Pankaj Oudhia
Society for Parthenium Management (SOPAM)
28-A, Geeta Nagar, Raipur - 492001 India
pankajoudhia@gmail.com
www.pankajoudhia.com
Copyright © 2004. All Rights Reserved. Quotation from this document should cite and acknowledge the contributor.
Scientific Name: Strychnos potatorum Linn.
Family: Loganiaceae (Strychnaceae).
English Name: Clearing Nut Tree.
Hindi Name: Nirmali
General Description: A common tree of medicinal importance in India popularly used to purify water for drinking.
Botanical differences between Strychnos species.
| Characters | Strychnos potatorum | Strychnos nuxvomica |
| Plant | A medium sized deciduous tree having height upto 12 meters. | A medium sized deciduous tree having height up to 20 meters |
| Bark | Cracked and scaly black. | Dark grey or yellowish grey bark. |
| Trunk | Irregularly fluted. | Fairly straight. |
| Leaves | Simple, opposite, elliptic, acute, 15x6.25 cm, glabrous, shining. | Broadly elliptic, coriaceous, glabrous. |
| Flowers | White fragrant, axillary cymes | Numerous, greenish white in terminal cymes. |
| Fruits | Ovoid or globose, glabrous berries, black when ripe. | Globose, orange-red when ripe. |
| Seeds | One or two, yellow, circular, not much compressed. | Convex in one side and concave on other with fine grey silky hairs. |
Useful Parts: Seeds, roots and fruits.
Traditional Medicinal Uses: According to Ayurveda, seeds are acrid, alexipharmic, lithotriptic and cure strangury, urinary discharges, head diseases etc. Roots cure Leucoderma whereas fruits are useful in eye diseases, thirst, poisoning and hallucinations. The fruits are emetic, diaphoretic alexiteric etc. According to Unani system of medicine, seeds are bitter, astringent to bowels, aphrodisiac, tonic, diuretic and good for liver, kidney complaints, gonorrhea, colic etc.
Other Uses
Seeds are used to purify water.
Seeds are rich source of polysaccharide gum suitable for use in paper and textile
industries.
References
Agharkar, S.P. (1991). Medicinal plants of Bombay presidency, Pbl. Scientific
Publishers, Jodhpur, India : 203-204.
Varier, P.S. (1997). Indian medicinal plants : A compendium of 500 species Vol.
5. Pbl. Orient Longman Ltd., Hyderabad, India. : 202-211.
Pankaj Oudhia
Society for Parthenium Management (SOPAM)
28-A, Geeta Nagar, Raipur - 492001 India
pankajoudhia@gmail.com
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