All about Ayurveda & Medicinal Plants

Desmodium

Scientific name of Desmodium: Desmodium gangeticum

Name of Desmodium in different languages:-

English: Sal Leaved Desmodium

Sanskrit: अंशुमती anshumati, ध्रुवा dhruva, दीर्घमूला dirghamoola, पीवरी pivari, शालपर्णी shalaparni

Hindi: Shalaparni

Malayalam: Orila ഓരില

Plant Description:

Orila or Sal Leaved Desmodium is an annual herb, usually found in abandoned areas, roadsides etc., growing up to 1.5 m in height, it is woody near the base. Leaves are simple, green, ovate and elliptic, 1.2 cm to 15.5 cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide. Flowers are pink or purple. Sepal cup is seen pale green. Peas are found in leaf axils, fruits are almost stalk less, sized up to 7 to 8-jointed.

Leaf Arrangement

Shape-Oblong Margin-Entire Venation-Pinnate
 oblong-ovate  Margin_Entire  Venation-pinnate

 

Useful plant parts:

Root, whole plant

Medicinal uses:

To control Tridoshas (Vata, Pita and Kapha), cough, fever, bronchitis, vomiting, wounds.

Chemical Contents:

alkaloids like-desmodin, gangetin, gangetinin, pterocarpan phytoalexin desmocarpin, 5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine etc. 

How to prepare medicines:

The decoction  is capable of  induced the blood flow to the heart; it also helpful to control alcoholism, ground leaf juice is used to treat scorpion bite poison.

It is the one of the ingredients in the Ayurveda medicines like-

Ajamamsa Rasayanam Dhanwanthararishtam  Pippalyadi Ghrita
Anu Tailam  Guduchyadi Tailam  Sahajaradi Kuzhambu
Brihat Ashwagandha Ghrita Indukantam Ghritam  Shiva Gulika
Brihat Dashamoola Tailam Kalyanaka Ghritam  Sudarsanasava
Brihatyadi kashayam  Kumkumadi Tailam  Sukumara Ghrita
Dasamoola panchakoladi kahsayam Maha Panchagavya Ghrita Vidariyadi Ghrita
Dasamoolarishtam Maha Vishagarbha Tailam Vidariyadi kahsayam
Dashamoola Ghrita Mahanarayana Tailam Vishnu Taila
Dashamoola Shatpala Ghrita Maharajaprasarini Thailam Vyaghri Taila 
Dhanwantharam Kuzhambu Mushikadi Thailam Vyoshadi Kashayam
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