Vatham Kolli (Justicia Gendarussa)

Justicia gendarussa is an erect, branched shrub which belongs to the family of Acanthaceae. It is a dicotyledonous plant that can reach heights up to 1.5 m. Its leaves are lanceolate, 4–14 cm long and 1-2.5 cm wide. The color of the leaves can be white, green or grey and hairy on both sides. They are bitter, acrid and thermogenic. The rather small flowers grow as 4–12 cm long spikes at the end of branches or in leaf axils. The color of the flowers is white or pink with purple spots. The flowers are hermaphrodite and the bark has a dark purple. The capsule of J. gendarussa is about 1.2 cm long and smooth. The plant contains a wide range of biologically active compounds like flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids and phenolic compounds.