Also known as sleeping grass, shy grass or the sensitive plant.
Has many uses.
Mimosa pudica L.
is a creeping annual or perennial herb.
It has been identified as lajjalu in Ayurveda and has been found to have antiasthmatic, aphrodisiac, analgesic, and antidepressant properties.
M.
pudica is known to possess sedative, emetic, and tonic properties, and has been used traditionally in the treatment of various ailments including alopecia, diarrhea, dysentery, insomnia, tumor, and various urogenital infections.
Phytochemical studies on M.
pudica have revealed the presence of alkaloids, non-protein amino acid (mimosine), flavonoids C-glycosides, sterols, terpenoids, tannins, and fatty acids.
[1] Two well-known movements are observed in M.
pudica L.
(ojigi-so in Japanese): one is the very rapid movement of the leaves when it is stimulated by touch, heating, etc.
, and the other is the very slow, periodical movement of the leaves called nyctinastic movement which is controlled by a biological clock.
[2] The leaves of the sensitive plant M.
pudica can adapt their closing response to electrical and
mechanical stimulation so that they reopen to repeated stimulation.
The more intense the stimuli and the longer the intertribal interval, the longer it takes to adapt.
Leaves adapted to the effects of mechanical stimulation can still respond by closing to electrical stimulation and vice versa.
[3]
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BIOLOGICAL SOURCE
Mimosa pudica L.
is a diffuse prickly undershrub belonging to family Mimosaceae [
Mimosa pudica flower head
Parts used
Whole plant, leaves, and roots.
Synonym
Laajvanti, Touch me not, and Chhui-mui
Classical and common names
Ayurveda – Lajjalu, Namaskari, Samangaa, Samokchini, and Shamipatraa
Siddha – Thottal Chinungi.
[4]
Vernacular names
Sanskrit – Lajja
English – Sensitive plant
Hindi – Laajvanti and Chhui-mui
Bengali – Lajjabati
Telugu – Attapatti and Peddanidrakanni
Tamil – Tottaaladi and Thottalchnungi
Kannada – Lajja, Nachika and Mudugu-davare
Malayalam – Tintarmani
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