Medicinal Properties of Adhatoda vasica
July 22, 2009
Adhatoda vasica
Adhatoda vasica is a shrub that grows in tropical areas. It grows up to a range of 1000 meters. It is an evergreen plant that has broad greenish brown leaves having a length of 10 to 16 cm.
The leaves have bitter taste when it gets dried and have a smell similar to that of tea. The stems are soft and the flowers are attractive, large and white in color with purple streaks on the lower lip.
The leaves of adhatoda vasica contains 45 to 95 percentage vasicine, vasicinone, deoxyvasicine, oxyvasicinine, maiontone, V-oxides of vasicine etc. The vasicine is used for developing mucolytic drug bromhexine.
The extract obtained from the leaves is having low toxicity and are considered safe. The flowers consist of kaempferol, queretin, b-sitosterol-D-glucoside, glycosides of kaempferoland. The roots are rich in vasicol, vasicinolone, hydroxyl oxychalcone, peganine, glucosyl oxychalcone etc. Adhatoda also contains organic adhatodic acid and odorous volatile principle.
Health Benefits of Adhtoda vasica
Respiratory Disorders
The alkaloids like vascinine and vasicinone present in adhatoda are found to stimulate the reparatory activity. Vasicine in low concentration helps the tracheal muscles to relax and it also act as a bronchodilator and vasicine in high concentration gives protection against bronchospasm caused by histamine.
Auto oxidation of vasicine produces vasicinone which in turn cause both in vivo and in vitro bronchodilation. All these properties of adhatoda makes it useful for treating chronic and acute bronchitis, allergic asthma, emphysema, cough, breathlessness, obstructive airway diseases etc.
A decoction made out of the leaves of adhtoda can be used as a herbal remedy for cough and cold. It will ease the irritations in the throat. It will also help to loosen the deposits of phlegm in the airway and thus gives relief from sore throat.
Anti-inflammatory
Adhatoda vasica is found to have good anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial property and hence it can be used to treat the wounds. Make poultice out of the adhatoda leaves and apply it on the wounds. You can also use this poultice in the joints to get rid of the rheumatic symptoms and is also an antispasmodic that can relieve cramps muscular spasms etc.
Bleeding
Adhatoda vasica can also control bleeding, both if it is internal or external. It also helps to reduce the blood pressure. Hence it can be used as a good remedy for bleeding gums, piles, peptic ulcers etc.
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