Piper betle

Botanical classification
Kingdom : Plantae
Family : piperacea
Genus : Piper
Species : P. betle
Scientific Name : Piper betle

Vernacular names

The betel leaf is known as Paan in Assamese/Urdu/Hindi/Odia/Bengali and Taambuul and Nagavalli in Sanskrit. Some of the names in the regions in which it is consumed are: Vetrilai Tamil,Tamalapaku Telugu, Vidyache pan Marathi, veeleyada yele Kannada, Vettila Malayalam, Plū Mon, Malus Tetum, Maluu Khmer, Plue Thai, Malus Tetum, Bulath Sinhalese, Malu Tokodede, Bileiy Divehi, bulung samat Kapampangan

Plant part used
Leaves .


General Information :

It is generally found in hot and moist climatic condition. In India it is found in Bihar, Bengal, Orrisa, south India and Karnataka. It is also seen in Sri Lanka.
The Betel (Piper betle) is the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family, which includes pepper and Kava. It is valued both as a mild stimulant and for its medicinal properties.
The betel plant is an evergreen and perennial creeper, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkin. The Betel plant originated from South and South East Asia (India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka).

There are various types of leaves, the most popular being : Calcutta, Banarasi, Magahi, etc. In Bangladesh Dinajpur, Rangpur, Chittagong, Faridpur, Jessore, Narayanganj, Barisal and Sylhet are the areas producing the most betel. The harvested leaves are used both for domestic consumption and for export to Middle East, to European countries, USA, UK, Pakistan, and Myanmar. Paan is one of the major economic sources of rural Bangladesh. The best Betel leaf is the "Magadhi" variety (literally from the Magadha region) grown near Patna in Bihar, India. In Kerala, the famous variety of betel leaf is from Venmony near Chengannur and it is called "Venmony Vettila". Betel leaf cultivated in Tirur in Kerala, Hinjilicut in Odisha are of fine quality. Betel leaves exported from Tirur are famous in Pakistan as "Tirur Pan".

Chemical Constituents

Leaves contain protein 3.1 %, carbohydrate 6.9 %, minerals 2.3 %, and tannins 2 %. It contains calcium, phosphorus, iron, iodine and potassium is also present. Vitamin B, vitamin c and vitamin A. leaves contains bitter compounds that are about 0.7 to 2.6 %. It also contains an aromatic compound and stable oils like phenol and terpene. Besides this it contains eugenol, chavibetol and hydroxychavicol.

Pharmacology

It is vata and kapha suppressant. It is an effective anti wormal agent because of its pungent taste. It is an excellent anti infectious agent again because of its pungent taste. It helps in normalizing the digestive tract hence is very effective in maintaining the digestive system because of its light properties. It provides strength to the heart and tones up the cardiovascular system. It also helps in expelling out the mucus form the respiratory tract because of its hot potency. It is also a good aphrodisiac agent.

Uses

1. Paste-it is used for gargles on the throat and diphtheria. It is also used to apply on the throat related problems, breast inflammation, back pain etc. it is also used to apply on the penis in case of erectile dysfunction.
1. Powder –it is used in mouth disorders, indigestion and reduced peristaltic movements. It is also helpful in throat related problems and respiratory problems. It also provides strength to the body and loss strengthens the cardiovascular system. It works as an aphrodisiac agent and help in maintaining body temperature.

Others are
1. Throat related problems
2. Diphtheria
3. Lymphadenopathy
4. Back pain
5. Impotency
6. Erectile dysfunction
7. Indigestion
8. Loss of appetite
9. Constipation
10. Heart related problems
11. Rhinitis
12. Asthma
13. Cough
14. Fever
15. General body weakness

Emblica officinalis

Botanical Name: Phyllanthus emblica
Synonyms : Emblica officinalis
Common Name: Amlaki
Plant Family: Phyllanthaceae
Kingdom : Plantae

General Information
Amla is one of the most celebrated herbs in the Indian traditional medicine system, Ayurveda. Amla's traditional uses include as a laxative, eye wash, appetite stimulant, restorative tonic, and to treat anorexia, indigestion, diarrhea, anemia, and jaundice. Amla is becoming increasingly well known for its unusually high levels of Vitamin C, which is resistant to storage and heat damage due to cooking.

History
It is found natively in India. Indian gooseberry has been used as valuable ingredient of various medicines in India and abroad.

