Its botanical name is Barleria cristata L.(Blue), Barleria prionitis Linn.(Yellow),Barleria Grandiflora (White).
Barleria is a perennial, ornamental plant which is found abundantly in India and Myanmar. Barleria cristata is a carefree shrub that blooms in both spring and fall. This is an easy-to-grow shrub, about 3ft height, which can be used for a garden hedge or tightly clipped into geometrical shapes. It grows up to 1 to 3 meters high. The branches are sparingly hairy. Leaves are oblong to elliptic, 4-10 cm long, pointed at the tip and hairy beneath. The leaves are dark green on the upper surface and pale green on the lower surface. They are elliptic to narrowly ovate. Flowers are borne singly or in pairs, and terminal in the upper axils of the leaves. The flowers are about 5 cm long, funnel-shaped in violet, pink, or white color. The fruits are about 1.5 cm long ellipsoid capsules. They become glabrous and glossy at maturity. Its blooming time is November and continues into mid-December. Barleria involucrata is similar to B. cristata except that both leaves and blooms are larger and the flower color is blue-lilac. But the yellow Barleria often grows wild in waste lands. It is a very important plant in Ayurveda. In Hindi it is called Vajradanti, Katsaraiya, Piyabansa. Barleria is easily propagated from cuttings planted in fall directly in the ground.
Barleria is Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant. It has anti- diabetic properties. An extract of Barleria leaves is used in traditional medicines for the treatment of anemia, toothache, and inflammation. Scientific studies have confirmed that it has strong anti-inflammatory properties. The leaves of the plant have germicidal properties. They are used in beauty preparations and shampoos. The plant is used for relieving fever and joint pain. The leaves and roots used in coughs and inflammations. Seeds used as antidote for snake bites. The herb Yellow Barleria is considered Vajradanti and is described in ancient Ayurvedic literature. Its twigs and leaves are chewed to maintain dental hygiene and to guard them against decay. If you take a few leaves of this plant and ground it to a rough paste and out it as a bandage to any fresh wound it heals quickly. Before putting the bandage if you heat it slightly in fire then it works better. In the morning if 1 table spoon juice of the leaves mixed with misri or rock sugar powder is taken for a few days it cures intestinal worms, cough, itching of skin and even leprosy. When the whole plant is dried and powdered and ½ tsp. of is taken with warm water it alleviates gastroenterological disorders.
I have known another interesting thing about this plant but in fact I have never tried it. If a small figurine is made out of the paste of its leaves mixed with turmeric and kept in one corner of a room, it repels all mosquitoes.
This flower always reminds me of a beautiful portion of the Drama ‘Abhigyana Shakuntalam’ by the greatest Sanskrit Poet Kalidasa. When Shakuntala the beautiful daughter of Rishi Kanwa meets Dushyanta, the King of Hastina, soon it results in love at first sight between the two. Before leaving the spot with her friends she feigns that the prick of a Kurubaka plant hurt her sole and she bends down under the pretext of taking out the prick to steal a glance at her beloved. This drama is one immortal creation in Sanskrit literature.
