Kalihari Agnishikha

Gloriosa Superb (Botanical name), also called Flame Lily, is a perennial tuberous climbing herb. It is a beautiful ornamental plant. Flame lily is the National flower of Zimbabwe.
The length of flame lily is between 3 to 6 meters, and trained at 1.5 meter above the ground level. The stem is leafy. The vines are tall, semi hard stemmed with tuberous roots that support themselves by means of cirrhosed tips. 1 to 4 stems arise from a single V-shaped fleshy cylindrical tuber.

Flowering period is between July to October. Flowers are bright, large, showy, long stalked, bisexual, and axillary.

Medicinal Uses of Gloriosa superba (Flame lily).

Flame lily has many medicinal properties.
The alkaloid-rich plant has long been used as a traditional medicine in many cultures. It has been used in the treatment of gout, infertility, open wounds, snakebite, ulcers, arthritis, cholera, colic, kidney problems, typhus, itching, leprosy, bruises, sprains, hemorrhoids, cancer, impotence, nocturnal emission, smallpox, sexually transmitted diseases, and many types of internal parasites. It is an anthelmintic. It has been used as a laxative and an alexiteric. The sap is used to treat acne and head lice. In a pregnant woman, it may cause abortion. In parts of India, extracts of the rhizome are applied topically during childbirth to reduce labor pain.
In some places in India, it is also used as snake repellent in India. Some cultures consider it to be magical. The flowers are part of religious rituals.