Panphuti/Patharchatta

Kalanchoe Pinnata or Patharchatta is a succulent perennial medicinal herb which is found almost throughout India. It is small plant which is also used for ornamental purpose in gardens. The plant can easily grow in pots. Patharchatta does not grow from seeds. It propagates from the leaves of plant and a single leaf can produce 5-10 plants.

Patharchatta is used as a folk medicine in India, tropical Africa, tropical America, China, and Australia. The leaves are used both externally and internally. They have diuretic, wound healing, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, antihypertensive and anti-inflammatory activities and are beneficial in urinary bladder and kidney stones, intestinal problem, ulcers, arthritis, inflammation, conjunctivitis, menstrual disorders, migraine, urethritis, wound, dysentery, ulcers, indigestion etc.

Important Medicinal Properties

Kalanchoe Pinnata is rich in medicinal properties.

Below is given medicinal properties along with the meaning.

1. Astringent: Causing the contraction of skin cells and other body tissues and helps to stop bleeding.
2. Analgesic: Relieve pain.
3. Anti-aggregant: Decrease platelet aggregation and inhibit thrombus formation.
4. Anti–dysenteric: Relieving or preventing dysentery.
5. Anti–inflammatory: Reducing inflammation by acting on body mechanisms.
6. Antiseptic: Capable of preventing infection by inhibiting the growth of infectious agents.
7. Antispasmodic: Used to relieve spasm of involuntary muscle.
8. Cytotoxic: Tending to arrest or prevent cancer
9. Diuretic: Promoting excretion of urine/agent that increases the amount of urine excreted.
10. Disinfectant: Destroys bacteria.
11. Emollient: Soothing and softening effect on the skin or an irritated internal surface.
12. Hemostatic: Retarding or stopping the flow of blood within the blood vessels.
13. Immunomodulatory: Modifies the immune response or the functioning of the immune system.
14. Styptic: capable of causing bleeding to stop when it is applied to a wound.

Important Medicinal Properties

Kalanchoe Pinnata is rich in medicinal properties.

Below is given medicinal properties along with the meaning.

1. Astringent: Causing the contraction of skin cells and other body tissues and helps to stop bleeding.
2. Analgesic: Relieve pain.
3. Anti-aggregant: Decrease platelet aggregation and inhibit thrombus formation.
4. Anti–dysenteric: Relieving or preventing dysentery.
5. Anti–inflammatory: Reducing inflammation by acting on body mechanisms.
6. Antiseptic: Capable of preventing infection by inhibiting the growth of infectious agents.
7. Antispasmodic: Used to relieve spasm of involuntary muscle.
8. Cytotoxic: Tending to arrest or prevent cancer
9. Diuretic: Promoting excretion of urine/agent that increases the amount of urine excreted.
10. Disinfectant: Destroys bacteria.
11. Emollient: Soothing and softening effect on the skin or an irritated internal surface.
12. Hemostatic: Retarding or stopping the flow of blood within the blood vessels.
13. Immunomodulatory: Modifies the immune response or the functioning of the immune system.
14. Styptic: capable of causing bleeding to stop when it is applied to a wound.

Medicinal uses of Patharchatta

Kalanchoe Pinnata is used to treat clinical conditions such as asthma, blood dysentery, boils, bronchial affections, cough, diabetes, gout, insect bites, jaundice, dysuria, epilepsy, gout, hoping cough, jaundice, nephrolithiasis, painful micturition, pneumonia, respiratory troubles, tuberculosis, ureterolithiasis, arthritis, inflammation, hypertension and kidney stones. It stimulates production of urine and hence helps in urinary stones. Due to astringent and hemostatic properties it is used in bleeding disorders and hemorrhage.

Stone problems, recurrent stones in body

Leaves of this plant is very good for removing kidney stone and multiple small gall bladder stone. Chew leaves (2-3) or extract leaves juice and drink twice a day.

Arresting bleeding from wounds, cuts, ulcers

The juice or the bruised fresh leaves or the roasted leaves of Kalanchoe pinnata is taken.

Blood mixed diarrhea

Mix Patharchatta leaf juice (3 ml), jeera (3 g) and ghee (6 g) and take regularly for few days.

Burns

Plant or leaf paste is applied externally.

Boils and Carbuncles

Paste of whole plant with cumin seeds is applied.

Blood in stools diarrhea and dysentery

Juice of leaves 2-5 ml + Ghee 4-10 ml + Jeera powder, is given.

Bloating

Juice obtained from 4-5 leaves is mixed with one teaspoonful Mishri and one cup of warm water and taken orally.

Broken healing ulcers, abscesses, boils, tumors, cysts

The paste or poultice made of leaves of Kalanchoe pinnata (Zakhm-e – hayat) is applied.

Chronic wounds and ulcers

Thick coating of leaf paste is applied. When it turns black the coating is removed and new paste is applied

Cough

Warm leaf juice taken twice a day with honey for 3-5 days.

Discoloration caused by bruises, black eye, inflammation

Poultice of the roasted leaves or a paste of the fresh leaves or their juice is applied.

Diarrhea

7-14 ml juice of leaves with honey thrice daily.

Dysentery

Juice extracted from equal amount of leaves of Kalanchoe pinnata + Jamun (Syzygium cuminii) and Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk.) is taken.

Ear pain, otorrhoea (Discharge from ear)

For ear discharge (‘Kaan ka behna’ in Hindi) and pain in ear, warm yellow leaves of Patharchatta and extract its juice. Put few drops in ear.

Headache

Leaf paste applied over forehead.

High blood pressure, scanty urine, Dysuria, Urinary problems

Regularly chew (2-3) leaves of Kalanchoe Pinnata twice day.

Indigestion

Leaf juice is taken twice a day.

Inflammation, joint pain in arthritis, wounds, sprain

Warm leaves of Patharchatta and apply at affected area with pain relieving oil.

Jaundice

Take fresh leaves juice of Kalanchoe Pinnata for liver problems and Jaundice.

Kidney and bladder stones

1. Leaf juice is taken internally for 2 weeks. Or
2. Chew two fresh leaves along with black pepper on an empty stomach. Or
3. Grind the leaves of the plant. Add turmeric and some jaggery. Take this preparation for 2 weeks.

Leucorrhoea (shevt pradar), cholera

Take Patharchatta leaves juice (2 tablespoon) twice a day.

Non healing wounds

Boil Patharchatta leaves in water and use this water to wash wounds. Alternatively you can use honey on wound is very helpful in treatment of any kind of wounds even it can cure chronic wounds with support of other Ayurvedic medicines.

Pain in eye

2 drops of leaf juice is used as eye drop.

Piles and hemorrhoids

Mix leaf juice with black pepper powder and take regularly for few days.

Poisoning due to bites of animals

Warm Patharchatta leaves are applied over the bitten parts.

Stomach disorder

2 spoonful of the leaf juice is taken orally.

Skin diseases, swellings due to bruises, bleeding from cuts and wounds

The paste of leaves is applied topically.

Smelly sweat, bad body odour

Eat one Patharchatta leaf daily.

To expel or remove spines and thorns from the body

Leaf juice mixed with salt is applied.

Tinea/ringworm

The leaf paste is applied topically to treat dermatophytosis.

Ulcerative colitis

The leaf juice is given.

Wounds

Leaves / peeled leaf is applied.

Other uses: The plant is cultivated as ornamental houseplants.