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In keeping with the holistic approach, native populations of India consume several locally growing medicinal plants as part of their diets. Edible succulents grow wild all over India and are part of the daily diets of several native populations. The Caralluma genus is one such genus of edible succulents, which includes several species, many of which grow across India. |
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Caralluma Fimbriata is the most prevalent of these species and it flourishes in large parts of interior India. It grows wild in urban centers as well and is planted as a roadside shrub and as a boundary marker in gardens. |
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Botanical Description : Caralluma Fimbriata [ Roxbury ] Family : Asclepiadaceae |
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Synonym : Caralluma Adscendens |
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Local Names : Kullee Mooliyan, Kallimudayan [ Tamil ], Karallamu [ Telugu ], Yugmaphallottama [ Sanskrit ], Ranshabar, Makad Shenguli, Shindala Makadi [ Marathi ] |
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History of Use |
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Caralluma Fimbriata is essentially a vegetable of daily use in tribal India. It is eaten in several forms. It is cooked as a regular vegetable with spices and salt. It is used in preserves like chutneys and pickles and is even eaten raw. Indian tribals chew chunks of Caralluma Fimbriata to suppress hunger when on a day's hunt. This succulent is used amongst the labor classes in South India to suppress appetite and enhance endurance.
In the Kolli Hills of Tamil Nadu, in arid regions of Andhra Pradesh and in Kerala Caralluma Fimbriata is a vegetable used daily and is used in pickles and chutneys also. It is also used as a thirst quencher. Often, tribesmen would pack only a bag of Caralluma Fimbriata to sustain themselves during long journeys. |
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Wealth of India, the Indian Health Ministry's comprehensive compilation on medicinal plants, lists Caralluma Fimbriata as a vegetable and as a famine food. |
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The key phytochemical constituents of the herb are Pregnane Glycosides, Flavone Glycosides, Megastigmane Glycosides, Bitter Principles, Saponins etc. |
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