Arjuna

Botanical Name : Terminalia arjuna

Family Name : Combretaceae

Part used: Stem bark

Synonyms-

 Arjuna

 Dhaval

 Kakubha

 Indradu

 Veervriksha

 Nadi sarja

Identifying features/

 Bark available in pieces, flat, curved, recurved, channelled to half quilled,

 outer surface somewhat smooth and grey, inner surface somewhat fibrous and pinkish,

 transversely cut smoothened bark shows pinkish surface,

 fracture- short

 Taste - bitter and astringent.

Plant description

 It is a large deciduous tree

 Leaves simple, subopposite oblong, glands on the posterior side of petiole

 Flowers white, seen in panicles of spikes or groups.

 Fruits ovoid or oblong, with 5-7 wings.

 Flowering season starts form April-May months.

 Chemical comp- Tannins- Arjunetin, fridelin

Rasa Panchaka:

 Rasa- kashaya

 Guna – guru, ruksha

 Virya - Sheet

 Vipaka - Katu

 Prabhava- Hridya, Pitta kapha shamaka

Uses:

 Heart disorders- siddha milk

 Raktatisaar, raktarsha

 Diabetes

 Medoroga- excessive fat

 Vrana

 Vyanga- skin disorder

 Dose: Kwatha- 50-100 ml

powder- 3-6 gm

Svarasa- 10-20ml

kseerpaka- 5-10 ml

 Formulations – Kakubhadi churna, arjunarishta, arjunghrita

Ashwahandha

Botanical Name : Withania somnifera

Family Name : Solanaceae

Part used: Root

Synonyms

 Asvagandha

 Varahakarni

 Vajigandha

 Varahika

 Varahakarni

 Eng- Winter cherry

Identifying features:

 Roots

 Straight, cylindrical

 unbranched, thickness varying with age.

 roots bear fibre-like secondary roots

 outer surface buff to grey-yellow with longitudinal wrinkles,

 Fracture-short and uneven,

 odour-characteristic

 taste- bitter and acrid.

Plant description

 It is a perennial shrub found throughout India.

 Roots collected in winter, washed and cut into short pieces.

 An erect branching shrub grows up to 150 cm in height

 Leaves are ovate and alternate, up to 10 cm long.

  Flowers are greenish or greenish yellow arises from leaf axils

 Fruits are globose berries, become reddish orange when mature and closed by the
persistent calyx.

 Chemical composition- Alkaloids and withanolides

Rasa-Panchak

 Rasa- Tikta,katu,madhur

 Guna – Laghu, snigdha

 Virya - Ushna

 Vipaka - Madhur

 Prabhava- Kaphavata shamaka

Uses

 Used in rejuvenative ayurvedic formulae. Plant has immuno-stimulant action

 Infertility- oligospermia, impotency

 General debility

 Vata roga

 Respiratory disorders- kasa,shwasa

 Baal shosha, kshaya

 Dose:

 Powder- 3-6 gm

 Kshaar- 1-2 gm

 Formulations

 aswagandhadi churna

 ashwagandha rasayana

 ashwagandha ghrita

 ashwagandha arishta
Bala

Botanical Name : Sida cordifolia

Family Name : Malvaceae

Part used: Whole plant sp seeds, root, leaves

Synonyms-

 Bala

 Vatya

 Vatyalika

 Kharyashtika

 Hindi- bariyaar, khirainti

 Eng- Country mallow

Identifying features

 It is a herb or a small shrub.

 The root and stem are woody and very hard in nature.

 Leaves- are simple, hairy, heart shaped with serrated margin.

 Flowers- solitary, dark yellow or orange in color.

 Fruit - it is a capsule.

 Seeds- are small, black in color

Chemical comp-

 Resins

 Essential oils

 Alkaloids- Ephedrine, Pseudoephedrine .

Rasa Panchaka:

 Rasa- Madhur
 Guna – Laghu,snigdha, picchila

 Virya - Sheet

 Vipaka - Madhur

 Prabhava- vata pitta shamaka

 Uses: To increase the body strength,stamina and immunity as in TB, athletes etc

 All kinds of nervous disorders like paralysis, arthritis etc.

 Fever

 Bronchial asthma, cold & flu

 Bleeding piles, haematuria, gonorrhoea, leucorrhoea etc.

Dose:

 Swarasa-10-20 ml

 Powder- 3-6gm

Formulations :

 Baladi kwatha

 Baladya ghrita

 Baladya arishta

 Chandanbala lakshadi taila