Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Tribulus terrestris L. [Kirtikar, Kanhoba Ranchoddas, and Baman Das Basu. "Indian Medicinal Plants." Indian Medicinal Plants. (1918)]

Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Tribulus terrestris L. [Kirtikar, Kanhoba Ranchoddas, and Baman Das Basu. "Indian Medicinal Plants." Indian Medicinal Plants. (1918)]

Pankaj Oudhia

Introduction

Based on Ethnobotanical surveys since year 1990 in different parts of India Pankaj Oudhia has documented vital information about Medicinal Plants mentioned in the famous publication by Kirtikar and Basu (1918). Through this research document Pankaj Oudhia has tried to present original document with additional notes. For complete paper with pictures, Interactive Tables, Video and Audio clips please visit pankajoudhia.com

For original publication by Kirtikar and Basu (1918) please visit https://archive.org/details/indianmedicinalp01kirt

204. Tribulus terrestris, Linn. h.f.b.i.,

i. 423.

Syn. : — T. lanuginosus, Linn.

Habitat: — Throughout India; the warmer countries

Ceylon. Throughout the globe.

Sans. : — Gokshur, Gokantak, Laghu Gokshur, Ikshu-

gandha.

Vern : — Gokshri, hussak (H.) ; Gokhru (B.) ; Trikundree

(Sind); Bhakhra(Pb.); Kante Ghokru (Dec); Sarate (M.) Nerunji

(Tarn.); Palleru-mullu 'Tel. 1 Nerinnil (Mai.) ; Lalina gokroo

(Bomb.)

Vern. Trimen : — (Sinhalese) Sembu-Nerinchi ; (Tamil)

Chira-nerinchi ;

J. Indraji : — (Porebunder and Guj.) Mitha Gokhru, betha

gokhru, Nahana Gokhru, Gokhru ; (Hindi) Chhota Gokhru :

Annual or perennial, with numerous long, prostrate, more

or less hairy or hispid branchlets ; " herbs hirsute or silky

hairy," as Edgeworth and Hooker say. Common in sandy

ground. Branches I-2ft. Leaves opposite. The pair usually

unequal ; pinnate, with 3-6 pair of opposite, usually sessile

leaflets. Leaflets i-Jin., 5-7 pair, subequal, mucronate, oblong,

white and silky beneath, slightly silky above. Stipules lanceolate,

acute ; peduncles shorter than the leaves, slender. Flowers

bright yellow, i-fin. diam., solitary, axillary, or leaf-opposed.

Sepals linear, acute. Petals rounded, longer than sepals,

fugacious. Ovary bristly ; style stout, short. Fruit of (usually)

5, hairy or nearly glabrous, woody cocci, each with 2 pair of

stiff sharp spines, forming a more or less spherical, spiny ball.

230 INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS.

Of the two pair of spines, one pair is long and one short. The

cocci are very variable. Stigmatic lobes larger than the dia-

meter of the styles.

Parts used : — The entire plant, and especially the fruit and

leaves. [Pankaj Oudhia’s Comment: Even the rain drops, dew drops collected from plants and soil from its root zone are used as medicine. Diseased Tribulus is used as Traditional Medicine by the Traditional Healers of Rajasthan whereas the insects infesting its wild population are used in dry form as important ingredient in Herbal Formulations for decreased sexual appetite.]

Uses : — In Hindoo Medicine, the fruits are regarded as

cooling, diuretic, tonic and aphrodisiac, and are used in painful

micturition, calculous affections, urinary disorders and im-

potence. They form one of the ten ingredients which constitute

the Dashamula of the Hindoo physicians (Dutt).

[Pankaj Oudhia’s Comment: It seems that there is endless medicinal knowledge about this species not only in India but also in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Through Ethnobotanical surveys I have collected information about 60,000 Herbal Formulations in which Tribulus is added as important ingredient. These Formulations are used for sexual health. Only few Herbal Formulations have been mentioned in ancient literature related to different systems of medicine in India. Every year Tribulus is collected in bulk from different parts for preparation of herbal products but considering the quantum of knowledge there is strong need for Tribulus based long term research in order to validate thousands of formulations. For Urinary disorders Tribulus is used with 500 species of medicinal plants in different combinations. I have documented 25000 Herbal Formulations in which Tribulus is added as primary ingredient. Please see the exhaustive list of 65,000 and 25,000 Herbal Formulations in Tables Tri-5 and Tri-6.

The expert Traditional Healers treat wild population of Tribulus with different herbal extracts and leachate in order to enrich it with desired medicinal properties. The Healers of Madhya Pradesh more specifically the Healers of Amarkantak use Siali Jadi to treat Tribulus before collection for use as Aphrodisiac. The Healers of Bastar use Herbal Extracts of Mayurjadi to treat Tribulus. The Healers of Odisha use many herbs including Sanjivani Booti for treatment of Tribulus. The Healers of Karnataka use the roots of Neem tree for such treatment. The Healers of Konkan use Medicinal Climbers for the treatment. The Healers have rich Traditional Allelopathic Knowledge.]

They are considered astringent, and Belle w states that

they are taken by women to ensure fecundity, and an infusion

of the stems taken for gonorrhoea (Stewart).

In the Gujarat district of the Punjab, it is used in diseases

of the kidneys, suppression of urine, also in cough and diseases

of the heart (Ibbetson).

[Pankaj Oudhia’s Comment: While documenting Traditional Medicinal Knowledge about medicinal plants useful in treatment of Prostate cancer, I recorded 2600 cases in which Tribulus based Herbal Formulations were used for treatment. This species is popular among the expert Healers. Tribulus is used in Herbal Formulations as primary, secondary and tertiary ingredient and many times octonary ingredient at different stages of Prostate cancer. ]

In South of Europe, it is used as an aperient and diuretic.

(O'Shaughnessy).

In Southern India, t he fruit is highly valued as a diuretic.

In many cases where this has been tried, the result was quite

perceptible in the increase of the urinary secretion. There is

another method of administration, in which the fruit and the

root boiled with rice [Pankaj Oudhia’s Comment: Please see the Table Tri-7 for list of Indigenous Rice Landraces used for this purpose.] to form a medicated water, which is

taken in large quantities (Ph. Ind.)

According to Moodeen Sheriff, the fruit and leaves are

demulcent, diuretic and useful in cases of strangury, gleet

and chronic cystitis. He recommends a decoction and the fresh

juice of the leaves.

An infusion made from the fruit has been found very

useful as a diuretic in gout, kidney disease and gravel ; also

used largely in the Panjab as an aphrodisiac (F. F. Perry, in

Watts' Dictionary).

Citation

Oudhia, Pankaj (2013). Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Tribulus terrestris L. [Kirtikar, Kanhoba Ranchoddas, and Baman Das Basu. "Indian Medicinal Plants." Indian Medicinal Plants. (1918)]. www.pankajoudhia.com