Habitat: South India; planted in gardens in Maharashtra and West Bengal.
English: Small Cashmere tree.Ayurvedic: Gambhaari (related species), Gopabhadra, Vikarini.Siddha/Tamil: KumizhamAction: Root and leaf—demulcent, alterative, blood purifier (used in venereal diseases), anticatarrhal, astringent, antirheumatic.
The plant contains lignans of the furofuran series.Habitat: In marshy places throughout India up to 200 m.
English: Asiatic Pennywort, Indian Pennywort.Ayurvedic: Manduukaparni, Manduukaparnikaa, Maanduuki, Saraswati, Brahma-manduuki.Siddha/Tamil: Vallaarai.Action: Adaptogen, central nervous system relaxant, peripheral vasodilator, sedative, antibiotic, detoxifier, blood-purifier, laxative, diuretic, emmenagogue. Used as a brain tonic for improving memory and for overcoming mental confusion, stress, fatigue, also used for obstinate skin diseases and leprosy.
Key application: Extracts orally to treat stress-induced stomach and duodenal ulcers; topically to accelerate healing, particularly in cases of chronic postsurgical and post trauma wounds; also to treat second and third degree burns. Patients suffering from venous insufficiency were treated with a titrated extract of the drug. (WHO.)Used in Indian medicine as a brain tonic and sedative. (Indian Herbal Pharmacopoeia.)Major constituents of the plant are: triterpenoid saponins—brahmoside, asiaticoside, thankuniside; alkaloids (hydrocotyline); bitter principles (vel- larin).Brahmoside, present in the plant, is reported to exhibit tranquilizing and anabolic activity. Raw leaves are eaten or plant decoction is drunk to treat hypertension.Asiaticoside, extracted from leaves, gave encouraging results in leprosy. It dissolves the waxy covering of Bacillus leprae. Centelloside has also been found useful in leprosy. Asiaticoside reduced the number tubercular lesions in the liver, lungs, nerve ganglia and spleen in experimental animals. Another derivative of asiaticoside, oxyasi- aticoside, inhibits growth of Tubercle bacillus at a concentration of 0.15 ml/ml Asiaticosides are also hyperglycaemic.The asiatic acid acts against resistant bacteria, particularly Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. leprae as well as Gram-positive cocci.Asiaticosides elevate blood glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol levels. They seem to decrease blood urea nitrogen and acid phosphatase levels. (Pharmacological findings. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007.)Boiled leaves are eaten for urinary tract infections, and unfiltered juice for scrofula and syphilis.Extract of the fresh plant significantly inhibits gastric ulceration by cold restraint stress in rats.In research, using rats, the herb exhibited protective effect against alcohol-induced and aspirin-induced ulcers. (JExp Biol, 2001, Feb, 39(2), 13742.)Dosage: Whole plant—3-6 g (API Vol. IV.)... centella asiaticaHabitat: Throughout India, up to 1,700 m on the hills and in Andaman Island; also grown in gardens.
English: Candahar tree, White Teak.Ayurvedic: Gambhaari, Kaash- mari, Kaashmarya, Sarvatobhadraa, Bhadra, Mahaabhadraa, Sadaab- hadraa, Madhuparnikaa, Sriparni, Pitarohini, Hiraa, Bhadraparni, Trishati.Siddha/Tamil: Kattanam, KumizhamAction: Leaf—demulcent, bechic. Used for removing foetid dis charges from ulcers. Root— stomachic, laxative, antibilious, demulcent, galactagogue. Bark— anticephalalgic. Root and bark— febrifuge.
