Description

Abutilon indicum, country mallow or Indian mallow, is a soft, velvety, erect shrub of the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical South and Southeast Asia, widely distributed across roadsides, disturbed agricultural land, and waste ground from sea level to 1,200 metres throughout India and Sri Lanka. Known in classical Ayurveda as Atibala — listed among the four Bala group plants in the Charaka Samhita — it is one of the more comprehensively documented Indian medicinal herbs, with roots, leaves, bark, seeds, and flowers each cited for distinct traditional applications. The roots are traditionally incorporated in diuretic and urinary formulations; the seeds in demulcent and nutritive preparations; and the bark as a fibre source with anti-inflammatory applications. It remains an important rural folk medicine plant across the subcontinent.