Herbal Science

Herbal Garden Part 2

GERANIUM

Common Name: Geranium

English Name: Geranium

 

Perennial shrub up to 90 cm tall. Leaves broadly cord ate, chartaceous with about 5 innatisect secondary lobes, pubescent on both surfaces. Flowers pinking, leaf opposed bracteates in umbel. Parts used: Whole plant source of essential oil. Major Constituents: Main constituents are citronellal, geranial, or penne, medicine, philandered, limonene etc. Uses: Geranium oil has strong rose-like odor with mint top note. It blends well with all kinds of scents, both floral as well as oriental and is used extensively in perfumery and cosmetics.

EVENING PRIMROSE

Common Name: Evening primrose.

English Name: Evening primrose.

 

Usually biennial, but often flowering the first year, rosettes attaining 60 cm diameter; stems about 30-40 cm... High, copiously branched, green to red: lower leaves narrowly oblanceolate, the upper ovate; flowers yellow, Hypanthium’s about 2 cm long. Fruit linear. Seed angled horizontal in pod. Parts Used: Seeds. Major Constituents: The seeds yield substantial amount of fixed oil containing y-lanoline acid. Uses: The oil is widely used as a dietary supplement, for cosmetic purpose and more especially for the treatment of atrophic eczema the pre menstrual syndrome.

GHRITAKUMARI

Common Name: Ghritakumari

English Name: A barbed enensis Mill

 

The plant is characterized by succulent leaves having prickles along the margin; leaves arranged in a rosette at the base on the soil. The leaves are sub erect or spreading, lance late, acuminate, 30-60 cm long and 5-7.5 cm broad. The flowers are 2.5 cm long. Yellow to vermillion and arranged along a central axis, which may be 60-90 cm long. Parts used: Leaves, Aloe juice and Aloe gel. Major Constituents: The principle constituent of aloe is barb loin, a 10 glucopyranosyl derivative of aloe-emodine - and throne, a small amount of free aloe-emodine is also present. Uses: Aloe juice, which on drying forms semi opaque. Dark-brown substance called Muss bar in Indian trade; this plant product is reputed to possess purgative action.

GILOY

Common Name: Amrita, Giloy, Gulancha

English Name: Tinospora

 

Large, glabrous, deciduous, climbing shrubs. Leaves broadly ovate, cordite, long petiolate. Flowers small, yellow or greenish-yellow, appearing when the plant is leafless, in axillary’s and terminal racemes or recompose panicles; male flowers clustered females usually solitary. Parts used: Root, stem, leaf. Major Constituents: The dry stem with bark constitutes the drug, which have different reported constituents, such as bitter glycoside Gillian a non glucosidal gloxinia. Three bitter compounds namely tinosporon acid and tinosporol have been reported. Uses: It is an important constituent of several preparations, used in general debility, dyspepsia fever as aphrodisiac in urinary disorders. It is also reported to provide relief in diabetes, piles and dysentery. A part from stem, the decoction of the leaves is used in the treatment of gout. The root is also powerful emetic and also used for visceral obstruction.

ISABGOL

Common Name: Ishapgola, isapghul

English Name: Blond Phylum, Indian Phylum, Spogel Seeds

 

It is an annual herb with rosette-like leaves, 3-45 cm in length. Leaves are narrowly linear, 7-20 cm long and 4-6 mm in breath. A large number of flowering shoots emerge from the base. Shoots are cylindrical to ovate in shape and 2-4 cm in length. Flowers are white and minute. Capsule is ovate, 8 mm long with two seeds, pinking-grey brown or pinkish white in color. Each seed is encased in a thin white translucent membrane which is odorless and tasteless. Parts used: Seeds and seed husk Major Constituents: The isabgol husk yields colloidal mucilage consisting mainly of xylose. Arab nose and galacturonic acid. Ramose and gelatos are also present. The dehisced seeds possess yellow semi-drying oil, rich in Lonoleic acid. Uses: The dried seeds and husk are mildly astringent, emollient, demulcent, lubricant and laxative, and used in the treatment of chronic constipation, amoebic and bacillary dysentery and diarrhea.