Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants
Cats Whiskers
Family: Polypodiaceae
Genus: Orthosiphon
Botanical name: Orthosiphon aristatus
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
Sanskrit: Arjaka, Marjarasmasru
English: Cats whiskers, Java Tea, Indian kidney tea
Hindi: Mutri tulsi
Malayalam: Poochameesa, Poochatulasi
Genus: Orthosiphon
Botanical name: Orthosiphon aristatus
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
Sanskrit: Arjaka, Marjarasmasru
English: Cats whiskers, Java Tea, Indian kidney tea
Hindi: Mutri tulsi
Malayalam: Poochameesa, Poochatulasi
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Cat’s Whiskers is a perennial herb found mainly throughout South East Asia and tropical Australia. It grows to be about 1 to 3 feet tall and has a very open branching habit with 1-inch dark green, ovate leaves with serrated margins. At the end of the branches are racemes of flowers. When the flowers open, the stamens and pistil extend out far beyond the petals, creating the “cat’s whiskers” effect. The flowers are most commonly white, but they can also occur in light shades of purple.
The whole plant of the Cats whiskers is used as gall bladder kidney, liver, bladder problems, painful tooth, hypertension and genitourinary diseases.