Common name: East-Indian screw tree, Nut-leaved
screw tree • Hindi: मरोड़ फली Maror phali •Marathi: मुरुड शेंग Murud sheng • Sanskrit: म्रिग श्रिंग Mriga Shringa • Kannada: Yedmuri •
Telugu: Valambiri • Tamil: Vadampiri • Bengali: Antamora
Botanical name:
Helicteres isora Family: Sterculiaceae (Cacao family)
Introduction: East-Indian screw tree is a
sub-deciduous shrub or small tree with grey coloured bark. Leaves simple,
serrate margin, scabrous above and pubescent beneath. Flowers solitary or in
sparse clusters, with red petals turning pale blue when old. Fruits greenish
brown, beaked, cylindrical, spirally twisted on ripening. The twisted shape of
the fruit is what lends most of it names like screw tree and maror
phali.
Medicinal uses: The roots and stem barks are
considered to be expectorant, demulcent, astringent and antiglactagogue. Bark
is used in diarrhoea, dysentery, scbies, biliousness and is useful in gripping
of the bowels. Root juice is used in antidiarrhoeal and antidysenteric
formulations. Fried pods are given to children to kill intestinal worms.
Geographical distribution
The plant occurs throughout India and
very common in dry deciduous forests.
Chemical composition
Bark contains saponins, sugar,
phlobotannins, lignin, phytosterol, hydroxy carboxylic acid and an organic
yellow crystalline colouring matter.
Therapeutic uses
The root and stem barks are considered
to be expectorant, astringent and antigalactogogue. Bark is used in diarrhoea,
dysentery, scabies, biliousness and is especially useful in gripping of the
bowls. Juice extracted from roots is used in antidiarrhoeal and antidysenteric
formulations. The pods are demulcent, astringent, expectorant,
antigalactagogue. Used in dysentery, diarrhoea, diabetes, empyema, stomach
affections and a cure of scabies.
Folk medicinal uses
The root-bark is used in intestinal
disorders in doses of 5-30 gm. 20 gm. seeds powder of the plant is used thrice
a day for one week in the treatment of dysentery and stomach pain. For the
treatment of stomachache; fruits of the plant are ground and made into the
powder. This is taken in the doses of 2-3 gm. Twice daily for two days. 10 gm.
roots of the plant are ground with water and given in stomach disorders thrice
daily for a week. The claim is also reported by local people.
Preparations
Gandharva churna, sidha praneshwar ras.
Flowers : May-July
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