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Bala Sida Cordifolia Flannel Country Mallow Seeds
Packet of 100+ seeds!
This is a really interesting one and one you don’t often see for sale in OZ.
Often known as “Bala” it has a huge list of traditional medicinal uses. (I will list some at the bottom, but with a quick google you will find a lot more.)
It’s large heart shaped leaves make an awesome stir-fry vegetable and the stems are great for tying stakes and trellises in the garden. Really strong natural fibre and very deep strong tap root.
These seeds are from my plants which were originally of Indian origin. They are a little different in height and size to the common naturalised wild form.
Here is a heap of data about this awesome medicinal herb that I pinched online>>>
“No tannin or glycosides have been identified from the plant. The roots and stems contain the alkaloid ephedrine, normally observed in the different varieties of the gymnosperm genus Ephedra. Recent analyses have revealed that ephedrine and pseudoephedrine constitute the major alkaloids from the aerial parts of the plant, which also show traces of sitosterol and palmitic, stearic and hexacosanoic acids. The flavones: 5,7-dihydroxy-3-isoprenyl flavone and 5-hydroxy-3-isoprenyl flavone , β-sitosterol and stigmasterol have been isolated from the plant. The analgesic alkaloid (5′-Hydroxymethyl-1′-(1,2,3,9-tetrahydro-pyrrolo [2,1-b] quinazolin-1-yl)-heptan-1-one) has also been found. Sterculic, malvalic and coronaric acids have been isolated from the seed oil, along with other fatty acids.
Sida cordifolia is used in Ayurvedic medicine (Sanskrit:-BALA). It is used in neurological ailments, especially in Stroke rehabilitation. Known as “Malva Branca”, it is a plant used in Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of inflammation of the oral mucosa, blenorrhea, asthmatic bronchitis and nasal congestion, stomatitis, of asthma and nasal congestion and in many parts of Africa for various ailments, particularly for respiratory problems. It has been investigated as an anti-inflammatory, for preventing cell proliferation, and for encouraging liver re-growth. Due to it’s very high ephedrine content, it possesses psychostimulant properties, affecting the central nervous system and also the heart.
The following alkaloids were reported from Sida cordifolia growing in India.
β-phenethylamine, ephedrine, pseudo-ephedrine, S-(+)-Nb-methyltryptophan methyl ester, hypaphorine, vasicinone, vasicinol, choline, and betaine.
A 50% ethanolic extract of Sida cordifolia tested on rats showed potent antioxidant and antiinflammatory activity comparable with the standard drug Deprenyl.
The plant has demonstrated anti-pyretic and anti-ulcerogenic properties. The aqueous extract of Sida cordifolia stimulates liver regeneration in rats.
The roots of Sida cordifolia are very mucilaginous, and contain the chinazoline alkaloid vasicine (peganine). Aerial parts can contain ephedrine, pseudo-ephedrine and vasicine. The stem bark of plants from different provenances within India yielded in some cases zero vasicine while in others vasicine was the main alkaloid.
Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine varied between provenances in the same way.
Pharmacological effects of extracts of the plant include: antiprotozoal activity of an ethanolic extract against Entamoeba histolytica and decrease of blood pressure in cats and dogs. Furthermore, an extract of the aerial parts and the roots show analgesic, anti-inflammatory and hypoglycaemic activities. The methanolic and aqueous extracts of whole plants showed significant activity against CCl4-, paracetamol- and rifampicin-induced hepatotoxicity.
In Nigeria the leaves are cooked as a vegetable. The foliage is eaten by livestock throughout West Africa and in northern Nigeria it is valued as a fattening feed for horses.
In traditional medicine in Benin the whole plant is used as a cure for cancer and leukaemia, the seeds are a cure for infections and the root’s cure urinary tract problems and fever. The powdered whole plant is applied to open wounds of horses in Niger.
In Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Kenya, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines the leaves are taken as a cure for dysentery. The pounded leaves are applied as a poultice to sprains and swellings and a leaf decoction is drunk for prevention and treatment of intestinal worms.
In DR Congo a leaf infusion is given to children in case of rheumatism, lung disorders and fever. In Rwanda the leaf extract is used for curing pneumonia and syphilis. In Mauritius plant sap is diluted and drunk to relieve colic and a leaf decoction is a cure for cystitis, and is used as an astringent and diuretic.
To cure eye inflammation a root macerate is applied to the eyelids in Burkina Faso, while in Tanzania a root preparation is applied and in Malaysia the leaves are applied for this purpose.”
That’s about it I guess?
Awesome plant, grown here at home organically by me and the Mrs.
