Urginea indica (Roxb.) Kunth
Local Name: Ghorasum.
Synonyms: Ban piaj, tangil piaj.
Scientific Name: Urginea indica (Roxb.) Kunth.
Family: Liliaceae.
Growth Habit: Herb.
Kingdom | Plantae – Plants |
Subkingdom | Tracheobionta – Vascular plants |
Superdivision | Spermatophyta – Seed plants |
Division | Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants |
Class | Liliopsida – Monocotyledons |
Subclass | Liliidae |
Order | Liliales |
Family | Liliaceae – Lily family |
Genus | Urginea Steinh. – liverseed grass |
Species | Urginea indica (Roxb.) Kunth |

Figure: Ghorasum(Urginea indica (Roxb.) Kunth.)
Plant Description:
A bulbous herb; with truncate bulbs, ovoid. Leaves radical, appearing after the flowers, linear, acute. Scape erect. Flowers small, dingy brown, very distant, on slender, laxly flowered racemes. Capsules ellipsoid, tapering to both ends.
Chemical constituents:
Bulb, which constitutes the drug, contains cardiac glycosides. It also contains various flavonoids including quercetin derivatives and kaempferol polyglycosides, sinistrin, mucilage and calcium oxalate (Ghani, 2003). Fresh squill yields at least two glycosides, scillaren-A and scillaren-B (Chopra et al., 1992).
Used plant part:
Generally bulb is used.
Common use of the plant:
• Diuretic.
• Cardiac stimulant.
• Chronic bronchitis.
• Asthma.
• Hypoglycemic.
• Anticancer activity.
Local Use of the study:
- Burning area for cooling and cured
Preparation:
Extract prepared from bulb.
Treatment:
The extract is applied to the burning area for cooling and cured.