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Matsyakshi

Alternanthera sessilis

Matsyakshi (Alternanthera sessilis) is a plant drug, also called Bahli, Gandali and Gartkalambuka.

Key facts
Botanical nameAlternanthera sessilis
Identity sourceAyurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I, Vol. II: MATSYAKSI (Whole Plant)
Also calledAlternanthera triandra Lam. (nomenclatural synonym)
Alternanthera denticulata R. Br. (nomenclatural synonym)
Alternanthera nodiflora R. Br. (nomenclatural synonym)
Alternanthera repens Gmel., non Link. (nomenclatural synonym)
FamilyAmaranthaceae · other entries in this family
OrderCaryophyllales
Taxon identifiersGBIF 3084939 · Wikidata Q3534965 · NCBI Taxonomy 221762
Names in other languages
SanskritBahli, Gandali, Gartkalambuka, Matsyaduni, मत्स्यगन्धा (matsyagandhā)
Hindiगुदरी साग (gudarī sāga)
Tamilபொன்னாங்காணி, Ponnangkanni
MalayalamKozuppa, Ponnankanni
TeluguPonnaganti Koora
KannadaHonagonne soppu
MarathiKanchari
BengaliSalincha Sak, Sanchesak
GujaratiJalajambo
OriyaMatsagandha, Salincha Saaga

Sources: Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India (column alignment reconstructed); Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, MATSYAKSI (Whole Plant) monograph on Alternanthera sessilis, Hindi "Gudari Sag"; India Flora Online / efloraofindia listings for Alternanthera sessilis, Hindi "Gudrisag, गूधड़ीसाग, गरूण्डी".; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, MATSYAKSI (Whole Plant) monograph on Alternanthera sessilis, Tamil "Ponnangkanni" (Telugu "Ponnaganti Koora", Malayalam "Ponnankanni"); India Flora Online (IISc), Alternanthera sessilis sheet, Tamil "Ponnaankanni keerai".; Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, MATSYAKSI monograph, Sanskrit "Matsyagandha, Bahli, Matsyaduni, Gandali, Gartkalambuka".. How we source.

The evidence at a glance

12papers on this site for this drug, published 2002 to 2024, every one with a DOI.

  • 2Other clinical studies and reviews
  • 10Laboratory and animal studies

A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Everything listed here is laboratory or animal work, which does not show an effect in people. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.

Names and identification

LanguageName
EnglishMatsyakshi

Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)

PropertyValueDescription
Rasa (Taste)Tikta, MadhuraPrimary taste
Guna (Quality)LaghuPhysical quality
Virya (Potency)SheetaHeating/Cooling effect
Vipaka (Post-digestive)MadhuraPost-digestive effect

Dosage forms and preparation

Dosage Forms: Churna (powder), Kwatha (decoction), Capsules, Tablets, Svarasa (fresh juice), Topical paste

Standard Dosage: 3-6 g powder per day in divided doses; 50-100 mL decoction twice daily; 10-20 mL fresh juice; 500 mg extract capsules twice daily

Optimal Timing: Morning for tonic and nutritive effects; between meals when traditionally used for the eyes; with meals as nutritive supplement

Storage: Dried herb below 25 deg C in airtight containers with moisture protection. Fresh plant material at 4-8 deg C, process within 24 hours. Capsules in blister packs with desiccant.

Marker Compounds: Stigmasterol, Beta-sitosterol, Campesterol, Oleanolic acid, Quercetin, Kaempferol, Lupeol, Beta-carotene

Synergistic Combinations

Published research

Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.

Other clinical studies and reviews2

  1. Wang Y, Zhao X, Chen Q and others. 2024. Complete Chloroplast Genome of Alternanthera sessilis and Comparative Analysis with Its Congeneric Invasive Weed Alternanthera philoxeroidesGenes. PMID 38790173 · doi:10.3390/genes15050544
  2. Hwong CS, Leong KH, Abdul Aziz A and others. 2022. Alternanthera sessilis: Uncovering the nutritional and medicinal values of an edible weedJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 35973630 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2022.115608

Laboratory and animal studies10

  1. Mirzavand ZG, Chaji M. 2024. Investigating the chemical composition, digestion and fermentation of Alternanthera sessilis red plant and its effect on the performance of fattening lambsTropical animal health and production. PMID 39347997 · doi:10.1007/s11250-024-04151-3
  2. Hwong CS, Leong KH, Aziz AA and others. 2023. Separation of Antioxidant-Rich Alternanthera Sessilis Red Extracts by Sephadex LH-20 and Identification of Polyphenols Using HPLC-QToF-MS/MSChemistry & biodiversity. PMID 37278124 · doi:10.1002/cbdv.202300215
  3. Kabeerdass N, Murugesan K, Arumugam N and others. 2022. Biomedical and Textile Applications of Alternanthera sessilis Leaf Extract Mediated Synthesis of Colloidal Silver NanoparticleNanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 36014624 · doi:10.3390/nano12162759
  4. He M, Hua Z, Chen H and others. 2022. Effects of simulated acid rain on rhizosphere microorganisms of invasive Alternanthera philoxeroides and native Alternanthera sessilisFrontiers in microbiology. PMID 36160265 · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.993147
  5. Mohd Razali NN, Teh SS, Mah SH and others. 2022. Protective Effects of Alternanthera sessilis Ethanolic Extract against TNF-α or H(2)O(2)-Induced Endothelial Activation in Human Aortic Endothelial CellsEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM. PMID 35251216 · doi:10.1155/2022/8738435
  6. Sanqui EEM, Claveria RJR, Perez TR. 2020. Assessment of Alternanthera sessilis and Aster philippinensis as excluders in a small-scale Cu-Au processing site at Kias, Benguet, PhilippinesEnvironmental monitoring and assessment. PMID 32472211 · doi:10.1007/s10661-020-08364-5
  7. Saqib F, Janbaz KH. 2016. Rationalizing ethnopharmacological uses of Alternanthera sessilis: A folk medicinal plant of Pakistan to manage diarrhea, asthma and hypertensionJournal of ethnopharmacology. PMID 26900127 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2016.02.017
  8. Mondal H, Saha S, Awang K and others. 2014. Central-stimulating and analgesic activity of the ethanolic extract of Alternanthera sessilis in miceBMC complementary and alternative medicine. PMID 25315440 · doi:10.1186/1472-6882-14-398
  9. Niraimathi KL, Sudha V, Lavanya R and others. 2013. Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using Alternanthera sessilis (Linn.) extract and their antimicrobial, antioxidant activitiesColloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces. PMID 23006568 · doi:10.1016/j.colsurfb.2012.08.041
  10. Ragasa CY, Tremor N, Rideout JA. 2002. Ionone derivatives from Alternanthera sessilisJournal of Asian natural products research. PMID 12067155 · doi:10.1080/10286020290027380

Reference lists that include it

Kaempferol, Lupeol, Oleanolic acid, Stigmasterol

Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.

Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.

Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.