Public Health

Scientific Name Holarrhena  pubescens(Buch.-Ham.) Wall. ex DC. syn. Holarrhena antidysenterica    (Linn.) Wall. Family Apocynaceae   Used Part:    Seeds   Distribution: The plant is found  throughout the drier parts expecially deciduous forests upto 3000 ft. Also distributed in tropical Himalayas. Common Uses . The seeds are considered to have similar properties as stem bark, but have milder action. Seeds astringent,. febrigue, in fever, dysentery, diarrhea and intestinal worms .Alleviative of all three dosas and cure bleeding piles, diarrhoea…

Panax, the generic name, is derived from the Greek Panakos (a panacea), in reference to the miraculous virtue ascribed to it by the Chinese, who consider it a sovereign remedy in almost all diseases. It was formerly supposed to be confined to Chinese Tartary, but now is known to be also a native of North America, from whence Sarrasin transmitted specimens to Paris in 1704. ginseng is said to mean 'the wonder of the world.'  Panax has several species and although original ginseng P. ginseng is rare in Nepal but P. pseudoginseng  which is equally good has enormous potential as…

Scientific Name  Aegle marmelos (L.)Corr (A. marmelos (Linn.) Correa ex Roxb.) Family  Rutaceae Used Part     Fruit pieces Distribution Area   A tree, growing wild    throughout the deciduous forests of India, ascending to an altitude  of  c 1,200 m in the western Himalayas and also occurring in Andaman  Islands. Common uses:    The fruits are official in the Indian Pharmacopoeia and they are also   valued in Ayurvedic medicine.    The unripe or half-ripe fruit is regarded as astringent,…

Scientific Name Coriandurm sativum Linn Family Apiaceae  Used Part Fruits Distribution Area It is extensively grown in India and Nepal. Common Uses The fruits including seeds are stimulant, pectoral, antipyretic and anthelmintic. An infusion of fruits in combination with cardamom and caraway seeds is given in intestinal disorders. The   fruits are also given in spermatorrhoea, leucorrhoea and in rheumatic fever. Coriander is also used as an ingredient in many Ayurvedic medicines prescribed for curing indigestion, diarrhoea,   dysentery and urinary troubles. An…

Ale vera juices are commonly made from grounded leaves dissolved in water. They are packed and sold as health tonic. However three of the species including Aloe vera are not safe to drink and even banned by law in Japan. However one can drink Aloe arborescence juices provided they are made hygenically and properly. Juices made from leaves of three Aloe species Aloe vera , Aloe ferox and Aloe africana are not allowed to be used as food according to pharmaceutical affairs law in Japan while Aloe arborescens can be used as food. Thus its not safe to use Aloe vera juices as drink. see also…

It is strange analogy that since times immemorial Kattha was used along with Piper betle leaves by dance artists and visitors to the brothels, and rulers before indulgence. Were they knowing that consumption of Piper betle leaves with Acacia catechu can prevent them from AIDS or STD ? Its a matter of research . Family     Mimosaceae (Fabaceae) Used Part    Dry aqueous extract from heart wood   Distribution    Area    Khair is common throughout the sub-Himalayan tract from Punjab to  Assam, ascending to an altitude of 1,200 m.…

  Scientific Name  Cassia fistula  Linn Family  Caesalpiniaceae     Used Part     Fruit –a part   Distribution Area   The tree occurring in deciduous forests throughout the greater part of    India, ascending up to an altitude of 1,220 m in the sub- Himalayan    tract and outer Himalayas.   Common Uses . Fruit pulp and stembark are used in Ayurvedic       preparations for the treatment of blood impurities. The decoction of the    pods is given in pneumonia and…

Herbs and human health can never be separated. Medicinal plants are now in a "come back" phase with the last two decades seeing people shifting their focus back to the forgotten traditional natural green remedies. Several plant drugs such as rawolfia (for mental diseases), podophyllum (a cathartic, cures cancerous tumors in mice), aloe (a cathartic, for the treatment of atomic radiation burn), veratrum (hypertensive agent), peyote (psychoactive drug) and several others. Sapogenins (closely related to steroids), obtained from many members of Dioscoreaceae and Agavaceae, have been effectively…

Man is going away from nature and many of the present day diseases are life style diseases. its is important to know more about the plants of our surroundings to which man as an evolved animal (sorry for this interpretation but man is one of the organism on this earth like others but treats himself as the master of universe ) and its dependence shall depend on survival of the plants. Know plants of your area and document them for medicinal usesInteraction is welcome Solanum surattense Kateli Herb Antiseptic Solanum trilobatum Kantakari Whole plant…

  Zinziber officinale Rose or  Ginger  used in large number of Ayurvedic formulations is good for digestive power. Family     Zinziberaceae Used Part    Dry Rhizome Distribution Area   Cultivated throughout India; run wild in the Westernghats in south India Common Uses .  Dry rhizome is useful in Asthama, cough, and cold, dyspepsia, urticaria, loss of apetite,piles and sciatica.  It is used in very large number of Ayurvedic formulations. Important ones are: Lavana  Bhaskara churna; Sudarshan churna; Amritarsishta;…