Versatile medicinal plant

JIVANTI OR Adakodien is botanically called Holostemma adakodien and belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae. In Sanskrit, it is called Jivanti, Arkapushpi, Kshira, Dodi, Suryavalli and the like.

The plant occurs in the tropical Himalayas, Dehradun, Konkan, Bombay, Deccan, Canara, Karnatica, Kerala and in Kanyakumari district. It grows over hedges and in open forests especially on the lower slopes of hills. But its occurane has diminished very much within this range of distribution and hence it is considered vulnerable and included in the red list of the medicinal plants of South India brought out by the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions. At present the plant is domesticated to some extent owing to its wide use and highly remunerative prices.

Jivanti is a handsome, extensive, laticiferous, twining shrub. Though its roots are medicinal, the leaves, flowers and fruits are eaten as vegetables. The bark yields a fibre reported to be suitable for cordage and paper making. Different types exist based on pigmentation and leaf shape like green or purple coloured and cordate or elongate leaf shaped. Among these the purple pigmented type is said to be more productive and highly in demand for medicinal preparations.

Adakodien root is the most accepted source of jivanti and reckoned as an important rasayana drug capable of maintaining youthful vigour and strength. Roots also possess various other uses. It has cooling, alternative, tonic and lactative properties and is also an astringent to the bowels and is sweet. The root made into a paste is applied to eyes in ophthalmic and also for scalding in gonorrhoea. In diabetes, the root rubbed into a paste is given in cold milk. In spermatorrhoea, the dried root with an equal quantity of the root of Ceiba pentandra powder, is given in six doses with milk and sugar daily. It is employed in dicoction by the Santals, as a remedy for cough and also for orchitis. It is a Munda stomach ache medicine. It also cures ulcers, biliousness, diseases of the blood, worms, itching and vesicular calculi.

Its medicinal properties are attributed to the amino sugars present in the roots like alpha amyrin, lupeol and beta sitosterol. It also contains six amino acids like alanine, aspartic acid, valine, glycine, serine and threonine.

In commercial cultivation the availability of propagules is important. The crop can be propagated by vegetative means - root and stem cuttings - and by seeds. Among these, seedlings are the best planting materials. But less than 10 per cent fruit set in this crop becomes a major constraint for large scale cultivation.

The crop can be planted in open conditions or in partial shade. Prepare the land to a fine tilth during April-May by ploughing or digging. Planting is done on ridges of 30cm height, taken 50 cm apart. On this 2-3 months old seedlings or rooted cuttings can be planted at a spacing of 30 cm. Planting can be done in June-July. Cattle manure or compost at the rate of 10t/ha may be applied as basal dose at the time of land preparation. P and K fertilizers are found beneficial for increasing root yield, which can be applied basally and once or twice during the growing period. Weeding has to be done as and when necessary. When the plant starts vining, support can be provided with ropes. Flowering and fruit set occur during July-December. Dried fruits can be collected for seed purpose in January-February. The crop can be harvested in 18 months time. Harvesting is done by digging.

S.Manju & Alice Kurien

College of Horticulture

Kerala Agricultural University,

Thrissur-680654

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