Botanical name: Cyperus rotundus
Family : Cyperaceae.
Cyperus rotundus (coco-grass, Java grass, nut grass, purple nut sedge or purple nutsedge, red nut sedge, Khmer kravanh chru is a species of sedge (Cyperaceae) native to Africa, southern and central Europe (north to France and Austria), and southern Asia.
Cyperus rotundus is a perennial plant, that may reach a height of up to 140 cm (55 in). The names “nut grass” and “nut sedge” — shared with the related species Cyperus esculentus — are derived from its tubers, that somewhat resemble nuts, although botanically they have nothing to do with nuts.
As in other Cyperaceae, the leaves sprout in ranks of three from the base of the plant, around 5—20 cm (2—8 in) long. The flower stems have a triangular cross-section. The flower is bisexual and has three stamina and a
three-stigma pistil, with the inflorescence having three to eight unequal spikes. The fruit is a three-angled achene.
Young plants initially form white, fleshy rhizomes, up to 25 mm (1.0 in) in dimension, in chains. Some rhizomes grow upward in the soil, then form a bulb-like structure from which new shoots and roots grow, and from the new roots, new rhizomes grow. Other rhizomes grow horizontally or downward, and form dark reddish-brown tubers or chains of tubers.
Rasa-Tikta, Kaṣāya, Katu Guna-Laghu, Ruksa Vipäka – Katu
Virya-Šita
It has katu (pungent), tikta (bitter) and kashaya (astringent) taste; laghu (light) and ruksha (dry) properties; sita (cold) potency and katu (pungent) taste after digestion.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:
Fruit-Nut, oblong and trigonums.)
Tubers yielded cyperene, b-selinine, cypernone, keto-alcohols, a-rotunol,
b-rotunol, essential oil which contains pinene, cineol, linolenic, linolic, oleic, myristic acid, steoric acid and glycerol.
Useful part – Kanda (Tuber)
BENEFITS:
Rhizome of nagarmotha (musta)
Antioxidant.Wound healing.
Anti-pyretic or effective against fever.
Anti-diarrheal.
Anti-allergy or anti-histamine activity.
Anti-hyperglycemic (reduces high blood sugar)
Anti-microbial (kills or fights germs) against Candida fungi and some viruses.
Anti-convulsant (read more: convulsions).