Description
Cheiranthus cheiri (now Erysimum cheiri), the common wallflower, is a short-lived perennial herb of the family Brassicaceae, native to rocky coastal and cliff habitats of the eastern Mediterranean and the Greek islands, naturalised across Europe and cultivated widely as a garden ornamental. The plant produces vivid orange, yellow, or red four-petalled flowers with a characteristic sweet fragrance. The seeds — Todri Lal in Unani pharmacopoeia — contain cardenolide glycosides including cheirotoxin and cheilantin, and have been documented in classical Unani pharmacopoeial texts for incorporation in Mufarreh (cardiac tonic) compound preparations and male reproductive vitality formulations. Referenced in Ibn Sina’s Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb and the Makhzan-ul-Adwiya, Todri Lal is incorporated alongside Todri Safed (the white variety) in classical compound Unani preparations. Sourced from Mediterranean and Central Asian trade networks.
