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Bhumyamalaki (Phyllanthus niruri, Phyllanthus amarus)

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Bhumyamalaki ( Phyllanthus niruri, Phyllanthus amarus ) By Dr. Hemant Vinze M. S. Introduction           Bhumyamalaki ( Phyllanthus niruri- Phyllanthus amarus ) is principally a kharif crop (growing in rainy season) growing as a contaminant weed in cultivated fields and in wasteland. Traditionally though a trusted medicine, it is not cultivated as “medicinal plant” but is gleaned from fields or is gathered directly from forests or wastelands. Since the weed reduces the crop yield by 10 to 15% it is considered a ‘nuisance’ by farmers. However it obliges the medical fraternity and mankind by its pleiotropic actions. The herb is extolled in Ayurveda and by herbalists. The h erbalists used to sell it in fairs and marketplaces. It is their wont even today. It has a long history in herbal systems of medicine in every tropical country where it grows. The way indigenous people employ it (standard infusion or weak decoction of the whole plant) is also very similar worldwide.