Inula racemosa Seeds

Botanical nomencltuara: Inula racemosa
Common name: Pushkarmool, Pushkarmula, Indian Elecampane
Family: Asteraceae

In the same family as the sunflower, Inula racemosa is an Asian plant in the daisy family native to the temperate and alpine western Himalayas of Xinjiang, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Nepal, Pakistan.

The roots are widely used locally in indigenous medicine as an expectorant and in veterinary medicine as a tonic. It has also been introduced as an ornamental plant and medicinal herb in many countries.

Indian Elecampane is a tall stout herb up to 1.75 m tall, with large short-stalked flower-heads, 4-8 cm across, borne in a spike-like cluster, at branch ends. Ray florets are slender, up to 2.5 cm long. Lower leaves are elliptic-lanceshaped, 18-45 cm long, narrowed to a winged stalk. Upper leaves are lanceshaped, half stem-clasping. Indian Elecampane is found in the Himalayas, from Afghanistan to C. Nepal, at altitudes of 2000-3200 m. Flowering: July-September.