Description

Halfa grass commonly known in English by the names , big cordgrass, and salt reed-grass, is an old world perennial grass, long known and used in human history. The grass is tall, tufted, leafy, perennial grass, branching from the base, erect from a stout creeping rootstock. Commonly known in Hindi by names Dab, Dhab or Kusha.

Characteristics:

Daabh is a harsh rihozomous perennial grass. Culms are stout, up to 1.2 m high. Leaf-blades are up to 65 cm long, 3.8-10.5 mm wide when unrolled. Lower leaf-sheaths are leathery, often densely flabellate towards the base of the culm. Inflorescence is up to 60 cm long. Spikes are clustered or spaced, 14 cm long. Spikelets are 3-17-flowered, narrowly ovate to linear- oblong, 3-10 mm long. Lower glume 0.7-1.5 mm long, upper glume 1.1-2.0 mm long. Lemmas are straw-colored or suffused with purple, 1.8-2.7 mm long. Flowering: July-November.

Medicinal Uses:

The root of this plant is used to treat intestinal diseases, skin ailments, dysmenorrhea (a cyclic pathological process in which severe pain in the lower abdomen appears on the days of menstruation), kidney stones and lactation disorders in nursing mothers. It facilitates urination and relieves burning sensation. It is used for hemorrhoidal, nasal, metrarrhagic bleeding in women, not associated with menstruation. In powder form, it is topically applied to the skin and used to treat psoriasis and eczema. It has a protective effect against the harmful effects of sunlight. It is used for washing wounds in order to disinfect. Also used to treat to treat dysentery and menorrhagia, epilepsy, diabetes, piles and treat wounds.