NIRGUDI
listen about me
Vitex negundo L.
Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiospermae
Class: Dicotyledonae
Order: Lamiales
Family: Verbenaceae
Genus: Vitex
Species: negundo
Scientific Name: Vitex negundo L.
Common Name-
English: Five-leaved chaste tree; Horseshoe vitex; Chinese chaste tree
Hindi: Mewri; Nirgundi; Nisinda; Sambhalu; Sawbhalu (निर्गुंडी)
Marathi: Nirgudi
Sanskrit: Nirgundi; Sephalika; Sindhuvara; Svetasurasa; Vrikshaha (सिन्धुवार)
Distribution: Vitex negundo is native to tropical Eastern and Southern Africa and Asia. It is
widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere
Description:
Habit & Habitat: Vitex negundo is an erect shrub or small tree growing from 2 to 8 m (6.6 to 26.2 ft) in height. The bark is reddish brown.
Leaves: Leaves are digitate, with five lanceolate leaflets, sometimes three. Each leaflet is around 4 to 10 cm (1.6 to 3.9 in) in length, with the central leaflet being the largest and
possessing a stalk. The leaf edges are toothed or serrated and the bottom surface is covered
in hair.
Flowers: There are numerous flowers borne in panicles 10 to 20 cm in length. Each is around 6 to 7 cm long and are white to blue in color. The petals are of different lengths,
with the middle lower lobe being the longest. Both the corolla and
calyx are covered in dense hairs.
Fruit: The fruit is a succulent drupe, 4 mm in diameter, rounded to egg-shaped. It is black or purple when ripe.
Uses: Vitex negundo is used for treating stored garlic against
pests and as a cough remedy
in the Philippines, sold under the trade names Ascof and Plemex. In Malaysia, it is used in traditional herbal medicine for womens health, including treatments for regulating the menstrual cycle, fibrocystic breast disease and post-partum remedies.