Uses in Tradition systems of medicine

• The root has bitterness, antipyretic, diuretic and trichogenous activity. It has been used as antibacterial, deodorant, cooling agent and also used against eye burning, head ache, diarrhoea, fever intrinsic haemorrhage, hyperdipsia, strangury, leprosy, ulcer, vomiting, nausea, skin diseases, genitourinary diseases, giddiness, insanity and quenching thirst.
• The essential oil extracted from the root is preferred by the physicians as a herbal hand sanitizer.
• Its antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic and hepatoprotective activities were demonstrated. It is used as a single medicine or as one of the ingredients in more than 78 commercial ayurvedic/herbal preparations.
• In temples of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the root has been used for decorating and worshiping the deity. Also the root has been used for the preparation of several household products such as bathing soap, agarbathi, etc.
• Triazole compounds have both fungi-toxic and plant growth regulating properties. Triazole treatment altered morphological characteristic and increased photosynthetic pigments, which indicated the potentiality of this plant as a multipurpose medicine. The alcoholic extract of this plant can be used as adulticidal for mosquito control.

• The roots and root oil are traditionally used to treat cachexia, fever, burning of liver, swelling of hands and feet, head-ache, dysentery and eye pain. The roots are also used for the treatment of burning eyes, diarrhoea, intrinsic haemorrhage, strangury, hyperdipsia, leprosy, leucoderma ulcer, nausea, vomiting, skin diseases, giddiness and quenching thirst.
• The root extract has anti-bacterial, deodorant and cooling properties - it is used as one of the ingredients in hand sanitizers.
• The dried black stem is sold as vetiver in raw drug shops in Tamil Nadu and is one of the herbal materials used in Yagya. The dried stem powder is prescribed by Siddha doctors as bathing powder.

Suggested Medicinal Properties

• The fibrous and strongly aromatic roots of Plectranthus vettiveroides have both medicinal and religious significance. They are used in various formulations in the Ayurveda and Siddha schools of herbalism
• The roots and root oil are traditionally used to treat cachexia, fever, burning of liver, swelling of hands and feet, head-ache, dysentery and eye pain. The roots are also used for the treatment of burning eyes, diarrhoea, intrinsic haemorrhage, strangury, hyperdipsia, leprosy, leucoderma ulcer, nausea, vomiting, skin diseases, giddiness and quenching thirst.
• The root extract has anti-bacterial, deodorant and cooling properties - it is used as one of the ingredients in hand sanitizers

Active Phytochemicals

Presence of carbohydrates, steroids, proteins, amino acids, phenolic compounds, tannins and alkaloids in various extracts [28]. Simultaneously, a total 36 chemical molecules were reported from the root extract.

The major compounds are androstan-17-one 3-ethyl-3-hydroxy- (5α)- (25%) and -(-) spathulenol (9%).

The other compounds include α- bisabolol (7%)

1. Z-valerenyl acetate (7%)
2. megastigma4,6(E)
3. 8(Z)-triene (6%)
4. 1H-cycloprop(E)azulen-7-ol
5. decahydro-1,1,7-trimethyl-4-methylene- (5%)
6. myrtenol (2%)
7. 1-naphthalenol (2%)
8. caryophyllene oxide (2%)
9. abieta-9(11),8(14),12-trien-12-ol (2%)
10. All other compounds were found to be less than 2% [22]. Phytochemical screening of methanolic extract showed presence of triterpenoids, phenolic compound, proteins, flavonoids, alkaloids and tannins