Dasapushpam ("dasha" meaning ten in Sanskrit and "pushpam" meaning flowers), or the ten sacred flowers of Kerala, are ten herbs traditionally significant to Keralites, the people of Kerala, India. These herbs are found almost everywhere in Kerala, especially in the Western Ghats region.[1] They are used for decorative purposes, such as making the floral carpet pookalam during festivals like Onam.[2] These ten flowers are also used to prepare folk medicines in Kerala.[3]
The ten plants are:[1]
| Common name | Binomial name | Malayalam name | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slender dwarf morning-glory | Evolvulus alsinoides[4] | കൃഷ്ണക്രാന്തി (Krishnakranthi) | ||
| Indian doab or Bahama grass | Cynodon dactylon | കറുക (Karuka) | ||
| lilac tasselflower | Emilia sonchifolia | മുയൽ ചെവിയൻ (Muyal cheviyan) | ||
| Morning glory | Ipomoea sepiaria[5] | തിരുതാളി (Thiruthaali) | ||
| Mountain knotgrass | Aerva lanata | ചെറുള (cheroola) | ||
| Golden eye-grass | Curculigo orchioides | നിലപ്പന (Nilappana) | ||
| False daisy | Eclipta alba | കയ്യുണ്യം(Kayyunniam) | ||
| Little ironweed | Cyanthillium cinereum[6] | പൂവാംകുരുന്നില (Poovaamkurunnila) | ||
| Biophytum sensitivum | Biophytum sensitivum | മുക്കുറ്റി (Mukkutti) | ||
| Balloon plant | Cardiospermum halicacabum | ഉഴിഞ്ഞ (Uzhinja) |
Although the Malayalam names refer to the flowers, the medicinal value lies in the leaves in most cases.
Extracts of Ipomoea sepiaria leaves feature antimicrobial activity. The extract was tested on bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.[7]