It is an annual, glabrous herb grows up to 15 to 60 cm high. Has an errect stem, naked below and slender and spreading leaf branches above. Leaves are numerous, subsessile, pale green, often distichously imbricating, glaucous below, elliptic to oblong, obtuse, and stipules subulate. Flowers arise in leaf axis, very numerous, males 1-3 and females solitary. Sepels of male orbicular and obovate to oblong in females. Stamens 3, anthers sessile and in a short column. Disc of male minute glands and of females annular and lobed. Capsules depressed globose, smooth and hardly 3 lobed. Seeds are 3-gonous, rounded and with longitudinal regular parallel ribes on the back.

The plant is bitter, astringent, stomachic, diuretic, febrifuge and antiseptic. antiulcerative; antihepatotoxic, antiviral, antibacterial and kills molluscs (root and leaf); lowers blood sugar (leaf); antidropsical, astringent and diuretic.

Tropical Plant Database
Herbal Monograph
Herb Information
PIER

Phyllanthin, niranthin, hypophyllanthin, phyltetralin and nirtetralin (leaf); amariin, corilagin, geraniin, rutin, 1.6-digalloyl-glucopyranoside and quercetin-3-O-glucopyranoside (plant).

Jaundice and liver diseases, diabetes, influenza, asthma, infections of the bronchial tubes, indigestion, colic, dropsy, as an astringent, diuretic and disorders of the urogenital system and kidney (plant). The whole plant is used to treat jaundice, chronic dysentery, dyspepsia, cough, asthma, indigestion, diabetes, urinary tract diseases, skin diseases, ulcer, sores and swelling. Whole plant is used in gonorrhoea, menorrhagia and other genital affections. It is also useful in dropsy, jaundice, diarrhoea, dysentery, intermittent fevers, ophthalmopathy, scabies, ulcers and wounds. Young shoots and leaves are given in dysentery and ulcers. Fresh root is an excellent remedy for jaundice. The decoction of the plant is a remedy for intermittent fevers and intermittents with infarcts of the spleen and liver.

It may increase the effect of diabetic, high blood pressure, and diuretic drugs. Don't use during pregnancy.

Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.