Brassica nigra Health Dictionary

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Brassica Nigra: From 1 Different Sources

(Linn.) Koch.

Family: Cruciferae; Brassicaceae.

Habitat: Cultivated in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

English: Black Mustard.

Ayurvedic: Banarasi Raai, Raajika (var.).

Unani: Khardal Siyah. Siddha/Tamil: Kadugu. Folk: Raai.

Action: Seeds are used for treating coryza with thin excoriating discharge with lacrimation, sneezing and hacking cough, nostril blockage and dry and hot feeling of pharyngitis.

The seeds contain glucosinolate sin- igrin, which produces allyl isothio- cyanate when mixed with warm water. Allyl isothiocynate acts as a counterir- ritant when diluted (1:50).

Brayera anthelmintica Kunth.

Synonym: Hagenia abyssinica (Bruce) J. F. Gmelin.

Family: Rosaceae.

Habitat: Indigenous to north-east Africa. Imported into Mumbai.

English: Cusso, Brayera.

Folk: Kusso.

Action: Anthelmintic. Administered in the form of an infusion for the expulsion of tapeworm (ineffective against hookworm, roundworm, whipworm). Irritant to mucous membrane; produces nausea, vomiting and colic in large doses.

Health Source: Indian Medicinal Plants
Author: Health Dictionary

Linea Nigra

During pregnancy, the LINEA ALBA becomes pigmented and appears as a dark line down the middle of the belly, and is called the linea nigra.... linea nigra

Brassica Alba

(L.) Boiss.

Synonym: Sinapis alba L.

Family: Cruciferae; Brassicaceae.

Habitat: Native of Europe and West Asia. Cultivated in North India as a crop.

English: White Mustard.

Ayurvedic: Siddhaartha, Shveta Sarshapa, Sarshapa-Gaura.

Unani: Khardal Safed.

Siddha/Tamil: Venkadugu.

Folk: Safed Raai.

Action: Stimulant to gastric mucosa, increases pancreatic secretions; emetic (used in narcotic poisoning), diaphoretic, rubefacient. (As a counter-irritant it increases flow of blood to a specific area.) Used externally as a poultice in bronchitis, pleurisy, intercostal neuralgia, chilbains.

Seeds contain glucosinolates. Sinalbin in B. alba and sinigrin in B. juneja oil are toxic constituents. The oil with toxic constituents should be avoided in gastrointestinal ulcers and kidney disorders. When moistened, sinigrin in the seeds is degraded to allyl isothiocyanate, a potent irritant volatile oil. (Francis Brinker.)

Glucosinolates are goitrogenic. Excessive consumption of Brassica sp. vegetables may alter absorption of thyroid hormone in G2 tract. (Sharon M. Herr.)... brassica alba

Brassica Campestris

Linn. var.

rapa (L.) Hartm.

Family: Cruciferae; Brassicaceae.

Habitat: Cultivated as an oil-yielding crop.

English: Field Mustard, Turnip Rape.

Ayurvedic: Sarshapa, Siddhaartha.

Unani: Sarson.

Siddha/Tamil: Kadugu.

Action: Stimulant, diuretic, emetic, rubefacient, counter-irritant. Used externally for bronchitis and rheumatic pains (increases flow of blood to a specific area). Powdered seeds are used as a tea for colds, influenza and fever.

The seeds contain glycosinolates (the derivatives are responsible for tox- icity). The concentration of the major glucosinolate, gluco-napin, varies from 0.64 to 1.8% in the oil-free meal of Indian brassicas. The glucosinolates in rapeseed meal split upon enzymatic hydrolysis to produce glucose, potassium, hydrogen sulphate and a sulphur- containing compound which undergoes intramolecular rearrangement to give rise to the antinutritional factors, isothiocyanates or thiocyanates.

The volatile oil of mustard is given internally in colic; in overdoses it is highly poisonous and produces gastro- enteric inflammations. It is employed externally as a liniment for rheumatic pains.

Adulteration of mustard oil with argemone oil (Argemone mexicana is frequently found growing in brassica fields), by accident or by design, has led to the widespread epidemics of dropsy and glaucoma due to an alkaloid sanguinarine.

Black mustard contains sinigrin, which on hydrolysis by enzyme my- rosin, produces allyisothiocynate; the white mustard contains sinalbin, which produces p-hydroxybenzyl isothiocy- nate. Mucilage contains sinapine.