The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia ofIn- dia recommends the use of the bark and stem in inflammatory diseases and oedema; the fruit in dysuria and haem- orrhagic diseases.The heartwood contains lignans, ar- borone, 7-oxodihydrogmelinol, pau- lownin acetate and epieudesmin; me- trans-p-methoxycinnamate and trans- p-hydroxycinnamic acid.Alcoholic extract of stem bark showed anti-inflammatory activity comparable to phenylbutazone.Dosage: Root, root bark—20-30 g for decoction. (API Vol. I.)The leaves show antibiotic activity against E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus.... gmelina arboreaHabitat: Peninsular region, ascending to an altitude of 1,000 m, and in Assam.
Folk: Kuraa (Maharashtra).Action: Fruit—smashed and applied to boils to promote suppuration. Leaves— used in skin diseases.
Thewholeplant, including theroots, contained D-mannitol. The leaves contain a flavone, corymbosin.... tarenna asiaticaHabitat: Extensively cultivated in India.Ayurvedic: Parushaka, Parusha.Unani: Phaalsaa.Siddha/Tamil: Palisa, Thadachi.
Action: Fruit—stomachic, astringent, cooling. Bark—demulcent. Root bark—antirheumatic. Leaf— used in pastular eruptions.The bark contains taraxasterol, beta- sitosterol, erythrodiol; lupeol, betulin, lupenone, friedelin; alpha-amyrin. The heartwood gave beta-sitosterol. Quer- cetin, kaempferol and their glycosides were also obtained from the leaves.Ripe fruits are rich in vitamin A and C; threonine, phosphoserine, serine and taurine are the dominant amino acids in the juice. The fruits also contain sodium 22, potassium 1250, and calcium 260 ppm Fruits also gave pelargonidin-3, 5- diglucoside, quercetin, quercetin-3-0- beta-D-glucoside, naringenin and 7-0- beta-D-glucoside.The stem bark exhibited antifertility activity.Dosage: Ripe fruit—20-50 ml juice. (CCRAS.)... grewia asiatica
Habitat: Found in Konkan and Maharashtra.
English: Lopez Root tree, Wild Orange tree, Forest Pepper.Ayurvedic: Kaanchana, Dahana.Siddha/Tamil: Kattu Milagu, Milagaranai.Folk: Jangali Kaalimirchi, Limri (Maharashtra).Action: Root bark—bitter, febrifuge, diaphoretic, antiperiodic. Infusion used in constitutional debility and convalescence after febrile and other exhausting diseases.
The root gave coumarins, including toddanol, todhanone, toddasin, pimpinellin, toddalolactone; alkaloids, including toddaline, toddalnine.... paullinia asiaticaHabitat: Throughout the country and in the rainfed rice fields of Kerala.
Ayurvedic: Agnivrksha, Kuranti.Siddha/Tamil: Pallipundu.Folk: Agiyaa.Action: Improves appetite and taste. Prescribed in strangury and diseases due to vitiated blood.... striga asiatica
Habitat: Tropical Himalayas, from Kumaon eastwards to Assam, Khasi hills and throughout the Western Peninsula.
English: Wild Orange tree, Forest Pepper.Ayurvedic: Kanchana.Siddha/Tamil: Kattu Milagu, Milagaranai.Folk: Jangali Kaali-mirch, Kanja.Action: Whole plant—febrifuge, diuretic, Leaves—antispasmodic. Rootbark—antipyretic, diaphoretic, antiperiodic.
Used as a tonic during convalescence and constitutional debility. (The rootbark was used medicinally in the past in Europe under the name Lopez Root or Cortex Radicis as an antimalarial drug.)Unripe fruits and roots are included in liniments used for rheumatism.The rootbark contains alkaloids, including toddaline, toddalinine, skim- mianine. The root gave coumarins, including toddanol, toddanone, todda- sin, pimpinellin, iso-pimpinellin and toddalolactone.Alkaloid toddaline is irritant to the mucous membrane, bronchi, intestines and the bladder.Ethanolic extract of var. obtusifolia Gemble, found in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, exhibited spasmolytic activity.Among the coumarins, chlorocou- marin is the most important active principle and can be used an alternative for papaverine obtained from poppy.... toddalia asiatica
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