Kanch

A large woody annual climber with white hairs, occurring in bushes, in open
forests and wastelands in hilly area. Leaves are trifoliolate, rhomboid, ovate and glabrous. Flowers solitary, or 2-3 together with dark purple C0lour. Fruit is a slightly curved pod covered with stinging hairs. Seeds are oblong and white m colour. Flowering and fruiting in August-October-November.

Part used: Pod, Seed, Leaf and Root

Usage: Leaf paste applied external.ly promotes heating of ulcer and boils. Seeds are nerve tonic and effective in leucorrhoea and paralysis. Hairs of the pod are used for removing round worms. Seeds and hairs are considered a powerful aphrodisiac in Ayurvedic medicine. Roots are tonic, nerve stimulant, diuretic and purgative. A paste of root is used externally to treat dropsy.

Agrotechniques : Seed sown during the month of May-June in polybags and saplings transplanted after soaking rains in the field. Irrigation at 30 to 45 days interval is needed. Mature pods collected for seeds in November-December and roots in the last week of January and should be air dried