Payasyā (पयस्या) is another name for Dugdhikā, which is a Sanskrit word referring to Euphorbia thymifolia (asthma plant), from the Euphorbiaceae (spurge) family. It is used throughout Ayurvedic literature such as the Carakasaṃhitā.

Loranthus is a genus of parasitic plants that grow on the branches of woody trees. It belongs to the family Loranthaceae, the showy mistletoe family. They occur in Kerala and Uttarakhand India on mango trees (Mangifera indica), sapota trees (Manilkara zapota) and poplar trees. The flowers of Loranthus europaeus are small, green, usually have four to six parts. Other species of a broader Loranthus have very large, showy flowers, with blooms in bright colours. The fruits are berries, usually containing a single seed, that is dispersed by birds.

It is an erect bushy shrub, 2.0-2.5 m tall, branches virgate, usually shaggy as well as with tomentose tips. The leaves are 15-25 cm long and 5.0-7.0 cm broad, ovatelanceolate, acuminate, base cuneate or rounded. The upper surface of leaf is wrinkled, glabrate when mature, white tomentose beneath with compound stellate hairs. The main lateral nerves are 12-16 pairs. Petiole is 0.5-1.2 cm long.

It is a large climbing shrub with glabrous, shining leaves. Stem is cylindrical; branches pale, glabrous, milky latex present, basal portion black and dotted. The external surface of the root is dark brown or blackish with few transverse cracks. The plant is distributed all over tropical and sub-tropical regions in India.

Weight

500 g

Dimensions

8 x 8.5 x 3 cm