It is an
important medicinal plant that is used in the treatment of various ailments.
The botanical name for Nirgundi is Vitex Negundo Linn which belongs to the
Verbenaceae family. It also acts as an antihistamine and muscle relaxant. In
Indian, it is a traditional medicine system that is referred to as
Sarvaroganivarani.
Hindi
– Sambhalu, mewri
Telugu
– Indhuvara, vavili
Tamil
– Chinduvaram, Nirnochchi, Nochochi
Bengali
– Fiver Leaved Chaste
Filipino
– Lagundi
Assamese
– Pochatia
Chinese
– Huang jing
Kannada
– Bile-nekki
Punjabi
– Banna, Marwan
Nirgundi is originated from tropical
Eastern and Southern Africa and Asia countries. It is also widely distributed
from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,
Korea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the
Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, and Vietnam.
It is a bushy plant that grows about 6-12
feet tall and is covered by hair. The bark of this stem is thin and the leaf is
long and has 3-5 leaves and the edges o the leaves are plain. The flowers are
2-3 inch long and it is blue or white with a purple tint. The fruits are small
with mixed colors white and black and the bark of the root is green on the
outside and yellow inside.
The flowering season is between June and
August and the fruits appear in December.
Part used: Leaf, roots, and seeds
Taste: Pungent and Bitter
Potency: Hot
On
chemical compound analysis of the Nirgundi, it includes
Leaves:
Aucubin aginuside, Alkaloids, Nishindine, Hydrocotylene, glycoflavoids,
Orientin, Isoorientin, 5-Hydroxy,3,6,7,31,4 1 pentamethoxy flavones
Seeds:
Hydrocarbons such as n-tritriacontane, n-hentriacontane, n-pentatriacontane,
and nonacosane, Beta-sitosterol, phydroxybenzoic acid, and 5 oxyisophthalic
acids
Essential
oil: delta-guaiene contains guaia-3,7-dienecaryophyllene epoxide,
ethyl-hexadecenote, alpha-selinen, germacren-4-ol, caryophyllene epoxide,
e-nerolidol, beta-selinene, alpha-cedrene, germacrene D, hexadecanoic acid,
p-cymene, and valencene.
Phenol, dulcitol, alkaloid-vitricine,
B-sitosterol, camphene, orientin, arteemetin, monoterpenes, anguside
eurostoside, and aucubin. It also contains chrysophanol, flavonoids, casting, and vitexin.
ACTIONS:
Analgesic – reduce pain
Anthelmintic – kills the intestinal worms
in the body
Antiandrogenic – decreases the effect of
male sex hormones
Anti-asthmatic – prevent asthma
Anticatarrhal – remove the mucus from the
body
Anti-inflammatory – reduce inflammation
Antimicrobial – kills the microbes
Appetizer – increase appetite
Carminative – prevent the formation of gas
Discutient – disperses the tumor
Emmenagogue – increase the menstrual flow
Hepatoprotective – prevent the liver
damage
Larvicidal – Kill the larva mosquito
Muscle relaxant – relax the muscle tension
In India and Pakistan, the flowers are
used to treat diarrhea, root powder or tincture produced from the roots and
bark are used in the treatment of Dysentery, dyspepsia, cholera, colic, and
irritable bowel.
In Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia the
crushed leaf poultice, smoked leaves, and leaves stuffed pillow is used in the
treatment of headache
In Srilanka and India fruits, and
decoction produced from the leaf are used to treat eye diseases like cataracts
and watery eyes
In China and India decoction produced from
the root is used to treat respiratory problems like cough, cold, flu, and sore
throat
In Malaysia, leaf juice is used in the
treatment of gynecological disorders like Dysmenorrhea, gonorrhea, uterine
dysfunction
In India the flowers o this her used in
the treatment of jaundice and the decoction produced from the stem used in the
treatment of burns
The
dose of the drug used according to the physician
Dried
fruit extract: 40mg
Dried
leaves extract: 300-600mg
Fluid
extract: 0.5-1.0 ml\
Fruits:
3-9 (decoction)
Leaf
decoction: 50-100ml
Leaf
juice: 10-20ml
Leaf
powder: 1.5-3g
Root
bark powder: 3-6g
Seeds
powder: 1-3g
Tincture:
40drops
Therapy
should be administered with caution in patients who are taking dopamine agonists,
and hormone replacement therapy because it may increase the effect t of
dopaminergic agonists due to their dopaminergic effect of nirgundi
It
should be administered with caution in patients with heart disease because it
may cause some adverse effects due to its cardiac glycosides action
The
consumption of leaves may decrease the sexual libido
Do
not use this herb if you are allergic to the constituents of the Nirgundi
Kindly
avoid this herb when you are breastfeeding because the use of this herb may
inhibit the secretion of prolactin
Do
not use this herb if you are pregnant because the use of this herb may
stimulant the uterine and induce abortion
Rheumatoid arthritis:
Traditional view: According to Ayurveda, Rheumatoid arthritis is
called Amavata. It mainly occurs due to the imbalance of Vata dosha and the accumulation
of toxins that occurs due to improper digestion. Taking this nirgundi on
regular basis helps to control rheumatoid arthritis by its hot properties
Modern view: Due to its anti-inflammatory properties it
helps to reduce joint inflammation by inhibiting the synthesis of chemicals
that cause inflammation
Cough
According
to Ayurveda, cough occurs due to the imbalance of Kapha. The cough usually
occurs due to the formation and accumulation of mucus in the lungs. The use of
nirgundi helps to reduce cough by balancing the imbalance of Kapha by its hot
potency and it also helps to reduce mucus accumulation and prevent the cough
Epilepsy:
According
to the Ayurveda, epilepsy is called Apasmara. In epilepsy, the patient
experienced jerky movement in the body and this occurs due to the imbalance of
Vata, Pitta, and Kapha doshas. The use of nirgundi helps to balance the imbalance of these three doshas by its
Medhya (brain tonic) effect and it also relaxes the nerves and prevents the
further episodes
Arthritic pain
It is a
condition in which pain occurs in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
due to the imbalance of Vata dosha. The use of nirgundi treats the pain by
balancing the Vata. Apply this paste of nirgundi on the affected area to reduce
joint pain
Grey hair:
According
to Ayurveda, grey hair occurs due to the imbalance of Kapha dosha. Apply the
nirgundi oil on the scalp which helps to balance the Kapha and prevent the grey
hair by its Keshya (hair tonic) properties
Diabetes:
Traditional
view: According to Ayurveda, di9abetews occurs due to the imbalance of Vata and
Kapha doshas which leads to disturbing the insulin secretion from the pancreas.
The use of nirgundi helps to increase the insulin secretion by its Tikta
(Bitter) and Vata-Kapha properties
Modern
view: It is used to treat diabetes by its antioxidant properties
Piles:
According
to Ayurveda, Piles is called Arsh usually occurs due to the imbalance of Vata,
Pitta, and Kapha doshas this leads to constipation and cause edema in the
rectal veins which leads to piles. The use of nirgundi helps to control the
bleeding by reducing the size of the pile mass by its Kashaya (astringent)
The Nigundi comes in various formulations includes
Internal
use:
Nirgundi
juice:
Take the required amount of nirgundi leaf juice as
per the dose and duration prescribed by the doctor and take it after your meals
to treat cough
Nirgundi
Powder:
Take the required amount of nirgundi powder as per
the dose and duration prescribed by the doctor
and take it in lukewarm water after your meals to get relief from
rheumatic pain and inflammation
Nirgundi
capsules:
Take the required amount of nirgundi capsule as per
the dose and duration prescribed by the doctor and take it after your meals and
use this regularly to treat generalized pain in your body
External
use:
Nirgundi
oil:
Take the required amount of nirgundi oil as per the
dose and duration prescribed by the doctor on a cotton swab and apply this in
the affected area and leave it for 10-15 mins and wash it with lukewarm water
which helps to treat ulcers and helps to wound the heal quickly
Nirgundi
leaf:
Take the required amount of nirgundi leaf as per the dose and duration prescribed by
the doctor and burn few dry leaves and inhale the fumes to treat headache
Nirgundi
paste:
Take the required amount of nirgundi leaves paste as
per the dose and duration prescribed by the doctor and apply this paste on the
affected area to treat headache
Stomach
upset
Itching
Skin
rash
Is Nirgundi powder
available in the market?
Yes, it is available in the market and it can be brought
from online websites or ayurvedic medical stores.
How to store Nirgundi
oil?
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
Does Nirgundi work against snake venom
poisoning?
Yes, the use
of nirgundi is effective against snake venom poisoning by stimulating the
production of antibodies against the snake venom and increase the immune
response
