Herbal Remedies

Family Name: Thymelaeaceae (Daphne family)Part used : Root

• Kutaki is among the best Pitta pacifying Ayurveda herbs.
• It stimulates proper secretion of bile juices from liver and corrects all functions of liver.
• Kutaki is bitter to taste, if given in small dose it stimulates taste buds and increases appetite, liver stimulant and cholagogue.
• In excess amount Kutaki acts as a purgative.
• In heart disease Kutaki and glycyrrhiza in equal quality with sugar, is prescribed.
• Kutaki acts as a diuretic in diabetes.
• Kutaki is best remedy for purification of milk in lactative mothers.
• In small doses Kutaki is useful in conditions like loss of appetite, liver disorders and jaundice which are due to obstruction in biliary passages.
• In constipation, flatulence and ascites, Kutaki acts as a purgative if given in large dose.
• When given in congestive cardiac failure Kutaki causes a watery diarrhea. This reduces the circulatory hydrostatic pressure on the heart and there by the workload on it.
• Kutaki reduces pulse rate which is similar to the action of digitalis.

Details :

• Tubers are used as nervine tonic and aphrodisiac. It is also used to treat cuts, wounds, cough and anemia.
• Tuberous root powder is spread on wounds to control bleeding, and decoction of root is utilized in treating stomach troubles.
• Tuberous roots are tonic; pulverized and mixed with water, and applied as a disinfectant on wounds, particularly those resulting from burns.
• The tuber yields salap and is reputed as expectorant, aphrobisiac and as nervine tonic.
• Tuberous roots are eaten raw or with milk or honey, as an aphrodisiac and a vital tonic; its paste is applied on cuts and wounds for speedy healing.
• Young leaves and shoots are eaten as vegetables. Root paste is often used in promoting growth and blackness of hair . 

Details:

• The bark, flowers, fruits and seeds are astringent, cooling, anthelmintic, tonic, and febrifug.
• It is mainly used in dental ailments like bleeding gums, pyorrhea, dental caries and loose teeth.
• Extract of flowers used against heart diseases, leucorrhoea, menorrhagia and act as antiduretic in polyuria and antitoxin. 
• The snuff made from the dried and powdered flowers used in a disease called Ahwa in which strong fever, headache and pain in the neck, shoulders and other parts of the body occurs. 
• Powder of dried flowers is a brain tonic and useful as a snuff to relieve cephalalgia.

Goolar is an attractive fig tree witha crooked trumk and a spreading crown. Unlike the banyan, it has no aerial roots. The most distinctive aspect of this tree is the red, furry figs in short clusters, which grow directly out of the trunk of the tree. Those looking for the flower of goolar should know that the fig is actually a compartment carrying hundreds of flowers. One might wonder how these flowers enclosed in a ball are pollinated. The flowers are pollinated by very small wasps that crawl through the opening in search of a suitable place to reproduce (lay eggs) Without this pollinator service fig trees cannot reproduce by seed.

• Roots are useful in hydrophobia whereas bark is acrid, cooling, galactagogue and good for gynaecological disorders.
• Fruits are astringent to bowels, styptic, tonic and useful in the treatment of leucorrhoea, blood disorders, burning sensation, fatigue, urinary discharges, leprosy, menorrhagia, epistaxis and intestinal worms.
• Bark is useful in asthma and piles. Latex is applied externally on chronic infected wounds to alleviate edema, pain and to promote the healing.
• The tender leaf buds are applied on the skin, in the form of paste, to improve the complexion.
• Leaves are astringent to bowels and good in case of bronchitis whereas fruits are useful in treatment of dry cough, loss of voice, diseases of kidney and spleen.

A large deciduous thorny shrub grows up to 5 meters of height. Leaves simple, obovate, wrinkled, shiny and pubescent. Flowers white, fragrant, solitary, seen on at the end of short branches. Fruits globose, smooth berries with longitudinal ribs; yellow when ripe. Seeds many, compressed, embedded in the dark fetid pulp. Details :

Medicinal Uses :

• The drug is emetic, anthelmintic, Anti-microbial, abortifacient and astringent. Root useful in Skin diseases.
• The pulp of fruit is believed by many practitioners to also have anthelmintic properties, and also used as an abortiffcient as folklore remedy.
• It cures abscess, ulcers, inflammation, wounds, tumours, skin diseases and have antibacterial activity.
• Randia dumetorum is used in treatment asthma, rhinitis, bronchatitis, cold, cough, pain, inflammation etc.
• Randia dumetorum extract was obtained from dried and powdered fruits of Randia dumetorum using 95% methanol and its fractions were obtained by using increasing polarity of solvents like 
• Petroleum ether, chloroform, ethylacetate and methanol.