શંખપુષ્પી

• Sow seed in pots of seed-starter mix or a sand-and-potting-mix blend, covered with about 1/4 inch of mix.
• Keep moist in a sunny spot at least 65°F; if covering with plastic, uncover daily for 20 minutes to prevent fungal issues.
• Once seedlings have several sets of true leaves, transplant into individual pots and move outdoors once frost risk has passed.
• Commercially: seed is collected October-November, then mechanically scarified (removing the hard seed coat lifts germination to about 80%) and sown 2 seeds per polybag at 0.5cm depth during June-July.
• About 190g of seed covers one hectare.
• Prepare the field as for vegetable growing, apply 10 tonnes/hectare of farmyard manure, and transplant seedlings late July-August at 25x25cm spacing.
• A 5-day irrigation cycle gives the best growth and biomass, adjusted for rainfall.
• It grows well intercropped with pearl millet, guar bean, and moong bean without issue, and faces no serious pests or diseases.
• Weed by hand every 15-20 days.

• The whole, notably bitter plant is used as an alterative, dewormer, and fever remedy, and taken as an infusion it's considered a particularly reliable treatment for dysentery.
• Combined with cumin and milk, it treats fevers, nervous debility, and memory loss; a decoction treats gonorrhoea, and an oil infusion is applied to promote hair growth.
• Powdered leaves treat sores; leaves rolled into cigarettes are smoked for bronchitis and asthma.
• Research has found the plant shows anti-ulcer activity, and interestingly, cultured tissue of the plant has been found to accumulate ergot alkaloids, compounds related to LSD's chemical family, otherwise best known from a fungus that grows on grain.

These uses are documented for information only and are not medical advice. Always verify the species and the plant part before use.

• gujarativishwakosh.org
• plantuse.org
• efloraofgandhinagar.in
• indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in
• en.vikaspedia.in
• thespruce.com