Bitter bark for skin troubles, scented flowers for appetite

Many plants are used in our traditional systems of medicine to prevent as well as cure skin disorders.
Bitter bark for skin troubles, scented flowers for appetite

CHENNAI: Many plants are used in our traditional systems of medicine to prevent as well as cure skin disorders. One such is Kutaja popularly known as Bitter Oleander. Holarrhena pubescens Wall. ex G. Don is its botanical name.

It is a small, latex-yielding, deciduous tree with mildly fragrant white flowers of the Oleander family Apocynaceae. Profuse flowering is seen during April to July. Fruits are paired, dehiscing follicles hanging down from the stalk. Seeds are numerous, having tufts of silky hair at the top for the easy dispersal by the wind.

It is well-known for its bitter bark that is the most effective Ayurvedic treatment for skin problems such as Psoriasis, Eczema, skin blemishes, rashes and skin infections that occur because of blood impurities. The scented white flowers improve appetite and the seeds act as a cooling agent. In case of skin troubles, the paste of bark is used as an external application - it is usually mixed with cow urine and applied on the affected part.

The fresh juice of bark is administered orally to control diarrhoea. It is a known drug for amoebic dysentery and also other gastric disorders. Decoction of Kutaja bark with ginger is used to treat bleeding piles, especially to check mucus and blood. Paste of the bark mixed in cow milk is given in the treatment of urinary troubles.

Kutaja is found growing almost throughout India in open deciduous forests along hilly tracts. Beppale and Kodasige are the names in Kannada; Kotakapala in Malayalam; Kuda in Marathi;  Karuppalai in Tamil and Tella Pala in Telugu.

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