Different Name
The Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica, syn. Emblica officinalis) is a deciduous tree of the Euphorbiaceae family. It is known for its edible fruit of the same name.
Amlaki’s Indian name is – Indian Goosebery
Amlaki’s Guzrai name is – Aamla
Amlaki’s Marathi name is – Aavalaa
Amlaki’s Hindi name is – Amla
Amlaki’s Malayalam name is – Nellikkai
Amlaki’s Nepali name is - Amala

Uses of Parts
In traditional Indian medicine dried and fresh fruits of the plant are used. All parts of the plant are used in various herbal preparations (Ayurvedic /Unani Medicine ) including the fruit, seed, leaves, root, bark and flowers.

Culinary use
Particularly in South India, the fruit is pickeld with salt, oil, and spices. Amla is eaten raw or cooked into various dishes. In Andrha prodes tender varieties of amla are used to prepare dal (a lentil preparation), also amle ka murabbah a sweet dish indigenous to the northern part of India (where in the berries are soaked in sugar syrup for a long time till they are imparted the sweet flavor) is traditionally consumed after meals.

Religious use
Amla is regarded as a sacred tree attributed to Lakshmi in Hinduism

Other uses
Popularly used in inks, shampoos and hair oils, the high tannin content of Indian gooseberry fruit serves as a mordant for fixing dyes in fabrics. Amla shampoos and hair oil are traditionally believed to nourish the hair and scalp and prevent premature grey hair.

Chemical composition
Amla is highly nutritious and is an important dietary source of Vitamin C, minerals and amino acids. The edible fruit tissue contains protein concentration 3-fold and ascorbic acid concentration 160-fold compared to that of the apple. The fruit also contains considerably higher concentration of most minerals and amino acids than apples. Glutamic acid, proline, aspartic acid, alanine, and lysine are 29.6%, 14.6%, 8.1%, 5.4% and 5.3% respectively of the total amino acids. The pulpy portion of fruit, dried and freed from the nuts contains: gallic acid 1.32%, tannin, sugar 36.10%; gum 13.75%; albumin 13.08%; crude cellulose 17.08%; mineral matter 4.12% and moisture 3.83%. Amla fruit ash contains chromium, 2.5 ppm; zinc 4 ppm; and copper, 3 ppm.

Pharmacology

Emblica officinalis is effective in the treatment of amlapitta [peptic ulcer] and in dyspepsia. The fruits exhibit hypolipiadaemic and antiatherosclerotic effects in rabbits & rats. The fruit extract has antimutagenic activity on certain directly acting mutagens in some strains of Salmonella typhimurium.The extract of amla also has antimicrobial properties. Amlaki is an antioxidant with free radical scavenging properties which may be due to the presence of high levels of super oxide dismutase.

Important Medicinal Uses

Indian Gooseberry or Amla is used for

1. all Pitta diseases,
2. all obstinate urinary conditions,
3. anemia,
4. biliousness,
5. bleeding,
6. colitis,
7. constipation,
8. onvalescence from fever,
9. cough,
10. diabetes,
11. gastritis,
12. gout,
13. hepatitis,
14. hemorrhoids,
15. liver weakness,
16. to relieve stress ,
17. osteoporosis,
18. palpitation,
19. spleen weakness,
20. tissue deficiency,
21. vertigo rebuilds blood,
22. bones,
23. cells, and tissues.

It increases red blood cell count and regulates blood sugar; heart tonic, cleanses mouth, stops gum bleeding, stops stomach and colon inflammation; cleanses intestines, strengthens teeth, aids eyesight, worms, acidity, eye and lung inflammations, ulcerations, G.I. disorders, painful urination, and internal bleeding.

Ref : Emblica officinalis Encyclopedia

Azadirachta indica

Botanical Name: Azadirachta indica
Synonyms : Melia azadirachta L, Antelaea azadirachta L
Common Name: Neem
Plant Family: Meliaceae
Kingdom : Plantae

Neem’s General Information
Neem (Azadirachta indica) is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of two species in the genus Azadirachta, and is native to India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Pakistan, growing in tropical and semi-tropical regions. Other vernacular names include Neem (Hindi, Urdu and Bengali), Nimm (Punjabi), Arya Veppu (Malayalam), Azad Dirakht (Persian), Nimba (Sanskrit and Marathi), DogonYaro (in some Nigerian languages), Margosa, Neeb (Arabic), Nimtree, Vepu, Vempu, Vepa (Telugu), Bevu (Kannada), Kohomba (Sinhala), Vembu (Tamil), Tamar (Burmese), Paraiso (Spanish), and Indian Lilac (English). In East Africa it is also known as Muarubaini (Swahili), which means the tree of the 40, as it is said to treat 40 different diseases.

