4. Santalum album
Englishname: Sandalwood
Kannada name:Srigandha ( Karnataka State tree)
Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae
Class: Santalales
Family: Santalaceae
Genus: santalum
Species: album
Taxonomic description:
Santalum album is a small evergreen tree that grows to 4 m in Australia, but in India it is much larger and can grow to a height of 20 m; girth of up to 2.4 m, with slender drooping branchlets. Bark is tight, dark brown, reddish, dark grey or nearly black, smooth in young trees, rough with deep vertical cracks in older trees, red inside. Leaves thin, usually opposite, ovate or ovate elliptical, 3-8 x 3-5 cm, glabrous and shining green above, glaucous and slightly paler beneath; tip rounded or pointed; stalk grooved, 5-15 cm long; venation noticeably reticulate. Flowers purplish-brown, small, straw coloured, reddish, green or violet, about 4-6 mm long, up to 6 in small terminal or axillary clusters, unscented in axillary or terminal, paniculate cymes. Fruit a globose, fleshy drupe; red, purple to black when ripe, about 1 cm in diameter, with hard ribbed endocarp.
Medicinal uses:· Santalum album is quite effective in relieving excessive gas. A watery emulsion of the wood is mixed with sugar, honey and rice water should be consumed orally.. Sandalwood is also useful for relieving dysentery. It is to be consumed in the same way as gastric irritability. Sandal wood is beneficial in the management of gonorrhea. Its powder can be mixed with milk and are made into pills and can be consumed. Sandalwood can also be used in relieving dysuria and cystitis. Sandalwood paste is popularly known to relieve prickly heat. It helps to stop excessive sweating and relieves inflamed skin. In order to relieve abundant sweating one can apply dry sandalwood oil mixed with rose water to various parts of the body.The oil can be used for relieving acne or pimples as well. When Santalum is applied on the temple it helps to get rid of headaches and lowers down the temperature of the fever. Both sandalwood as well as sandalwood oil is useful in arresting secretion of bleeding as well as promoting the flow of urine. It also has a soothing effect on skin and mucous membranes.
Kannada name:Srigandha ( Karnataka State tree)
Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae
Class: Santalales
Family: Santalaceae
Genus: santalum
Species: album
Taxonomic description:
Santalum album is a small evergreen tree that grows to 4 m in Australia, but in India it is much larger and can grow to a height of 20 m; girth of up to 2.4 m, with slender drooping branchlets. Bark is tight, dark brown, reddish, dark grey or nearly black, smooth in young trees, rough with deep vertical cracks in older trees, red inside. Leaves thin, usually opposite, ovate or ovate elliptical, 3-8 x 3-5 cm, glabrous and shining green above, glaucous and slightly paler beneath; tip rounded or pointed; stalk grooved, 5-15 cm long; venation noticeably reticulate. Flowers purplish-brown, small, straw coloured, reddish, green or violet, about 4-6 mm long, up to 6 in small terminal or axillary clusters, unscented in axillary or terminal, paniculate cymes. Fruit a globose, fleshy drupe; red, purple to black when ripe, about 1 cm in diameter, with hard ribbed endocarp.
Medicinal uses:· Santalum album is quite effective in relieving excessive gas. A watery emulsion of the wood is mixed with sugar, honey and rice water should be consumed orally.. Sandalwood is also useful for relieving dysentery. It is to be consumed in the same way as gastric irritability. Sandal wood is beneficial in the management of gonorrhea. Its powder can be mixed with milk and are made into pills and can be consumed. Sandalwood can also be used in relieving dysuria and cystitis. Sandalwood paste is popularly known to relieve prickly heat. It helps to stop excessive sweating and relieves inflamed skin. In order to relieve abundant sweating one can apply dry sandalwood oil mixed with rose water to various parts of the body.The oil can be used for relieving acne or pimples as well. When Santalum is applied on the temple it helps to get rid of headaches and lowers down the temperature of the fever. Both sandalwood as well as sandalwood oil is useful in arresting secretion of bleeding as well as promoting the flow of urine. It also has a soothing effect on skin and mucous membranes.
5. Artocarpus hirsutus
English name: Wild jack
Kannada name: Hebbalasu
Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Genus: Artocarpus
Species: hirsutus
Taxonomic discription:
Large trees up to 35 m tall, Bark dark grey, smooth when young, later scaly/flaky. Latex white, profuse. Leaves simple, alternate, spiral, clustered at twigs end; stipules to 2.5 cm long, lanceolate, tawny hirsute, caducous, leaving the annular scar; lamina ovate to broadly elliptic, apex subacute or shortly acuminate, base rounded or subacute, margin entire or undulate.Flowers unisexual; male flowers in axillary spikes, pendulous, female flowers in axillary spikes, ovoid.Syncarp (Sorosis), subglobose or ellipsoid with long echinate processes, orange when ripe; seeds many, ovoid.
Classification:
Large trees up to 35 m tall, Bark dark grey, smooth when young, later scaly/flaky. Latex white, profuse. Leaves simple, alternate, spiral, clustered at twigs end; stipules to 2.5 cm long, lanceolate, tawny hirsute, caducous, leaving the annular scar; lamina ovate to broadly elliptic, apex subacute or shortly acuminate, base rounded or subacute, margin entire or undulate.Flowers unisexual; male flowers in axillary spikes, pendulous, female flowers in axillary spikes, ovoid.Syncarp (Sorosis), subglobose or ellipsoid with long echinate processes, orange when ripe; seeds many, ovoid.
Uses:
The fruits are usually used as an appetizer and ingredient in snacks. They are stored in jars adding salt after removing the outer skin. They are used in preparing chutney. The timber obtained and the ripe fruits are locally traded. The wood is harvested usually for the house construction, boat building, furniture making, etc.
Powdered bark is used in healing sores. Leaves are useful fodder for elephants.The seeds are powdered and mixed with honey for the treatment of asthma. An infusion of the bark is applied to the skin to cure pimples and cracks. Ripe fruits are cooling in nature and aphrodisiac. Bark has the properties to cure ulcers, diarrhea, and pimples. For skin diseases, fresh seeds of hirsutus are boiled in water and kept in a container for a day. The oil that appears on the top surface is collected. The water content in the oil is removed after boiling it repeatedly. This oil is applied externally on the affected parts.
6. Asparagus racemosus
English name: Satavar
Kannada name: Shatavari
Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asperragales
Family: Asparagaceae
Genus: Asparagus
Species: racemosus
Taxonomic discription:
A thorny, climbing shrub with woody stems. Leaves are reduced to minute scales and spines. Fruits are globular, purplish black. Roots are succulent and tuberous which are tapering at both ends.
Uses:
Used in stomach ache, diarrhea, inflammation, burning sensation, excessive perspiration, nervous debility, cough, bronchitis and skin diseases.
Stimulate mammary gland secretion. Shatavari is considered to be the main Ayurvedic rejuvenating female tonic for overall health and vitality.