| dc.description.abstract | Pedalium murex, commonly known as large caltrops, is a plant species that belongs to the family
Pedaliaceae. It is an underutilized medicinal herb that has multiple uses in traditional medicine,
particularly in the treatment of reproductive disorders, urinary and gastrointestinal tract disorders.
The herb is native to India and Africa, and its fruits, known as 'Gokhru,' are widely used in
Ayurveda for their aphrodisiac properties and urological disorder treatment. The use of Pedalium
murex in traditional medicine has been well documented. It is primarily used to cure reproductive
disorders such as impotency in men, nocturnal emissions, gonorrhoea, and leucorrhoea in women.
Additionally, it is also useful in the treatment of urinary and gastrointestinal tract disorders.
However, despite the widespread use of the herb in traditional medicine, its detailed scientific
evaluation is still unexplored. One of the most significant challenges associated with the
propagation of Pedalium murex is the difficulty of extracting the seeds from the fruit. The fruits
of Pedalium murex are four-angled, indehiscent, and hard pyramidal, with four sharp spines. The
hard, spiny exterior makes it difficult to extract the seeds, and there is no standardized germination
test for Pedalium murex seeds.The development of a standardized germination test is a crucial
requirement for seed sale labeling, and it would enable better propagation of Pedalium murex.
Propagation through seed is one of the primary methods of propagation for the herb, and a
standardized germination test would ensure that the seeds sold are of high quality. | en_US |