Medicinal Pats of Uses

seeds, leaves, flowers and bark

Chemical compounds
The late the then British-India (and later Pakistani) scientist Salimuzzaman Siddiqui was the first scientist to bring the plant to the attention of phytopharmacologists.[citation needed] In 1942, while working at the Scientific and Industrial Research Laboratory at Delhi University, India, he extracted three bitter compounds from neem oil, which he named nimbin, nimbinin, and nimbidin respectively. The seeds contain a complex secondary metabolite azadirachtin.

Uses
In India, the tree is variously known as "Sacred Tree," "Heal All," "Nature's Drugstore," "Village Pharmacy" and "Panacea for all diseases." Products made from neem tree have been used in India for over two millennia for their medicinal properties: Neem products have been observed to be anthelmintic, antifungal, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiviral, contraceptive and sedative. Neem products are also used in selectively controlling pests in plants. It is considered a major component in Ayurvedic medicine and is particularly prescribed for skin disease.
All parts of the tree have medicinal properties (seeds, leaves, flowers and bark) and are used for preparing many different medical preparations.
Part of the Neem tree can be used as a spermicide.
Neem oil is used for preparing cosmetics (soap, shampoo, balms and creams, for example Margo soap), and is useful for skin care such as acne treatment, and keeping skin elasticity. Neem oil has been found to be an effective mosquito repellent.
Neem derivatives neutralise nearly 500 pests worldwide, including insects, mites, ticks, and nematodes, by affecting their behaviour and physiology. Neem does not normally kill pests right away, rather it repels them and affects their growth. As neem products are cheap and non-toxic to higher animals and most beneficial insects, they are well-suited for pest control in rural areas.
Besides its use in traditional Indian medicine, the neem tree is of great importance for its anti-desertification properties and possibly as a good carbon dioxide sink.
Practitioners of traditional Indian medicine recommend that patients suffering from chicken pox sleep on neem leaves.
Neem gum is used as a bulking agent and for the preparation of special purpose food (for diabetics).
Aqueous extracts of Neem leaves have demonstrated significant antidiabetic potential. Traditionally, slender neem branches were chewed in order to clean one's teeth. Neem twigs are still collected and sold in markets for this use, and in India one often sees youngsters in the streets chewing on neem twigs.
A decoction prepared from Neem roots is ingested to relieve fever in traditional Indian medicine.
Neem leaf paste is applied to the skin to treat acne, and in a similar vein is used for measles and chicken pox sufferers.
Neem blossoms are used in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to prepare Ugadi pachhadi. "Bevina hoovina gojju" (a type of curry prepared with neem blossoms) is common in Karnataka throughout the year. Dried blossoms are used when fresh blossoms are not available. In Tamilnadu, a rasam (veppam poo rasam) made with neem blossoms is a culinary speciality.
A mixture of Neem flowers and bella (jaggery or unrefined brown sugar) is prepared and offered to friends and relatives, symbolic of sweet and bitter events in the upcoming new year.
Extract of neem leaves is thought to be helpful as malaria prophylaxis despite the fact that no comprehensive clinical studies are yet available. In several cases, private initiatives in Senegal were successful in preventing malaria. However, major NGOs such as USAID are not supposed to use neem tree extracts unless the medical benefit has been proved with clinical studies.

Uses Neem in pest
Neem is deemed very effective in the treatment of scabies, although only preliminary scientific proof, which still has to be corroborated, exists,[citation needed] and is recommended for those who are sensitive to permethrin, a known insecticide which might be an irritant. Also, the scabies mite has yet to become resistant to neem, so in persistent cases neem has been shown to be very effective. There is also anecdotal evidence of its effectiveness in treating infestations of head lice in humans. A tea made of boiled neem leaves, sometimes combined with other herbs such as ginger, can be ingested to fight intestinal worms.
The oil is also used in sprays against fleas for cats and dogs.

Ref : Encyclopedia of Azadirachta indica