Glycyrrhiza glabra

The
Sanskrit name madhuka should not be confused with madhuka which means
yastimadhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra), which is entirely a different plant.
Madhuka is one of the herbs mentioned in all ancient scriptures of
Ayurveda and has few synonyms like vanaprastha, svadupuspa, uksnasara,
madhusrava, madhulaka, madhusthila, gudapuspa etc. The great sage Caraka
has categorized it as cadsusya – beneficial for the eyes, purisa
virajaniya – gives proper colour to the faeces and daha prasamana
relieves burning sensation of the skin. Acarya Vagbhata has mentioned it
as vajikarana – an aphrodisiac.


The
plant grows in all the plains and lower hills of India up to 1200
meters, and is at certain places, a chief constituent of the forest
vegetation. It is a large deciduous tree with rather shorter bole, but
larger crown. It grows 13-16 meters in height, and bark grayish black,
scaly. The leaves, 10-20 cm long, thick leathery, pointed at tip, with
10-12 prominent veins. The flowers strongly musk-scented, falling at
dawn, fleshy, pale or dull white, in clusters near the ends of branches.
The fruits, 2.5-5 cm long, ovoid berries, yellow when ripe. The tree
blooms in the summer and bears fruits in rainy season.


The
botanical name of madhuka is Madhuca longifolia (Synonym Madhuca India)
and it belongs to family sapotaceae. The seeds contain 55% stable oil.
From the flowers, liquor is obtained by distillation. Since centuries,
the flowers are used in Ayurvedic Pharmacy in manufacturing various
asavas and aristas (herbs, eigher in their fresh juice – arista, or
their decoction – asava. From fruits, sucrose, sitosterol, a sterol
glucoside from nuts, and amyrin acetate, capryloxyerythridiol and
capryloxyoleanolic acid isolated. From the bark lupeol acetate, amyrin
acetate, spinasterol, erythrodiol monocaprylate, betulinic acid and
oleanolic acids caprylates, rhamnose, glucose and galactose isolated.
Polysaccharides PS – AI & PS- A II, isolated from flowers,
constitute galactose, glucose, arabinose and glucoronic acid.


Properties
Madhuka
is sweet in taste, sweet in the post digestive effect and has cold
potency. It alleviates vata and pitta doshas. It possesses heavy and
oily (snigdha) attributes. The dried flowers have hot potency. The
fruits alleviate kapha and vata doshas. It has anabolic and rejuvenative
properties and is used in diseases like tuberculosis, blood diseases,
asthma, burning sensation and thirst.


Uses
The
flowers, seeds and seed oil of madhuka have great medicinal value.
Externally, the seed oil massage is very effective to alleviate pain. In
skin diseases, the juice of flowers is rubbed for oleation. It is also
beneficial as a nasya (nasal drops) in diseases of the head due to
pitta, like sinusitis. The seed oil is used in manufacturing of soaps
and is used as an edible also.


Internally,
madhuka is used in vast range of diseases. The decoction of the flowers
is a valuable remedy for pitta diseases. As a general tonic, the powder
of flowers works well with ghee and honey. The decoction of flowers
quenches the thirst effectively. Because of its astringent property,
madhukarista is salutary in diarrhea and colitis. In raktapitta, the
fresh juice of flowers is used with great benefit to arrest the
bleeding. The flowers play an important role in augmention the breast
milk in lactating mothers and in boosting the quantity of seminal fluids
also. Madhuka is benedicial in urinary ailments like burning
micturition and dehydration, fever, tuberculosis etc. The combination of
the powders of the bark skin of madhuka, pippali and marica fruits,
rhizomes of vaca and salt in equal parts is used in the form of nasal
drops, in the treatment of epilepsy, with excellent benefit. Madhuka is
the best nervine and salutary in the diseases due to vata. The
nasya-nasal therapy is useful in hysteria, cough and sinusitis. The bark
skin powder is given along with ghee and honey to improve the vitality
and sexual vigor.








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