heart-shaped downy leaves; native range: pantropical; a common wayside weed of India. Globally recognized as bala in Sanskrit, bariyar, kharenti in Hindi, and country mallow, heart-leaf sida, flannel weed in English. The part used is root, whole herb and seed. Sweet, mucilaginous, demulcent root; faintly downy leaves.
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.
COUNTRY MALLOW
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Country mallow
- Scientific name
- Sida cordifolia L.
- Family
- Malvaceae
Form
- Part used
- root, whole herb and seed
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- sweet · astringent (madhura, kashaya)
- Unani
- sweet
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- cooling (sheeta)
- Unani
- hot (1st degree, mild)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- nerves · brain · heart
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- balya (strengthening), brimhana (nourishing), vatahara, rasayana and vrishya (aphrodisiac); the root a chief drug for vata disorders and a rejuvenative to nerve and muscle
- Unani
- muqawwi-e-asab (nerve tonic), muqawwi-e-bah (aphrodisiac) and muharrik (stimulant); for nervous debility, facial palsy and rheumatic weakness
Cautions
- Contraindications
- hypertension, heart disease, anxiety and insomnia (the seed's ephedrine is a sympathomimetic stimulant); pregnancy; concurrent stimulant drugs
- Toxicity
- large doses of the ephedrine-bearing seed raise blood pressure, palpitations and restlessness
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