Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Erythrina indica Lam. [Kirtikar, Kanhoba Ranchoddas, and Baman Das Basu. "Indian Medicinal Plants." Indian Medicinal Plants. (1918)].
Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Erythrina indica
Lam. [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
385. Erythrina
indica, Linn., h.f.b.l, ii. 188,
Roxb 541.
Sans. : —
Mandala.
Vern- : —
Pangra, panjira, furrud (H.) ; Palita mundar vB.) ;
Muruka-marum
(Tarn.) ; Modugu. badide-chettu (Tel.); Mooloo-
moorikah, dudup
(Mai.) ; Paravalada-mara (Kan,). Birsing
(Kol.) ;
Pangara, pbangra, pan. ara (Mar.) ; Panarawes, pararoo
(Guz),
Habitat -.—
From, tbe foot of tbe Himalayas throughout
India.
A deciduous,
quick-growing tree, attaining to large size.
Bark tbin,
smooth, grey. Outer bark, says Gamble, yellowish,
smooth and
shining, peeling off the tbin papery flakes. " Struc-
ture like that
of E. suberosa, Roxb," ; says Gamble, further,
" Inner
bark, fibrous, wood very soft spongy, white, fibrous
but tough."
Young twigs thick set, with small straight, hori-
zontal,
broad-based, sharp, black prickles ; leaf-scars conspicu-
ous. Leaves very
large, deciduous, rachis 6-1 2in., smooth,
dilated at base,
stipules none or very nearly caducous. Leaflets
4-6in., on short
swollen stalks, readily disarticulating, roundish-
ovate, acute,
glabrous and green on both sides, the terminal one
largest :
stipels thick, roundish, persistent. Flowers numerous,
large, generally
scarlet, the wings and keel crimson ; on stout
puberulous,
peduncles horizontally spreading. Pedicels, about
Jin. long,
arranged in 2's or3's, and closely crowded on the upper
half of very
stout, rigid, puberulous racemes, 6-12in. long, 2-4
of which diverge
horizontally from the summit of the branches.
Calyx (before
expansion of flowers) tubular, If in., covered with
deciduous
tomentum, upper segment subulate, sharp but not
rigid, two
lateral similar but smaller lowest, one longer doubled
over the rest to
form blunt point to the bud, soon splitting along
the back
(between the upper teeth) to the base, and the whole
curved down like
a spathe-standard, nearly 3in. Wings less
than lin.
Keel-petal fin. Stamens much exserted and project-
ing in front of
flowers, 2fin. Pod 5-6in., cylindric, torulose,
beak sharp,
curved, about lin. long. Seed, 3-8, beanlike, about
lin. long,
chocolate coloured, dull, shining.
440 INDIAN
MEDICINAL PLANTS.
Very common in
the Concan and North Kanara.
I have seen a
white-flowered variety, and a deep scarlet one in
the Thana
Forests (K. R. K.) A variety, with pink flowers, is
noted by Moon,
says Trim en.
Parts used : —
The bark, juice and leaves. [Pankaj Oudhia’s Comment: All parts are used as
medicine.]
Uses : — The
bark is used medicinally as a febrifuge and
antibilious
(Watt).
In the Concan,
the juice of the young leaves is used to kill
worms in sores,
and the young roots of the white-flowered
variety are
pounded and given with cold milk as an aphro-
disiac (Dymock).
It is
anthelmintic and useful as a collyrium in ophthalmia.
The leaves are
applied externally to disperse venereal buboes
and to relieve
pain of the joints (Kanai Lai Dey).
[Pankaj Oudhia’s Comment: Through
Ethnobotanical surveys in different parts of India I have documented
information about over 55,000 Traditional Herbal Formulations in which
Erythrina plant parts are used as important ingredient. Among the Traditional
Healers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh use of Allelopathically enriched Erythrina
root is very popular. They use it in over 15,000 Traditional Herbal
Formulations as Tertiary Ingredient. These Formulations are used in treatment
of different types of cancer. As nonary ingredient it is added in 8000
Traditional Herbal Formulations used in treatment of Sickle Cell Anemia. The
Healers of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Jharkhand use it in over 9000 Traditional
Herbal Formulations as septenary ingredient. These Formulations are used both
internally as well as externally in treatment of joint related diseases. Please
see Table Erythrin-1 to 55 for details.]
The fresh juice
of the leaves is used as an injection into
the ear for the
relief of ear-ache, and as an anodyne in toothache
(Dr. Thornton,
in Watt's Dictionary).
E-documents on
Erythrina
Citation
Oudhia, Pankaj (2013).
Pankaj Oudhia’s Notes on Erythrina indica Lam. [Kirtikar, Kanhoba Ranchoddas, and Baman Das Basu.
"Indian Medicinal Plants." Indian
Medicinal Plants. (1918)]. www.pankajoudhia.com
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