A new plant species has been discovered in Theni district of Tamil Nadu in the Western Ghats.
The plant was named ‘Andrographis theniensis’ after the location (Theni).
Andrographis is a tropical Asian genus native to Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the West Himalaya.
However, a majority of Andrographis taxa are distributed in southern India and Sri Lanka, particularly in Western and Eastern Ghats.
There are nearly 25 Andrographis species in India.
This genus is traditionally used to treat various ailments such as cold, cough, fever, jaundice, diarrhoea, cardiovascular and hepatic diseases in both codified and non-codified medicinal systems.