Dosage: Seed—500 mg to 1 g paste. (API Vol. III.)... brassica campestris

Brassica Juncea

(Linn.) Czern. & Coss.

Family: Cruciferae; Brassicaceae.

Habitat: Cultivated in Punjab, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

English: Chinese Mustard, Brown Mustard.

Ayurvedic: Raajikaa, Aasuri Raai, Tikshnagandhaa.

Siddha/Tamil: Kadugu.

Folk: Raai

Action: Raai is a substitute for Mustard. Antidysenteric, stomachic, diaphoretic, anthelmintic. Increases pancreatic secretions. A decoction of seeds is given in indigestion, cough. Used externally as a counter-irritant in several complaints of nervous systems.... brassica juncea

Brassica Napus

Linn.

Family: Cruciferae; Brassicaceae.

Habitat: Cultivated in Punjab, Bengal and Bihar.

English: Mustard, Indian Rape.

Ayurvedic: Krishna-Sarshapa, Raajakshavaka, Kattaka, Katus- neha, Tantubha, Siddhaartha, Siddhaarthaka, Siddhaartha-sita, Rakshogna. (White variety of Sarshapa is also equated with Siddhaartha. Asita and Rakta seed varieties are reddish; Gaur and Siddhaartha are whitish.)

Unani: Kaali Sarson.

Action: Emollient, diuretic, anticatarrhal.

The oil gave brassino steroid—brasi- nolide. Seeds gave a antithyroid compound, 5-vinyl-2-oxazolidinethone; thioglucosides and thioglucosinolates. The seed oil is said to dissolves gallstone.... brassica napus

Morus Nigra

Linn.

Family: Moraceae.

Habitat: Native to West Asia; cultivated in Kashmir, also grown in Darjeeling.

English: Black Mulberry.

Unani: Tuut Siyaah.

Action: Berries and root bark— mild laxative and used in the treatment of respiratory catarrh. Berries—refrigerant, given during convalescence.

The fruit contains invert sugar, pectin, fruit acids (including malic and citric acid), ascorbic acid, and fla- vonoids (including rutin). Leaves contain flavonoids, including rutin (26%). Root bark contains calcium malate; the bark of branches contains tannins, phlobaphenes, a sugar, a phy- tosterol, ceryl alcohol, fatty acids and phosphoric acid.

An infusion of leaves causes a drop in blood sugar, sometimes diuresis and a reduction in arterial pressure. It shows no effect on glucosuria.

Morus acidosa Griff., M. australis Poir and Morus indica L. have also been equated with Tuut Siyaah of Unani medicine.... morus nigra

Populus Nigra

Linn. var. italica Kochne.

Family: Salicaceae.

Habitat: North-western Himalaya at 900-3,700 m.

English: Black Lombardy Poplar.

Action: Bark and balsam from leaf bud— used for cold. Bark— depurative. Leaf bud—antiseptic, anti- inflammatory.

The bud exudate contains dimethyl- caffeic acid, which was found active against herpes simplex virus type 1.

A 50% ethanol extract of a mixture of flowers and buds showed 11% inhibition of enzymatic conversion of testosterone into 5 alpha-dihydrotesterone and 4-androstene-3,17-dione. The extract was partitioned between ethylac- etate and water and the resultant ethy- lacetate fraction contained the active compounds, pinobanksin, demethyl- quercetin and pinocembrin. It exhibited 15% inhibitory activity on the enzyme. Pinocembrin was the most potent, almost equal to estradiol, which was used as a control.

The bark of all Populus species contains, phenolic glycosides, salicin and populin (salicinbenzoate). Tannins are also present (5-9%).

Both salicin and populin cause elimination of uric acid. Salicin is antiperi- odic and is used like quinine in intermittent fever, also in coryza, rheumatism and neuralgia.... populus nigra

Salix Nigra

Marsh.

Family: Salicaceae.

Habitat: Native to America (New York and Pennsylvania).

English: Black Willow.

Unani: Bed-Siyaah.

Action: Astringent, febrifuge, sedative, nervine tonic. Anaphrodisiac (used for reducing sexual activity; in spermatorrhoea). Largely used in the treatment of nocturnal emissions.

The bark contains tannin, about 1% of glucoside salinigrin. Once considered a substitute for potassium bromide, but without a depressant effect.... salix nigra

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