Rose of Jericho - A Glorious Herb

Abstract

Anastatica hierochuntica L. belonging to the family Brassicaceae is the only member of the genus Anastatica. It is a desert plant, a resurrection herb, also known as ‘the true rose of Jericho,’ Kaff-e-maryam, is generally found in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and North Africa, Iran. It is a small grey herb that grows up to 15 cm in height with minute, white, sessile flowers and oblong dentate leaves. It is known for its ability to survive in arid conditions—it dries up into a ball of 4–10 cm diameter and awaits the next rain, at which point it reveals small, slender leaves and tiny white flowers. The reason for calling it a resurrection herb is since its branches are immediately reconstituted in the presence of water because of its hygroscopic nature. It is picked during February to April from shallow gravel desert soils and allowed to dry. This review intends to provide a summary of the scientific studies on the biological activities of A. hierochuntica.