Soak in the Goodness of Palash This Season

Chennai and Tamil Nadu are slowly heating up. As if to bear testimony to the heat, Butea monosperma breaks into beautiful red flowers.

March in Tamil Nadu is hot. With the beginning of Masi (the Tamil name for the month of March). Tamilians pack up their ear muffs and slowly start complaining about the heat.

As I am writing this I see Anjalai drawing kolams (rangolis) in front of my house with a scarf tied around her ears. It is to avoid the early morning nip, she says. Anyway Chennai and Tamil Nadu are slowly heating up. As if to bear testimony to the heat, Butea monosperma breaks into beautiful red flowers. The hill slopes of Sholingar are aflame with red flowers of palash as it is called in Sanskrit. The area was planted using rootstocks by forest officials in a bid to popularise trees by planting indigenous species. Palash means possessing sacred leaves. The trifoliate formation of the leaf is supposed to represent Lord Vishnu in the middle, Lord Brahma on the left and Lord Siva on the right. Palash is also referred to as treasurer of the gods and symbolises the moon. I visited my farm on new moon day and the moon shining through the red blossoms of the Butea tree made me resolve to plant a lot more Butea trees this year.

It is not a commercially profitable activity but who can resist planting this tree when you hear the stories of its birth. The tree is said to have originated from the feathers of a falcon soaked with Somarasa. The blood red flowers are offered as a substitute for blood in ritual sacrifices to goddess Kali. With nature celebrating its own Holi, the flowers were used traditionally to prepare Holi colours. I wish we could stop using the carcinogenic chemical powders and use powders made from Palash, marigold, turmeric and leaves of various trees. Gram flour can be mixed with the coloured powders to give it bulk.

The tree’s bark, leaves, flowers, seeds and gum are used medicinally and are an important ingredient for preparations like Ayasakriti, Cheriya Arimedas tailam, Balatailam, Palashaksaram etc. According to V V Sivarajan and Indira Balachandran, the bark of the tree is reported to be astringent, bitter, aphrodisiac and is useful in abdominal tumours and bleeding piles. The gummy exudation from the bark which is called Butea gum is an excellent astringent and is useful in treating diarrhea, dysentery and haemorrages from the stomach and bladder. It is also applied to bruises and ulcers. The flowers are astringent and sweet, and cure burning sensation, thirst and painful micturition. If people were properly educated on the properties of this tree it would be invaluable as a first aid in villages. Steamed flowers are used to treat the inflammations. The dried or fresh flowers when taken in small doses of about 1-2 gms (dried) is said to be a blood purifier. A teaspoon of the powder can be taken to treat ulcers, sexual dysfunction etc. The tree is said to be a Brahmavriksha and has been referred to by Sushruta and Vagbhata. Its flowers have sheeta veeryam i.e. cold potency, which is why it is useful in treating painful urination.

Bhavaprakasha has written in eight lines about the properties of the tree and talks about it deepana (digestive), vrushya (aphrodisiac), sara (promoting bowel movement), vranajit (promoting wound healing), gulmajit (promoting healing in abdominal disorders) and krimihara (useful in expelling intenstinal worms) properties. The tree has both beauty and myriad uses. No wonder that Palash is the state flower of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh as well as Jharkhand.

The writer was earlier Health Secretary, Tamil Nadu, and is currently Additional Chief Secretary, and Chairman and MD, Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail.com. Earlier articles can be accessed at 

www.arogyamantra.blogspot.com

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