Description

Sisymbrium irio, London rocket, is a slender, erect annual herb of the family Brassicaceae, native to the Mediterranean basin and western Asia, widely naturalised across the Indian subcontinent, North Africa, and the Americas as a common weed of cultivated land and urban disturbed habitats. Despite its weedy character, the small, cylindrical, pale-brown seeds occupy a significant position in classical Unani pharmacopoeia as Khubkala or Hab-ul-Rashad-sar-Khas, traditionally incorporated in formulations addressing bronchial and respiratory conditions — particularly in classical preparations for cough, asthma, and chest congestion. The seeds are listed in the Makhzan-ul-Adwiya and similar Unani pharmacopoeial texts. Harvested and cleaned from naturalised wild populations across northern India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.