Adhatoda vasica
Nepali Name:
Asuro
Scientific Name: Adhatoda
vasica Nees
Sanskrit Name: Vasa,
Vasak, Vajidanta.
Common Name: Malabar
Nut
Family: Acanthaceae
Description:
Vasa/ Malabar nut/ Asuro is well known throughout Nepal.
It is tall, with several branches, dense, perennial and
upto eight feet high shrub.
Leaves: are large lanceolate, ovate and having foul odour.
Stem: Quadrangular
Flowers: Whitish or purple, in clusters at the apex or arises
from axilla.
Fruits: Capsular four seeded fruits.
Distribution:
It is indigenous to Nepal. It grows up to
4000 feet.
Parts used: Root,
Leaves and flowers
Chemical composition:
Volatile oil, Vasicine, Adhatodic acid, Bromhexin hydrocloride
and aromatic oil.
Curative
properties:
a) Bronchitis and Asthma
In acute stages of bronchitis it gives unfailing relief,
especially where the sputum is thick and sticky. It liquefies
the sputum so that it is brought up more easily. It means
it has the mucolytic property.
b) Tuberculosis
In Ayurveda, a preparation made from Vasa flowers known
as gulkand is used to treat tuberculosis. A few fresh petals
of Vasa/ Asuro/ Malabar Nut flowers should be bruised and
put in a pot. Some sugar crystals are added and the jar
kept in the sun. It should be stirred every morning and
evening. The preserve is ready for use in about a month.
Even the juice from its leaves is useful in treating T.B.
about 30 ml of the juice thrice of a day with honey. It
relieves the irritable cough by its soothing action on the
nerve and by liquefying the sputum, which makes expectoration
easier.
c) Cough
For coughs, some leaves of the plant are boiled in water,
strained and mixed with 3 times more honey. This decoction
provides relief (honey should be added after the decoction
becomes lukewarm). Similarly a confection of the plant flowers
eaten in doses of 12 grams twice daily relieves cough.
d) Intestinal worms:
Its leaves, bark, the root-bark, the fruit
and flowers are useful in the removal of intestinal parasites.
The decoction of its root and bark in doses of 30 grams
twice or thrice a day for 3 days can be for this purpose.
This juice of its fresh leaves can also be used in doses
of a teaspoon thrice a day for days.
e) Diarrhoea and Dysentery.
Due to its astringent taste it is also
useful in treating the diarrhoea and Dysentery.
Skin Diseases:
A poultice of its leaves can be applied
with beneficial results over fresh wounds, rheumatic joints
and inflammatory swellings. So it has Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory
properties. A warm decoction of its leaves is useful in
treating scabies and other skin diseases.
Dosages:
Leaves juice: 10-20 ml
Flower juice: 10-20 ml
Root decoction: 40-80 ml
Ayurvedic preparation:
Vasavleha, Vasarista, Vasapanak etc.
Procedure
to make An Ayurvedic Drug from Vasa/ Asuro/ Malabar Nut:
Drug Name: Vasavleha
Introduction:
It is a classical Ayurvedic formulation widely used for
chronic respiratory disorders such as cough, asthma, fever,
debility, haemoptysis and other bleeding disorders.
Ingridients: Latin/English Name Parts
1) Vasaswarasa Juice of Adhatoda vasica 8
2) Sitopala sugar candy 4
3) Pippali Pipper longum 1
4) Ghrita Ghee 1
5) Madhu Honey 4
Procedure:
1) First collect juice or make decoction form fresh leaves.
2) Heat the juice putting on a pan smoothly and add Ghee
to it.
3) Make the powder of sugar candy and pippali
4) First mix the sugar in boiled juice and then, pippali
powder.
5) This juice becomes viscous and semisolid.
6) When the juice becomes dark semisolid, take the pan out
from stove.
7) At the end when the paste becomes lukewarm, pour honey
and make homogenous mixture.
8) Now it can be used.
Indication:
Expectorant and carminative.
Indicated in asthma, chronic cough and fever, bronchitis.
Dosage: 3-6 grams, twice a day, before meals with milk or
lukewarm water.
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