Habitat
It grows in the plains of northern India.

Morphology Description (Habit)
The plant is a fulvous hairy herb. The leaves are linear to oblong, small and sub-sessile. 1-3 flowers occur together which are axillary and pedicelled. The sepals are linear to lanceolate and hairy.

Principal Constituents
The plant contains alkaloids convolvine, convolamine, phyllabine, convolidine, confoline, convoline, subhirsine, convosine, and convolvidine along with scopoline and ß-sitosterol¹.

Pharmacology
The ethanolic (50%) extract of the plant reduces total serum cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids and non-esterified fatty- acids after 30 days of oral administration in hyperlipidemic rats. Besides, high-density lipoprotein was significantly raised in the animals. The ethanolic extract of the plant when administered to rats through gastric intubation at different time intervals showed enhanced neuropeptide synthesis of the brain. It induces an increase in brain protein content, thus increasing acquisition efficiency².

The alcoholic extract of the whole plant depressed the amphibian and mammalian myocardiums. The negative inotropic action was not a sustained one. The extract had a spasmolytic activity on the smooth muscles viz., isolated rabbit ileum, isolated rat uterus and the intact intestine of dog. The dog's tracheal muscle behaved differently and exhibited potentiation of the acetylcholine response³.

Clinical Studies
Clinical studies were conducted on 25 cases of arterial hypertension with the decoction of the drug. A gradual fall in blood pressure along with relief in the symptoms was observed⁴.

Indications
The plant is reported to be a prominent memory-improving drug. It is used as a psycho-stimulant and tranquilizer. It is reported to reduce mental tension. The ethanolic extract of the plant reduces total serum cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids and non-esterified fatty- acids.

1. Dandekar et. al., J Ethnopharmacol, 1992, 35, 285; Sinha et. al., Indian Med, 1989, 1 (3), 1; Kakrani & Saluja, Fitoterapia, 1993, 64, 463; Alam et. al., ibid, 1990, 61, 240.
2. Sinha et. al., Indian Med, 1989, 1 (3), 1.
3. Barar and Sharma, Ind. J. Med. Res., 1965, 53, 871.
4. Chaturvedi et. al., J. Res. Ind. Med, 1966, 1, 57.