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BHRINGRAJ
(Botanical
Name - Eclipta alba)
Origin of Herbs:
It
was used by Hindus in their Shradh (ceremony for paying respect to a
recently deceased person), being placed under and on the pinda. The
description of the herb's medicinal properties by arab writers are
the similar to their Indian counterparts, and they called it "Kadim-el-bint"
in Arabic. Mr. J.J. Wood suggested that E. alba would be found
eventually of greater service than taraxacum in hepatic
derangements.
Healing power
and curative properties :
Reducing
sugars and sterols have been detected, hair loss, hi BP,
anemia, insomnia, asthma, hypertension, delusion, illusion,
confusion, hair loss, bronchitis, bronchial asthma, anemia, edema,
alopecia, dandruff, dendrites, CFS, sexual debility, sinsomnia,
Alzheimer's, hypertension, glaucoma, kidney stones GB
stones, fibrocystic breasts, GM & PM epilepsy, liver toxicity tonic deobstruent in hepatic and spleenomegaly and skin diseases,
the leaf juice boiled with sesame or coconut oil for black and
luxuriant hair, fresh juice of leaves for fever, dropsy, liver
disorders, rheumatism, as paste of herb mixed with sesame oil for
glandular swellings.
Clinical experiments:
In the doses and formulations commonly used no adverse
reactions have been reported. Only with large doses of the aqueous
extract in animals a cardio depressant effect was observed.
Pharmacological
experiments:
Eclipta is an effective
anti-inflammatory agent. It inhibited the higher levels of histamine
due to chronic inflammation upto 58.67 percent3 . The ethanolic
extract of the dried whole plant Eclipta
alba
and its active constituent, culumbin, exhibited remarkable
antihypertensive activity on anesthetized rats. No significant side
effects or toxicities have been found either on histopathology of
liver, kidney, spleen, heart or on biochemical parameters like SGOT,
SGPT, BUN, etc. Moreover, no appreciable changes have been found in
body weight and in specific organ weight during the course of
investigation on Long Evans rats4.
An alcoholic extract of
freshly collected E alba aerial parts exhibited dose-dependent
(62.5-500.0mg/kg p.o.) and significant hepatoprotective activity
against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in rats and mice.
The hepatoprotectve activity is further substantiated by its
protective role on parameters such as hexobarbitone-induced sleep,
zoxazolamine-induced paralysis, bromosulphaphthalin (BSP) clearance,
serum levels of transaminases, bilirubin and protein. The extract
did not show any signs of toxicity and the minimum lethal dose was
greater than 2.0g/kg when given orally and intraperitoneally in
mice5.
Hair Problem:
For healthy black and long hair the
plant is commonly used in hair oil all over India
Loss of appetite:
For loss of appetite the fresh juice of leaves is used for
increasing appetite, improving digestion and mild bowel regulator.
Liver disorders:
It is commonly used in viral hepatitis to promote bile
flow and protect the parenchyma.
Memory enhancer:
It is commonly used to enhanced memory and learning.Other uses:
The plant has a reputation as an anti aging agent in Ayurveda. It is also used as a general tonic for debility.
Externally it is used for inflammation, minor cuts and burns and the
fresh leaf juice is considered very effective in stopping bleeding.
Leaf juice mixed with honey is also used for children with upper
respiratory infection. It is used in eyed in eye and ear infections.
Ayurvedic supplements that contains Bhringaraj :
Mahabhringaraj
Oil
Bhringaraj
Asava
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