About
Andrographis is the famously bitter leafy herb of Ayurveda and traditional Asian medicine—tastes like punishment, marketed like redemption. Upright stems, simple leaves, and small white-to-lilac flowers with dramatic eyelashes on the petals. Grow as a fast warm-season annual or push as a tender perennial in protected 10a microclimates. It loves heat the way tourists love air conditioning. Full sun to bright part shade. Steady moisture, fertile but well-drained soil; wilts theatrically when dry, recovers if you are quick. Easy from seed; also cuttings in warm weather. Self-sows lightly where winters are mild—watch volunteers. Harvest leafy tops for tea and extracts before heavy flowering if you want leaf over stem fiber; timing follows your medicinal use plan.
Permaculture Functions
- Medicinal: Andrographis paniculata leaf and stem contain bitter diterpenoid lactones used in Ayurvedic and Asian protocols for acute immune support -- bitterness is the chemistry talking; research contraindications before copying internet tea stacks.
- Pollinator: Small white to lilac flowers with fringed petals feed tiny bees and syrphids -- bloom during hot wet season when larger flowers may be scarce in medicinal rows.
- Ornamental: Upright branching stems and narrow leaves read as a vertical accent in subtropical herb gardens -- self-sows lightly in frost-free gaps, so deadhead if volunteers exceed the chaos budget.
Companion Planting
- Cold wet soil at germination
- Deep shade that reduces vigor
Threats & Pressure