Sida cordifolia hails from India through Asia where it has at least a 2000 year old history as a valuable medicinal with a myriad of uses. It is employed in both Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Also known as Country Mallow this member of the Malvacea family is a perennial semi-woody shrub to 3 ft. It grows in waste areas and is considered a weed in much of its home range. It is an attractive plant with nice heart shaped leaves and small yellow flowers. In herbal medicine it is a veritable panacea. The leaves are employed as diuretic, anti-inflammatory, fever reducer, stimulant, and as a weight loss aid among other uses. The root is considered to be particularly potent and is mainly used to treat allergies, asthma, and arthritis. Interestingly all parts of this plant contain the same active principles as many over the counter cold/allergyemedies. Because the leaves of Sida cordifolia contain small amounts of both ephedrine and pseudoephedrine many nutritional companies have included it as a weight loss product. S. cordifolia is an erect perennial that reaches 50 to 200 cm (20 to 79 in) tall, with the entire plant covered with soft white felt-like hair that is responsible for one of its common names, “flannel weed”. The stems are yellow-green, hairy, long, and slender.