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Medicinal Plant details |
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| Sanskrit Name |
Scimsapa, Kanakauli; Madhooka |
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| Common name in English |
Mahua, Buttercup Tree |
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| Botanical Name |
Madhuca longifolia (Koenig) Macbr. |
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| Etymology |
Madhuca' is Sanskrit term for honey, `Bassia' memorises Fernando Bass, curator of Botanical Garden in Italy, `latifolia' in Latin indicates broad leaves, while `longifloia' means long leaves, earlier used for referring another species from the genus
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| Historical Accounts |
It was probably no coincidence that Emperor Ashoka, the great ruler of ancient India, in the 3rd century BC, commanded that the neem be planted along the royal highway and roads along with other perennials-tamarind, Tamarindus indica and mahua, Madhuca longifolia var. latifolia.
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| Parts Used |
flowers, root, fruit,seed oil andleaves |
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| Human Medicinal Usage |
Plant is astringent and emollient; yield two important products, fixed oil and spirit. Oil is good for skin-diseases (Kirtikar & Basu, 1935).
Flowers are cooling, tonicand demulcent. They are used in coughs, colds and bronchitis and used as a mild purgative. Bark decoction is an astringent and emollient, and also a remedy for itch.
Mahuva oil has emollient properties and it used in skin diseases, rheumatisum and headache. It is laxative and considerable useful in habitual constipation, piles and haemorrhoids and it is used also as an emetic. The seeds are galactagogue (Kirtikar & Basu, 1935).
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| Veterinary Medicinal Usage |
The flowers are used as a feed for live stockes. They are relsihed by cattle and when fed as a part of the concentrate mixture, they have no adverse effect on yield of milk.
If small insects are noticed in the wound caused by nose rope, neem oil mixed along with oil of Madhuca longifolia is applied on the wound (Bhagya, 1999).
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| Agriculture Usage |
Mahua cakeis with insecticidal and pesticidal properties. It is used as manure either with the mixture of ammonium sulphate or alone.
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| Other Usage |
The flowers are mainly used in preparation of distilled liqours. Rind of ripened dolma (Madhuca longifolia) are eaten and oil is extracted out of its kernel. Fully ripened fruits yield maximum quantity of oil (Sharma, 1998).
Oil-cake of Madhuca longifolia is used for bathing purpose (Manandhar, 2000-2001).
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| Synonyms |
Bassia longifolia Koenig. |
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| Family |
Sapotaceae |
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| Description |
A deciduous spreading tree, 10-15 m tall, with dense, round, shady canopy; bark rough, brown, slightly cracked and fissured; inner bark red; exudes white, milky sap when cut. Leaves: elliptic, 15-25 x 8-15 cm, pointed at apex; base angled, texture thick, hairy beneath; nerves strong, about 12 pairs, tertiary nerves oblique, entire or wavy on margins. Flowers: in bunches at the end of the branches, white, 2 cm long, pointed, sweat scented, fleshy. Fruits: ovoid, fleshy, 2-4 cm across, greenish, 1 to 4-seeded. Seeds: elongate, 2 cm long, brown, shining.
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| Common Name in India |
Jambu, Suria (Hindi); Jambha, Surya (Marathi); Kondatangeedu, Eravalu, Bojeh, Errachennamangi (Telugu); Irul, Iruvel, Aruvapalm (Tamil); Jambe, Shilpe, Aravutakku, Betada-varike, Hommavarike, Takku (Kannada); Irumulla, Irumul, Kadamarom, Irimpullam (Malayalum); Boja, Kongora, Dhamoni, Tangini (Oriya); Irul (Trade name) |
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| Habitat |
Deciduous forests, especially dry, scrub, savanna, avenues, home gardens, fields etc. growing below 800 m in hot and dry, moist conditions.
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| Soil (Physical/Chemical) |
Plant thrives on all types of soils with a considerable depth of loam and may be grow in comparatively dry localities.
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| Regional Distribution |
It is common in monsoon forest of Western ghats from Konkan southwards to Central India, Eastern Ghats along with the bank of rivers and streams.
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| Chemical composition |
Plant is containing starch, mineral matter, organic matter, potash, carotene, carbohydrates, ascorbic acid, tannins, cauotache, ethyl cinnamate. Seeds contain glucoside mowrin.
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| Herbarium No |
0 |
REFERENCES |
| SR No. |
NAME |
ARTICLE TITLE |
AUTHOR |
PLACE OF PUBLICATION |
VOLUME/ISSUE |
YEAR |
PUBLISHER |
COMMENT |
| 1 |
Honey Bee. |
For Curing Nose Rope Wound. |
Bhagya, V. |
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10(4): 9. |
1999. |
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| 2 |
Pullaiah, T. |
Medicinal plants in India. |
Pullaiah, T. |
New Delhi. |
2 Vols. |
2002. |
Regency Publication. |
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| 3 |
FRLHT. |
Tropical Indian Medicinal plants Propagation methods. |
Sumy, O, Ved, DK, Krishnan, R. |
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pp40-41 |
2000. |
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