It is an
important medicinal plant that is used in the treatment of various ailments.
The botanical name for Ayapan is Eupatorium triplinerve Vahl which belongs to
the Asteraceae family. It is also called Vishalyakarni and it is used to
control the bleeding that occurs due to open wounds and blood clots.
English - Water Hemp
Tamil - Ayapani
Hindi - Ayapan
Sanskrit - Vishalyakarna
It is an
evergreen perennial plant which is originated from South America and it also
widely grows in Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and India. The
leaves are purple and that occurs in inflorescence and are glabrous. The stem
look hairless and it is red. It is a tropical American plant
Part used: Leaves, flowers, and whole plant
Taste: Bitter ,Astringent
Potency: Hot
On
chemical compound analysis of Ayapan, it includes
The leaves
contain essential oil and coumarins, ayapanin and ayapin, stigmasterol, esculetin
methylene ether, vitamin C, and carotene.
Action:
The dose
of the drug used according to the physician
Fresh juice: 5-10ml
Less
information is available regarding the use of this medicine in pregnant and
breastfeeding women. Kindly consult with the doctor before initiating the
treatment.
Antihelminthetic activity:
They
indicated that a methanol extract of ayapana could whiten the skin by
interfering with melanogenesis
Ayapana
has long been used in traditional medicine systems for wounds and to stop
bleeding. Researchers in India studied these ethnic uses in mice and the study
they published in 2010 revealed that both the fresh leaf juice and a methanolic
extract of ayapana leaves decreased bleeding time and clotting time
significantly which confirmed the use of ayapana in arresting bleeding and
treating wounds.
Several
universities have supported research concerning ayapana’s use as a food
additive to stored food crops to keep common pests and insects from feeding on
them.
Ayapan as a cure-all:
Ayapana
remedies are quite popular and widely sold in India where it's touted as a
"cure-all." The herbal products market in the United States has been
slow to catch onto this rainforest remedy. It is available here only under a
few labels, mostly in extracts and capsules.
With its antibacterial actions and ability to ease coughs and upset stomachs as well as lower fevers, it makes for a nice natural remedy during cold and flu season and strep throat. An ayapana leaf tea even tastes good and is mildly calming.
Ayapana is also a good herbal remedy for stomach ulcers and ulcerative colitis. Its documented actions to protect the stomach and bowel from forming ulcers, to stop bleeding, and to help heal ulcers and reduce inflammation makes it a first-line remedy for ulcerative colitis and other bowel conditions like Crohn's and IBS.
Its
traditional uses against tumors and cancer still have a way to go to be
clinically validated and much more research is needed.
Unfortunately,
as with most natural plant remedies, those with the money to conduct these
studies will continue to research the active anti-tumorous chemicals in ayapana
rather than the plant itself.
This is
the only way they can capitalize off of this kind of expensive research in
their search for new patentable cancer drugs since natural plant extracts
cannot be patented or approved as pharmaceutical drugs
Ayapan in Anti-microbial activity:
Several
different research groups over the years have studied ayapana's antimicrobial
actions in test-tube studies and reported good antibacterial actions against
various gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.
In 2008,
researchers in Bangladesh reported various crude extracts of ayapana evidenced
good antimicrobial activity against 11 human pathogenic bacteria and six
phytopathogenic fungi. In 2011, Indian researchers re-confirmed ayapana's
antibacterial actions but reported it only had a mild or moderate activity
against the antibiotic-resistant pathogens they tested it against.
In 2010,
other researchers tested the essential oil of the aerial parts of ayapana and
reported the oil had moderate antibacterial actions and strong antifungal
actions.
Other researchers have studied the plant's
antifungal actions. In several studies, ayapana didn't provide very good antifungal
actions. Even when a leaf essential oil was tested only weak activity was
shown.
The
essential oil of the flowers, however, has yielded much better antifungal
results than the plant itself. In 1979, researchers in India reported a strong
activity against 10 strains of fungi.
In 1993,
the essential oil from the flowers of ayapana was reported to possess
antibacterial (against staph, cholera, pneumonia, and shigella), as well as
antiparasitic (Ascaris), and anthelmintic (Taenia) actions by researchers in
India. In an early animal study, the flower essential oil injected into mice was
reported to have CNS depressant, pain-relieving, and sedative effects (as well
as an in vitro antibacterial effect).
Ayapana
has antiseptic, expectorant, liver-protecting, ulcer preventing and wound
healing properties. Its oral intake stops bleeding, detoxifies the blood, cures
fever, promotes sweating, and thins the blood.
Ayapana as Purgative:
Purgation
or Viresanam (Siddha) is an induced cleaning process using herbs. It is done to
cleanse the digestive system and is typically recommended in Pitta/Bile and
liver disorders.
It is useful in piles, poisoning, skin
diseases, nausea, vomiting, colitis, chronic fevers, enlarged abdomen, and
jaundice.
Viresanam
helps the body to get rid of ama/toxins and excess pitta. Excessive bile or
Pitta in the body is responsible for many diseases such as skin diseases,
pimples, rashes, vomiting, jaundice, etc.
Viresanam
is not done in weak, old people, pregnant women, during menstruation, in uterus
prolapse, weak digestion, Vata diseases, bleeding disorders, etc.
Ayapana
has laxative and emetic properties due to which it can be used for viresanam. A
decoction prepared using all five parts of the plant viz. leaves, roots,
flowers, fruits and stem when taken in large doses causes vomiting and loose
motions.
Ayapan juice:
Take the
required amount of leaves and get juice from them. Consume this juice to treat
piles
Ayapan Kwath:
Take the
required amount of leaves, roots, plants, flowers, fruits, and stem boil it
until it reduces to ¼ th of the water. Use this remedy to treat fever
External use:
Ayapan paste:
Take the
required amount of leaves and make it as a paste. Apply this paste on an
affected area to treat wound and insect bite
How can I use the oil obtained from
ayapan?
The oil obtained
from the ayapan is used as an antidote for snake bite
Is Ayapan leaves available in the
market?
Yes, it is
available in the market and it can be brought from online websites or ayurvedic
and stores.
How to store Ayapan powder?
It should
be stored in an airtight container and keep the medicines away from the heat
and light and Do not keep the medicines reaching out to children