Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis L.


English Name : Night Jasmine

Family : Oleaceae

Origin : India

Description
It is a shrub or small tree with rough and 4-angular branches. Leaves are petioled, opposite, ovate, entire or with distant teeth and acute with rounded or cuneate base. The flowers are very fragrant and are borne in small sessile bracteate heads disposed in terminal trichotomous cymes. Calyx is ovoid-cylindric tube, orange-red with white and spreading; 4 to 8 lobes which are imbricated in bud and patent. Anthers are 2, sub-sessile and inserted near the mouth of corolla tube. Ovary is 2 celled with one ovule in each cell. The capsules are orbicular, compressed and about 0.7 to 1.2 cm long. Seeds are erect, orbicular and flattened.

Habitat
Forests of Assam, West Bengal, subHimalayas, Uttar Pradesh and central India.

Parts Used : Leaf, seed and stem

Herb Effects
Laxative, diaphoretic, cholagogue, antiinflammatory (leaf juice); expectorant (bark).

Active Ingredients
Nycatanthoside, nyctanthic acid, beta-amyrin and friedelin (leaf); naringenin (stem); “arobrtristosides” A and B (seed); beta-sitosterol (stem and leaf).

Medicinal Use
In sciatica, rheumatism and fever, as an antidote for reptile venoms (leaf); skin diseases (seed paste or powder); as an application for dandruff and other scalp conditions (powdered seeds).

Dosage
Powder: ¼ to ½ teaspoon 2-3 times per day mixed in warm water.
Abdominal discomfort: Grind together the seeds of Nyctanthes arbortristis with some quantity of black pepper and dried ginger to make a paste. Make twenty-one pills / tablets from this paste. Take one pill orally in a day.
Constipation: Extract juice from the leaves of Nyctanthes arbortristis. Take one teaspoonful of this juice orally in empty stomach. (Preferably in early morning).
Jaundice: Extract juice from the leaves of Nyctanthes arbortristis. Take one teaspoonful of this juice orally with a glass of sugar, candy, water. Continue this process twice a day for five days.
Malaria: Extract juice from the leaves of Nyctanthes arbortristis. Take orally one teaspoonful of this juice.

Contraindication
Do no use if pregnant.

Reference

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