CHENNAI: Greed and selfishness have lead to a depletion of natural resources at an unimaginable rate, ultimately threatening the very existence of life on earth. Nevertheless, there are also efforts in conservation being made globally in the hope for a better tomorrow. Here, it is worth mentioning Audobon’s quote: “A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his father, but borrowed from his children.” Whether we understand this or not, our culture has always given importance to conservation and the strict preservation of natural resources from time immemorial.
An example of this is how the sacred groves have been preserved through traditional conservational means, maintaining harmony between men and nature. Germplasm of thousands of species, including medicinal plants, have been reported from these traditional groves by several researchers recently.
One such important and highly medicinal threatened species conserved in the sacred groves of the Western Ghat region is Chonemorpha Fragrans, belonging to the Oleander family, Apocynaceae. In Ayurveda it is known as Murva.
C. fragrans is a large, woody climbing shrub, often found at the top of the tallest trees. All parts of the plant exude milk when injured. The leaves are simple, arranged opposite each other, with a width of up to 20 cm. The leaves are broadly ovate to orbicular, with a velvety texture and prominent veins. The flowers are large, with a width of up to 10cm. The corolla is white with a yellow throat, and is very fragrant.
The fruits are paired follicles, 20-40 cm long, linear and woody. The seeds are plenty, and up to 3 cm long, ovoid, tipped with very long, white hairs. In the wild, this species grows in moist deciduous to semi-evergreen forests. In India, it has been found in the Western Ghats, North-East India, Uttar Pradesh and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The roots of Murva are primarily used to treat intermittent fevers, skin diseases, leprosy, constipation, cardiac debility, bronchitis, jaundice, cough and diabetes. It is also useful for conditions such as vata and kapha, syphilis, stomach ache, gas, bowel problems, colic issues, helminthiasis, hyperdipsia, urethrorrhea, and hyperacidity. In Hindi, it is known as Garbhedaro; Chandra hoovina balli in Kannada; Paal valli in Malayalam; Velutha kaaka kodi in Tamil and Frangipani vine in English.