Bhumichakkarai ഭൂമി ചക്കരക്കിഴങ്ങ്

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Bhumichakkarai is a climbing shrub; growing up to 3 m long, commonly found growing wild in scrubland. Leaves are oblong-ovate, 2-4.5 cm long, 0.7-2.5 cm broad, entire. Flowers usually in dense, corymbose racemes, greenish-white, pedicellate. They look beautiful with mainly the greenish stamens radiating out. Sepals 4, ovate-elliptic, acute or slightly acuminate. Fruit cylindrical, 3-8 cm long, 1-1.5 cm broad, torulose or irregularly many knotted, pale brown, often somewhat twisted. A very variable species with regards to hairiness and size of leaves. It is very closely related to Bhumichakkarai, from Arabia and Trop. Africa, differing in leaf texture and shape only. Bhumichakkarai has thick textured leaves, almost linear and with a single mid rib only, while this species has thinner leaves, more or less ovate-elliptic with a mid rib and conspicuous secondary veins.
The root of the plant resemble liguorice root in appearance and taste and is said to possess alterative, tonic and stimulant properties.