Description

The Mudakathan Keerai- Cardiospermum halicacabum is its scientific name.Small Balloon Vine is prostrate, spreading annual, herb or climber having a slender stem with tendrils. It belongs to the family of Sapindaceae. Balloon vine, small balloon vine, heart seed vine, love in a puff, heart seed,

giant balloon creeper, and spectacular balloon vine are all names for the same plant.

The blooms are borne in 35 mm long clusters at the end of hairy stalks or peduncles that can be 5 to 30 cm long. The higher leaf forks or axils create these peduncles, which have two little bent tendrils towards their tips or apices. Each white bloom has four petals that are 6-11 mm long and many yellow stamens and is carried on a slender stalk or pedicel that is about 5 mm

long. They also have four sepals arranged in pairs, with the outer pair being around 2 mm long and the inner pair being 8-9 mm long.

The fruit is huge, inflated, balloon-shaped, papery capsules with a pointy tip or apiculate apex, about 45-65 mm long and 30-45 mm in diameter. They have three compartments, or carpels, each of which produces one seed. The fruit’s surfaces are ribbed and sparsely covered in puberulent, which are tiny hairs. Green at first, but turns straw-colored and eventually darkens as it ages. The spherical, firm, black seeds are 6-7 mm long and feature a little circular structure (i.e., aril) near their base.

Benefits:

Mudakathan is a remedy used in Indian traditional medicine to cure rheumatism and limb stiffness. It’s also been shown to help with lumbago, cough, and several nervous disorders. It provides noticeable alleviation to those suffering from arthritis, joint discomfort, and even gout.