Andrographis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae. They may be generally known as the false waterwillows,Andrographis. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. and several are called periyanagai.Boopathi, C. A. (2000). Andrographis spp.: A source of bitter compounds for medicinal use. Anc Sci Life 19(3-4) 164-8.
The species are native to the Indian subcontinent (including Myanmar, Sri Lanka and the West Himalaya region).Niranjan, A., et al. (2010). Biological activities of kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata Nees) and its active principles - A review. Indian J Nat Prod Resour 1(2) 125-35. Many are endemic to India.Gnanasekaran, G. and G. V. S. Murthy. (2012). Lectotypifications in Andrographis (Acanthaceae). Rheedia 22(2) 77-79. They may be herbs or shrubs. They are introduced and/or cultivated in Southeast Asia and some areas around the Caribbean.
Some species are used medicinally. The best known is Andrographis paniculata, which is valued in Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha medicine. It is used to treat a very long list of illnesses and conditions. A. alata and A. lineata are used in human and veterinary medicine. Food use has also been recorded.
It is currently () accepted that there are 26 species in the genus. These are:
Andrographis affinis Andrographis alata Andrographis atropurpurea Andrographis beddomei Andrographis chendurunii Andrographis echioides Andrographis elongata Andrographis explicata Andrographis glandulosa Andrographis gracilis Andrographis lawsonii Andrographis lineata Andrographis lobelioides Andrographis longipedunculata Andrographis macrobotrys Andrographis megamalayana Andrographis neesiana Andrographis paniculata - Indian subcontinent (native), SE Asia (cultivated) Andrographis producta Andrographis rothii Andrographis rotundifolia Andrographis serpyllifolia Andrographis stellulata Andrographis stenophylla Andrographis subspathulata Andrographis viscosula
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