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Anisomeles malabarica, the Malabar catmint, is a herbaceous shrub in the mint family that grows up to 2 m tall in tropical and subtropical lowlands. It thrives in sandy or loamy soil with good sun and is grown mainly for medicinal, aromatic and cosmetic use.
Anisomeles malabarica, more commonly known as the Malabar catmint, is a species of herbaceous shrub in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of India, and Sri Lanka, but can also be found in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bismarck Archipelago, Mauritius, Andaman Islands and Réunion.
Growing up to 2 m high, it has narrow green leaves 3–8 cm in length, and 1.5–3 cm wide. It is pollinated by sunbirds and carpenter bees, and bears purple flowers in mid spring, though it may also bear the flowers throughout the year. Originally used in Sri Lankan and Hindi folk medicine, the current main uses are medicinal, aromatics and cosmetics.
This Asiatic plant grows at low altitude in tropical and subtropical climates and is found in Sri Lanka, South India and Ceylon. It has also been introduced to Andaman Is., Bangladesh, Myanmar, Réunion, on Penang Island, Malaysia, and on the island of Mauritius, and grows in disturbed and undisturbed areas with varying soil saturation, often in lowlands and hills. It grows in predominantly sandy terrains such as loam, lateritic soil, and dunes and can be found in sandy flats on dunes near the coast, stream banks and other open areas, as well as "waste ground". It is often associated with the antique spurge (Euphorbia antiquorum) plant, as one of A. malabarica's primary pollinators, the sunbird, builds its nests in the branches. It plays an important role of maintaining the insect and sunbird population in the area. It may also occur with A. indica, but the microhabitats of the species are different. Though initially thought to be native to Mauritius, species present in Mauritius are identical to those from India, indicating that it is an introduced species.
A. malabarica is used for medicine, fragrances, and cosmetics. It has been used for centuries as a medicinal herb in Indian and Sri Lankan folk medicine, with all components, the leaves and roots in particular, being used to treat a range of conditions including congenital mental disabilities, fevers arising from teething, and swelling. The decoction of the leaf and essential oil are also used externally in rheumatic arthritis. There is evidence to support most of these applications, in addition to being effective for epilepsy, intestinal worms, halitosis, and gout. It has also been shown to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, anti-anaphylactic, and anti-bacterial properties. In addition, it has been posited that the antimicrobial compounds in A. malabarica may inhibit bacteria differently to current methods.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Anisomeles malabarica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
