(Native American) Little mother Shimah, Shimma, Shyma, Shymah
Habitat: Native to Central America. Cultivated chiefly in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
English: Sapota, Sapodilla Plum, Chicle.Unani: Sapotaa, Cheeku.Siddha/Tamil: Shimai eluppai.Action: Fruit—antibilious. Seed— diuretic. Fruit and bark—febrifuge.
The bark contains latex (20-25% of which consists of gutta-percha-like substance); also contains tannin (11.8%). The seeds contain quercitol.Chewing gum consists of approximately 20% chicle, plus sugar, corn syrup and flavourings.... achras zapotaHabitat: The temperate regions of the Himalayas. Wild at several places.
English: Roman Chamomile, Double Chamomile.Unani: Gul-e-Baabuuna.Siddha/Tamil: Shimai chamantipu.Action: Mild sedative, anticon- vulsant, antispasmodic, anti- inflammatory, mild analgesic; used externally for skin disorders, poultice of flowers in sprains and rheumatism.
Key application: Used mainly in France for mild spasmodic gastrointestinal disturbances and sluggishness of bowels, also for nervousness. (PDR.) (German Chamomile has been included by German Commission E among approved herbs, whereas Roman chamomile remains unapproved due to lack of clinical evidence.) The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia recognizes antispasmodic activity of Anthemis nobilis.The flower heads contain volatile oil (including azulenes and bisabolol); sesquiterpene lactone (nobilin); flavo- noids, cyanogenic glycoside, bitter glu- coside (anthemic acid); acetylenic salicylic derivatives, coumarins (including scopolin), valerianic acid; tannins.Azulenes and bisabolol are anti- inflammatory and antispasmodic, reducing histamine-induced reactions, including hay fever and asthma. Flavo- noids, especially anthemidin, are also antispasmodic. Valerianic acid and cyanogenic glycosides are sedative.Flowers and root—abortifacient. Leaves—astringent. A decoction is used for gargling in stomatitis and aphthae.Along with other therapeutic applications, The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India indicates the use of dried stembark in disorders of female genital tract and bleeding disorders.The dried bark contains alkaloids, steroids, reducing sugars and also tannins (4.61%). The ether-soluble alkaloid of the bark shows antibacterial activity.Dosage: Stembark—0.5-1.5 g powder. (API Vol. II.)... anthemis nobilisHabitat: Native to Europe and West Asia. Now cultivated in Bihar, Orissa, Punjab, Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and in the hills of Kumaon, Garhwal, Kashmir and Chamba.
Also found wild in the North Himalayan regions.English: Caraway.Ayurvedic: Krishna jiraka, Jiraa, Kaaravi, Asita Jiraka, Kaashmira- jiraka, Prithvikaa, Upakunchikaa, Sugandha Udgaar, Shodhana.Unani: Zeeraa Siyaah, Kamoon, Kamoon-roomi.Siddha/Tamil: Shimai-shembu, Semai Seearagam, Karamjiragam.Action: Carminative, antispas- modic, antimicrobial, expectorant, galactagogue, emmenagogue.
Key application: Seed oil—in dyspeptic problems, such as mild, sapstic conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, bloating and fullness. (German Commission E, ESCOP, The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.) The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India recommended the seed in chronic fevers.The fruit contains a volatile oil consisting of carvone (40-60%) and limoline with other constituents; flavonoids, mainly quercetin derivatives, polysac- charides and a fixed oil; also calcium oxalate.The antispasmodic and carminative effects have been confirmed experimentally. The caraway has shown to reduce gastrointestinal foam.Both the seeds and the essential oil are classed as carminative in I.P.The essential oil shows moderate antibacterial and antifungal activity against several bacteria and fungi. Mixed with alcohol and castor oil, it is used for scabies.Dosage: Seed—1-3 g powder. (CCRAS.)... carum carviHabitat: Cultivated in Punjab, Kashmir and the Nilgiri hills.
English: Quince Fruit.Ayurvedic: Amritaphala, Paatalaa, Simbitikaa.Unani: Bihi, Bihidaanaa.Siddha/Tamil: Shimaimathala.Action: Fruit pulp and seeds— soothing and demulcent; used in irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhoea, dysentery, constipation, and in irritable conditions of the mucous membrane. Leaf, bud and bark—astringent. Fruit— expectorant. Mucilage—used externally for scalds, ulcers and burns.
The seed kernel contains the gly- coside amygdalin, tannin, mucilage (about 22%), ash (1.3%) and fatty oil (l4-19%).In Greece, a tea prepared by boiling dry seeds in water is given in cystitis. The major water-soluble polysac- charide in the mucilage of seeds contains a high proportion of glucuronic acid residues.The fruit contains pectin (yield 0.53% fresh weight) and is similar to that of apple. Ionone glycosides, along with octadienoic acid and its diol, have been isolated from the fruit.Fruit juice contains thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, vitamin B6, inositol, pantothenic acid, folic acid and biotin.The essential oil also gave a number of ionone-related compounds. The buds contain a cyanogenetic glycoside. The bark and shoots yield hydrocyanic acid on distillation.... cydonia oblonga
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