Taligharap
Anisomeles indica · Indian catmint
- Names in the book
- Taligharap, Tag.; Jerusalem Sage, Eng.
- Colours
- flowerpurple, lilac
- Native range
- South, East and Southeast Asia
- In the Philippines, per the book
- Very common on the fields of Manila Province.
- Family
- Lamiaceae, filed in the book under Labiatæ
- Printed as
- Anisomeles ovata, R. Br. (Phlomis alba, Blanco.)
- Sources
- Page 198 on Project Gutenberg · Wikipedia
The plant today
Anisomeles indica, or catmint, is a species of herbaceous plant native to eastern Asia and naturalized on some Pacific islands. It belongs to Lamiaceae family. In Bangla it's called Gobura/Opang, in Hindi - Kala bhangra/Gobara. Other names - Malabar catmint, Chedayan, Gopali, Thoiding Angoura, It is an erect, annual or short-lived perennial herbaceous plant. Height: The plant generally grows to a Height of 1-2 meters (approximately 3-6 feet). Stems: Its stems are square shaped and slightly woody at the base. it has slightly fuzzy leaves that are bright green.
Excerpt from “Anisomeles indica” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 107 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 13 provinces, most often Rizal (7), Agusan del Norte (5), Metropolitan Manila (3), Bulacan (2), Sorsogon (2), Batangas (1), Bohol (1), Catanduanes (1), and 5 more.
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1901 book says
A historical record, quoted as printed. Doses and remedies here are not medical advice.
Uses
The infusion of the leaves is bitter and aromatic and is used in catarrhal inflammations of the stomach and intestines and in intermittent fevers. Used as a vapor-bath it produces abundant diaphoresis, and the infusion given internally has a like effect. The leaves, when distilled, yield an oil which is used as an external application in rheumatism.
Botanical description
A plant 6° or more high. Root fibrous, trunk and branches enlarged at the joints. Leaves opposite, ovate, obtusely serrate, soft and downy. Flowers pink, verticillate, in opposite clusters around the stem, with several linear and hairy involucres at the base of each cluster. Calyx, 5 sharp teeth. Corolla, 2-lipped; the lower much larger, downy within, 3-lobed, the middle lobe larger and broader, notched at the extremity, and its borders turned downward; the other 2 lateral lobes very small, narrow; the upper lip much shorter and smaller, entire, enveloping the stamens. Stamens didynamous. Style about the same length as the stamens. Stigma bifid. Fruit, 4 small seeds.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- Chemical profiles and pharmacological insights of Anisomeles indica Kuntze: An experimental chemico-biological interaction
- Bioprospecting of endophytic fungi from medicinal plant Anisomeles indica L. for their diverse role in agricultural and industrial sectors
- Gastroprotective Effect of Anisomeles indica on Aspirin-Induced Gastric Ulcer in Mice