The White Shrimp Plant is most often grown as a flowering ornamental shrub in warmer parts of Florida. Its gorgeous variegated bracts yield light purple flowers, making them a stand out beauty in the garden. Few people know that this is Had Paata of Indian traditional medicine. The roots, leaves, and flowers all have traditional medicinal uses. In India, a poultice of the crushed fresh leaves is applied to help with abscesses and in Sri Lanka a leaf poultice is applied to treat boils. The inflorescences are used as a hair tonic. Both hummingbirds and butterflies like to nectar at the flowers.
MEDICINAL USES: Root, leaves, and flowers. “Used in the treatment of various gastrointestinal complaints.” [6] Analgesic, anti-Inflammatory, antimalarial, febrifuge. “Constipation, malaria, orchitis [inflammation of one or both of the testicles], pain, snake bite, stomach ache, swelling, vomiting.” [3] “The Indians make use of the plant in the treatment of diarrhea and in Kenya they use the leaves and flower ash for it.” [8/12] globinmed.com lists it as having no documented toxicity. "The Sukuma of Tanganyika, prepare an ointment from the plant-ash in butter to treat scaly skin." [15] "An infusion is prepared from the leaves and offered as a drink in Kenya for snake-bite." [15]
- MEDICINAL INFLORESCENCES: "To treat vomiting and constipation the Indians used the inflorescence given orally." [12]
- MEDICINAL LEAVES: "A poultice made from the leaves is used to treat to boils in Ceylon, and to swellings in Malaya. Leaves are also prepared and mixed in Ceylon for diarrhea." [15]
- EXTERNAL MEDICINAL USES: “The Indian and Sri Lankan community apply a poultice made from crushed leaves of the plant over abscesses to provide relief of pain and swelling.” [8/9] The [Asian] Indians use the inflorescence as a hair wash. [10]
- VETERINARY USES: "Leaves are boiled to a soup by cattle-folk in Uganda to cows-in-milk to drink as galactagogue (agent that promotes milk flow)." [15]
CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS: Beta Sitosterol, Lupeol. [3]
WILDLIFE: The flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
CUT FLOWER: Used in arrangements as a cut flower.
NATIVE TO: India. Tropical Asia.
HABITAT: “Moist deciduous forests and wastelands.” [1]
DESCRIPTION: A small evergreen shrub or bush.
- HEIGHT: 2-6' tall.
- STEMS: Procumbent, with swollen nodes.
- LEAVES: Opposite, small.
- INFLORESCENCE: Inflorescences consist of green-striped cream to pale green (sometimes with a tinge of pink) bracts, upright, compact, with flowers aging from white to violet; corolla two-lipped, mauve, with a white spot on the lower lip. [15]
- FRUIT: Fruits are 2 lobed capsules. [15]
ETYMOLOGY: Betonica means betony like. "The genus epithet 'Justicia' was named after James Justice, a horticulturalist from Scotland (1730-1763)." [15]
CULTURE:
- COLD HARDINESS: USDA zones 9-11, often killed to the ground in zone 8, but should resprout from the roots.
- LIGHT: Sun to part sun.
- WATER: Moderate needs. [15]
More Details
Hardiness Zone
9a
to
11b
Light
Part Sun
Full Sun
Soil
Rich
Sources for acquiring
Crowley Nursery in Sarasota sells it [call ahead to make sure that they have some in stock]
References
[4] efloraofindia
[10] Ethno-Medico-Botanical Studies from Rayalasseema Region of Southern Eastern Ghats, Andra Pradesh, India, Ethnobotanical Leaflets, 2006
[7] Gerald Carr [photo: dark-lipped flowers]
[6] globinmed.com
[9] Handbook of Tropical Plants, New Delhi, 1993
[12] Healing Treatments in Aldai and Kaptumo Divisions in nandi District, Rift Valley Province, Kenya, African Journal of Traditional, Complimentary, and Alternative Medicines, 2008
[3] herbpathy.com
[2] India Biodiversity Portal
[1] keralplants.in
[8] Khare Indian Medicinal Plants, 2007
[11] Luo Biological Dictionary, 1998
[5] onlineplantguide.com
[14] rayon-de-serre.fr [photo: flower close-up]
[13] Rob Nelson [photo: medium close up of flower]
[14] wildlifeofhawaii [photo: upright inflorescence]
[15] Flora Fauna Web [National Parks Board, Singapore]