A SPRIG TO CARE FOR

Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits

- VIBHA VARSHNEY

Punarnava, which once adorned the sidewalks of Delhi, is now rare to spot in the city's concretised landscape. So I was elated at the sight of the creeper on the campus of Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Delhi. Despite this year's harsh summer, it was growing profusely around a tube well that remained shaded by trees. It is said that the plant can regrow even from a sprig. Probably this is the reason, it has been named punarnava, which in Sanskrit means renewal and rejuvenation.

A review paper in Canadian Journal of Botany published in 1979, has references that suggest that the plant derives its name from the Sanskrit phrase "Punah punarnava bhawati iti”, which captures its perennial habit. It remains dry and dormant during summer and regenerates from the old root stock in the rainy season.

The name could also have arisen from the phrase, "Karoti shariram punarnavam", which can be loosely translated as “the one that rejuvenates the body” and indicates its therapeutic value.

The plant has two variants— one with white flowers and the other with red flowers. According to a 2016 study published in International Journal of Ayurveda and Pharma Research, these variants are distinct species. The one with white flowers is Boerhaavia verticillata, whereas the one with red flowers is classified as Boerhaavia diffusa.