Kateli
Naturalized throughout as weed of waste places, croplands, gardens and drains. A prickly annual whitish green herb with erect usually branched stem. Leaves sessile with slightly incised undulate margins and white veins.
Sharp, yellow prickles on leaf margin and mid rib. Flowers yellow solitary, axillary. Fruit a prickly capsule, oblong or elliptic with many seeds. Seeds small round, blackish brown and pitted. Flowering and fruiting throughout the year in moist localities but mainly from January to April.
Part used: Whole plant
Usage: Plant juice is used in eye infection, cataract problem, to increase eyesight and to relieve rheumatic pain, cutaneous affections and jaundice. Roots are useful in chronic skin diseases. The leaves are rubbed on the skin to cure scabies. Seeds laxative, expectorant, demulcent and cure cold, cough, asthma and other respiratory problems. Seed oil is used externally for skin diseases. Seed paste applied for tooth decay and pyorrhea.
Agrotechniques : Not Available as it is collected directly from the wild.