Yellow Akarkara

Product Information

Scientific Name: Spilanthus acmella

Seed Shape: Oval/ Conical

Seed Size: 1.5 cm

Seed Color: Brown/ light yellow

Usage: Germination

Age: Fresh

Origin: India

Packing of seeds: In plastic bag

Availability: Throughout the year

General Details

Botanical Name: Spilanthus acmella

English Name: Toothache plant, Paracress, electric Daisy, Brazillian Jambu

Hindi Name: Akarkara, Akarkarabh, Pipulka, Pokarmul

Family: Asteraceae

Propagation: By seeds

Medicinal Properties

Flower: Anti-inflammatory, Anti-bacterial, Anti-fungal, Aphrodisiac, Anaesthetic, Analgesic, Diuretic.

General characteristics

Yellow Akarkara is a species of flowering. Its native distribution is unclear, but it is likely derived from a Brazilian Acmella species. It is grown as an ornamental and it is used as a medicinal remedy in various parts of the world. A small, erect plant, it grows quickly and bears gold and red inflorescences. It is frost-sensitive but perennial in warmer climates.

The flower bud has a grassy taste followed by a strong tingling or numbing sensation and often excessive salivation, with a cooling sensation in the throat. In India, they are also used as flavoring in chewing tobacco. The entire plant (root, stem, leaf and flower) is medicinally active. The dried plant, especially the dried flower buds retain their "zing" for up to a year after harvest.

This plant prefers well-drained, black (high organic content) soil. If starting outdoors, the seeds should not be exposed to cold weather, so start after last frost. Seeds need direct sunlight to germinate, so don’t bury them.

Medicinal uses

Yellow Akarkara is a folk medicine for treating oral diseases like toothache, bad breath, throat infection, stammering etc, paralysis, hiccups, rheumatic pain, fever and several other ailments. It is also helpful in dysentery and urinary stones. A decoction or infusion of the leaves and flowers is a traditional remedy for stammering, toothache, and stomatitis.