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Sanskrit |
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Manjishta |
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English |
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Indian madder |
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Latin name |
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Rubia cordifolia |
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Family |
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Rubiaceae |
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Ayurvedic
Pharmacodynamic properties: |
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Rasa |
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Tikta (bitter), Kashaya (astringent), Madhura (sweet) |
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Guna |
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Guru (heavy), Ruksha (dry) |
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Virya |
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Ushna (Hot) |
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Vipaka |
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Katu (pungent) |
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Doshakarma |
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Kapha-Pitta Shamaka |
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Useful parts |
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Root |
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Medicinal uses |
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Though
manjishtha is at the same time bitter, astringent and sweet in taste
and heavy, dry and hot in effect, it is a pacifier of kapha and
pitta. Besides the glucosides known as manjisthin and purpurine, its
chemical composition consists of various other components, which
include resins, lime salts and colouring agents. Manjishtha is used
in a number of diseases. It is a drug of choice for treating various
systemic problems like raised uric acid and gouty arthritis,
glandular swellings, recurrent skin infections and other diseases of
the skin like pigmentation anomalies and leucoderma. It is also
included in various formulations to treat uterine and urinary
infections, diarrhoea, dysentery and chronic fevers. Manjishtha
holds the reputation of a very good skincare herb. Used externally
and internally, it helps one to gain lustre and glow (of the skin)
and aids to remove pimples, freckles and discoloration.
Manjishtha promotes the healing of
skin tissues damaged by injury or infection. Its finely crushed
powder can be simply applied on the face after mixing it with little
honey. A combination of dried and crushed orange peels 100 gm, and
sandal powder, turmeric and manjishtha powders each 50 gm, makes an
excellent face pack. Since manjishtha has a marked effect on the
female reproductive organs, it is useful treating various
gynaecological problems, like white discharge and irregular
menstruation. |
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Dose |
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Powder 1-3 gm |
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Important formulation |
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Mahamanjishtadi Kwatha |
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Morphology:
A branched climber with bristles. The stem is slender and four angled.
The leaves are rough, and arranged in whorl of four per node and oval to
heart shaped with long leaf stalk. The leaves have 5-7 main nerves. The
stipules are short living (leafy structures found at the nodal region).
The flowers are very small, greenish white and arranged in branched
cluster called dichasial cyme(forked flowering stalk, which bears
specific number of flowers in each branch). The fruit is round fleshy
drupe. When ripe is dark-purple. The roots have brownish red bark and
gives red dye. |
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Home remedies:
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Its paste should be applied in various skin disorders like itching,
black spots on the face, pimples, leucoderma etc.
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Internal use of manjishtha in the form of powder or decoction is also
beneficial in various skin and blood disorders.
Summary:
According to Ayurveda, Manjistha is probably the best alternative or
blood-purifying herb in Ayurveda. It cools and detoxifies the blood,
dissolves obstructions in blood flow, and removes stagnant blood. It is
having healing action, thus helpful in erosions of gums and bleeding
gums. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is used as an immune regulator. Its
antioxidant properties are also being investigated. Its role in
supporting heart health is evidenced by studies that show that it
regulates blood pressure, blood vessel constriction and the tendency of
blood to form clots.
Many research teams have suggested that Rubia cordifolia has anticancer
activity, Hepatoprotective effects, Antimicrobial activity
Antihyperglycemic, antistress and nootropic activity. It also suppresses
the activation of mast cells through the inhibition of Syk for
anti-allergic activity
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