Andrographis paniculata

Andrographis paniculata, commonly known as creat or green chiretta, is an annual herbaceous plant in the family Acanthaceae, native to India and Sri Lanka.

It is widely cultivated in Southern and Southeastern Asia, where it has been believed to be a treatment for bacterial infections and some diseases. Mostly the leaves and roots have been used for such purposes; the whole plant is also used, in some cases.

Description
The plant grows as an erect herb to a height of 30–110 cm in moist, shady places. The slender stem is dark green, square in cross-section with longitudinal furrows and wings along the angles. The lance-shaped leaves have hairless blades measuring up to 8 cm long by 2.5 cm. The small flowers are pink, solitary, arranged in lax spreading racemes or panicles. The fruit is a capsule around 2 cm long and a few millimeters wide. It contains many yellow-brown seeds. The seeds are subquadrate, rugose and glabrous. The flowering time is September to December.

Distribution
The species is distributed in tropical Asian countries, often in isolated patches. It can be found in a variety of habitats, such as plains, hillsides, coastlines, and disturbed and cultivated areas such as roadsides and farms. Native populations of A. paniculata are spread throughout south India and Sri Lanka which perhaps represent the center of origin and diversity of the species. The herb is an introduced species in northern parts of India, Java, Malaysia, Indonesia, the West Indies, and elsewhere in the Americas. The species also occurs in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, Brunei, Singapore, and other parts of Asia where it may or may not be native. The plant is cultivated in many areas, as well.

Unlike other species of the genus, A. paniculata is of common occurrence in most places in India, including the plains and hilly areas up to 500 m, which accounts for its wide use.

In India the major source of plant is procured from its wild habitat. The plant is categorised as Low Risk or of Least Concern by the IUCN. Under the trade name Kalmegh, on average 2000-5000 tonne of the plant is traded in India.

Cultivation
The plant does best in a sunny location. The seeds are sown during May and June (northern hemisphere). The seedlings are transplanted at a distance of 60 cm × 30 cm.

Vernacular names

 * creat (English)
 * green chiretta (English)
 * king of bitter.
 * phtuhs' (smau) (phtuhs'="explosion", smau="grass", referring to sound of its ripe fruit opening, Khmer language)
 * ស្មៅប្រមាត់មនុស្ស smau prâmat' mnu:hs (="human gall grass", probably alluding to its folk-medical use, Khmer language)
 * ฟ้าทะลายโจร (RTGS: fa thalai chon) ('heaven breaks down the bandit', Thai language)
 * 穿心莲, chuan xin lian (Standard Chinese)
 * roi des amers (French)
 * sambiloto in Indonesian language
 * hempedu bumi (Malaysia)
 * kalmegh (Bengali)
 * kiriyathu (Malayalam)
 * nila vembu (Tamil)

Traditional Use
A. paniculata has been used in Siddha and Ayurvedic medicine, and is promoted as a dietary supplement for cancer prevention and cure. There is no evidence that it helps prevent or cure cancer.

In the traditional medicine of India, A. paniculata has also been used for jaundice therapy.

A. paniculata has also traditionally been used in India and China for the common cold and influenza. A 2017 (pre COVID-19) meta-analysis evaluating Andrographis paniculata for acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI) indicated possible support for its efficacy and safety, but cautioned that the trials reviewed were of poor quality and thus not conclusive.

COVID-19
Amid Thailand's COVID-19 outbreak in December 2020, the country's health ministry approved the usage of the plant extract for a pilot alternative treatment program. In July 2021, the Cabinet of Thailand approved the use of green chiretta to treat asymptomatic COVID patients after the Thai Corrections Department said the drug was beneficial in prison inmates. Claims as to its efficacy as a COVID therapeutic are contentious and in dispute.

Safety Concerns
A 2012 review found that A. paniculata extracts could inhibit expression of several cytochrome C enzymes and thus interfere with metabolism of other pharmaceuticals. A 2019 review finds that A. paniculata compounds have poor solubility and relatively low potency, and that a semi-synthetic injectable derivative can cause sometimes life-threatening allergic reactions.

Food
In Cambodia the dried root macerated in alcohol is consumed as an aperitive, while the seeds make a black jelly called chahuoy khmau.

Chemistry
Andrographolide is the major constituent extracted from the leaves of the plant and is a bicyclic diterpenoid lactone. This bitter principle was isolated in pure form by Gorter in 1911. Systematic studies on chemistry of A. paniculata have been carried out.

Some known constituents are:
 * 14-Deoxy-11-dehydroandrographolide, Plant
 * 14-Deoxy-11-oxoandrographolide, Plant
 * 5-Hydroxy-7,8,2',3'-Tetramethoxyflavone, Plant
 * 5-Hydroxy-7,8,2'-Trimethoxyflavone, Tissue Culture
 * Andrographine,	Root
 * Andrographolide, Plant
 * Neoandrographolide, Plant
 * Panicoline, Root
 * Paniculide-A, Plant
 * Paniculide-B, Plant
 * Paniculide-C, Plant