Author: Mystique

Botanical Name:Myristica fragrans

Other Names:Jaiphal, ground spice

Nutmeg, a spice with a distinctive and pungent fragrance, offers a warm, slightly sweet taste. It is a popular flavoring agent in various culinary creations, including baked goods, confections, puddings, potatoes, meats, sausages, sauces, vegetables, and beverages like eggnog. The fleshy arils enveloping the nutmeg seed serve as the source for another spice known as mace.

Medicinal Uses:

• Abdominal pain due to its anti-inflammatory properties
• Nutmeg oil can be used in the management of joint pain
• Muscular pain
• Taking nutmeg with food might help relieve pain due to wounds
• Arthritis
• Injuries

Botanical Name:Justicia adhatoda

Other Names:Malabar nut, Vasaka, Boga bahok, Addasaramu, Adam Kabu, Adampaka, Adusol, Aradusī, Also, Aduraspee, Bansa, Adusogae, Adu muttada soppu, Adolakam

Adhatoda vasica, belonging to the Acanthaceae family, is a shrub widely employed by medical practitioners in Asia and Europe. This plant holds a significant place in Indian traditional medicine systems, as documented in studies such as Manjunath (1948). Numerous in vitro, in vivo, and clinical investigations recognize Adhatoda vasica as a crucial natural agent in addressing various medical conditions.

Medicinal Uses:

• Respiratory problems
• Tuberculosis
• Arthritis
• Purify blood
• Doshas balancing
• Fever

Botanical Name:Pueraria tuberosa (Roxb. ex Willd.)

Other Names:kudzu, Indian kudzu, or Nepalese kudzu, Vidarikand, Bhukushmandi

Vidarikand, also known as Pueraria tuberosa, is a plant highly esteemed for its nutritional benefits in Ayurveda. It is believed to possess energizing, diuretic, and galactagogue properties. This versatile plant is thought to aid in balancing all three doshas—Vata, Kapha, and Pitta representing distinct energy imbalances within the human body.

Medicine Uses:

• Treatment of fever
• Menorrhagia
• Skin diseases
• Wounds
• Bronchial asthma
• Jaundice.

Botanical Name:Gaultheria procumbens

Other Names:eastern teaberry, the checkerberry, the boxberry, or the American wintergreen.

Wintergreen is a perennial evergreen shrub indigenous to eastern North America, commonly thriving in wooded and elevated mountainous regions. In late summer, this shrub produces small, waxy, white, or pale pink flowers that evolve into red fruits. Both the leaves and fruits of wintergreen are edible.

Medicine Uses:

• Headache
• Other types of pain
• Fever
• Gas (flatulence) and other conditions
• Treating back pain
• Rheumatism
• Sore throats.

Botanical Name:Eclipta prostrata

Other Names:bhangaara, maakaa, bhangaro, kesuriya, galagara.

Eclipta alba is a petite, multibranched annual herbaceous plant characterized by white flower heads, belonging to the composite family. The leaves measure 4-10 cm in length and 0.8-2 cm in width, while the plant can reach up to 90 cm in height. It features slender, stiff hairs, reddish stems, and a tendency to root at the lower nodes.

Medicine Uses:

• Body pain
• Bronchitis and pneumonia
• Blood tonic
• Abscess
• Itching
• Haemorrhoid
• Anaemia
• Tuberculosis
• Amoebiasis
• Asthma

Botanical Name:Senna italica

Other Names:Nilavagai, Nilavarai , Neltangedu, Bhui-tarwad.

The powder derived from the leaflets of Senna, specifically Cassia obovata Coll., is a cosmetic product often mistakenly referred to as ‘neutral henna.’ While conventionally known for its use as a laxative, C. obovata contains sennosides A and B as its primary active components, contributing to its medicinal properties.

Medicinal Uses:

• Inhibitors of skin fungus
• Mite infestations
• Bacterial and microbial diseases
• Used to treat eczema
• Itching and skin infections in humans

Botanical Name:Acorus calamus

Other Names:beewort, bitter pepper root, calamus root, flag root, gladdon, myrtle flag, myrtle grass, myrtle root, myrtle sedge, pine root, sea sedge, sweet cane, sweet cinnamon, sweet grass, sweet myrtle, sweet root, sweet rush, and sweet sedge.

Calamus root is a plant thriving in marshy soil, historically utilized by people worldwide for centuries. Its versatile applications include serving as incense, believed to ward off evil spirits, and as a medicinal resource. This semi-evergreen perennial is characterized by scented rhizomes, arching tapered reed-like leaves, and diminutive yellow-green flowers.

Medicinal Uses:

• Stomach problems
• Skin problems
• Earache
• Remove the smell of tobacco

Botanical Name:Momordica charantia

Other Names:bitter melon, bitter gourd, balsam pear, pare, or karela.

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) holds significance as a key vegetable crop cultivated for its distinctive tuberculate fruits, prized for their unique bitter taste. These fruits are acknowledged for their nutritional value, serving as a rich source of vitamins and minerals, including an impressive content of 88 mg of vitamin C per 100 g.

Medicinal Uses:

• Manages Diabetes
• Promotes Weight Loss
• Beneficial For the Skin and Hair
• Increases Immunity
• Blood Purifier
• Enhanced Respiratory Health
• Liver Detoxification & Hangover Relief
• Relief in Hemorrhoids
• Heals Wounds & Injuries
• Enhanced Digestion

Botanical Name:Hedychium spicatum

Other Names:Ginger Lily

Kapoor kachri is a fragrant leafy herb characterized by rhizomes and a sturdy stem, reaching heights of up to 1.5 meters. The rhizomes exhibit a potent aromatic fragrance and a bitter, camphoraceous taste. Internally, they are white, starchy, and emit a distinctive fragrance.

Medicinal Uses:

• Treatment of Hair Loss
• Respiratory Depression
• Inflammatory Disease
• Allergy

Botanical Name:Syzygium cumini

Other Names:Malabar plum, Java plum, black plum, jamun, jaman, jambul, or jambolan

The aromatic flowers of Jamun are petite, measuring approximately 5 millimeters in diameter. Subsequently, the fruit emerges in May-June, taking on the appearance of a sizable berry. The berry itself is oblong and ovoid, initially green upon emergence, transitioning to a pink hue as it matures, and ultimately attaining a glossy crimson-black color when fully ripe.

Medicinal Uses:

• Anthelmintic
• Digestive used to cure sore throats
• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Biliousness
• Ulcers and dysentery
• Purify the blood.