Handal

Conservation status:

Native

Description:

Growth form: Perennial herb. Flowering. Apr–Jul. Status: Native. Common. Also recorded: Bahrain, Kuwait, E Saudi Arabia, UAE. Habitat & distribution: Occasional in sandy areas, particularly in depressions and runnels; though single plants may cover a large area. Uses: El Amin reports that the ripe fruit were used to prepare gunpowder. The plant is well known to have strong laxative properties; other medicinal uses recorded by Ghazanfar include treatment of dog, insect and snake bites; to relieve pain in joints and as a hair dye.