VITEX NEGUNDO

Botanical Name : Vitex Negundo

Family Name : Verbenaceae

GENERAL DISCRIPTION:

The Sanskrit word nirgundi literally means that which protects the body from diseases. It is one of the herbs mentioned in all Samhitas of Ayurveda and has varios synonyms like sinduka, sephali, sitabhiru, vanaka, bhutakesi, anilamanjiri etc. Two varieties of nirgundi described in Nighantus are white flowered sinduvaraka and blue flowered – suvaha (Bhavaprakasa). The great sage Caraka has categorized nirgundi as krmighna anthelmintic and visaghna – anti – toxin.

DISTRIBUTION:
The plant grows all over India, in wastelands, upto 1500 meters elevation. Commonly it is cultivated as a hedge plant.
MORFOLOGY:
A large shrub or rather small tree grows 2-4 meters in height, with quadrangular branches and thin grey bark. The leaves petiolate, smooth, exstipulate, have a typical pungent odor. The flowers are bluish purple in color, lanceolate, in panicles upto 30 cm long. The fruits are ovoid or obovoid, four-seeded drupes, black when ripe.




CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS:
The leaves contain fragrant, volatile oil and resins. The fruits contain resine, astringent organic acids, alkaloids and a pigment. The plant also contains alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, reducing sugars, sterols, resin and tannins. From seeds-n-triacontane, n-hentriacontane, n-pentatriacontane, n-nonacosane, sitosterol, p-hydrobenzoic acid and 5- oxyisophthalic acid isolated. Also, 3, 4- dihydroxybenzoec acid is isolated from seeds. Vanillic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and luteolin are isolated from bark. From essential oil pinene, limonene, camphene, phellandrene, methylheptanone, cumene, linalool, camphor, 4-terpineol, citral, caryophylline oxide, caryophyllene, terpinyl acetate, benzal – dehyde & cinnamaldehyde identified. Nishinaside and regundiside isolated from leaves

PROPERTIES:


Nigundi is pungent, bitter and astringent in taste, pungent in the post digestive effect and has hot potency. It alleviates vata and kapha doshas, but aggravates the pitta dosha. It possesses light and dry attributes. It has antipyretic, anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory properties and is used in diseases like fever, worms, dermatoses, adenitis and splenic diseases etc




PARTS USED:
Whole Plant






USES:
The leaves are astringent, febrifuge, sedative, tonic and vermifuge. They are useful in dispersing swellings of the joints from acute rheumatism and of the testes from suppressed gonorrhoea. The juice of the leaves is used for removing foetid discharges and worms from ulcers, whilst an oil prepared with the leaf juice is applied to sinuses and scrofulous sores. A decoction of the stems is used in the treatment of burns and scalds.




The dried fruit is vermifuge and is also used in the treatment of angina, colds, coughs, rheumatic difficulties etc. The fresh berries are pounded to a pulp and used in the form of a tincture for the relief of paralysis, pains in the limbs, weakness etc. The root is expectorant, febrifuge and tonic. It is used in the treatment of colds and rheumatic ailments. The plant is said to be a malarial preventative and is also used in the treatment of bacterial dysentery - extracts of the leaves have shown bactericidal and antitumor activity. The leaves are used to repel insects in grain stores. Extracts of the leaves have insecticidal activity. The fresh leaves are burnt with grass as a fumigant against mosquitoes. A decoction of the leaves and the vapours are employed in baths for treatment of febrile, catarrhal and rheumatic affections. The flowers are astringent and are used in fever, diarrhoea and liver complaints.


Classical Ayurvedic Preparations



Nirgundi kalka
Nirgundi ghrta
Nirgundi kvatha
Vranasodhana taila
Visagarbha taila etc.