Ayurveda

Ayurveda values Ashoka primarily for its stem bark. Classical traditions use it especially in conditions associated with excessive menstrual bleeding, uterine disorders and disturbances of Rakta and Pitta. It also appears in traditional management of diarrhoea, burning sensations, certain urinary disorders and excessive bodily discharge. An Ayurvedic teaching resource lists Ashoka under the Kashaya Skandha and describes it as particularly important in Rakta Pradara.

Modern botany recognises the species as Terminalia arjuna (Roxb. ex DC.) Wight & Arn., a member of the Combretaceae family. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew records its native range from the Indian subcontinent into Myanmar. The Ministry of Ayush’s e-Charak database specifically identifies the bark as the principal medicinal raw material obtained from Terminalia arjuna.

Ayurveda knows the banyan as Vata or Nyagrodha. Botanically, it is Ficus benghalensis L., an accepted species in the Moraceae family. Kew’s Plants of the World Online identifies its native range as the Indian subcontinent and records medicinal, environmental, food and social uses for the species.

The accepted botanical name is Moringa oleifera Lam., and the plant belongs to the family Moringaceae. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew recognises the species as native from northeastern Pakistan to northwestern India and records its extensive use for food and medicine.

Its bark, leaves, fruits, roots and latex have a long history of medicinal use. Classical Ayurvedic literature particularly values its astringent and cooling qualities. Traditional applications include wounds, excessive bleeding, inflammatory conditions, disorders of the mouth and certain gastrointestinal and skin conditions. Ayurvedic literature also places Ashvattha among plants used for controlling excessive bodily secretions.

Ayurvedic literature identifies Kadali with Musa paradisiaca. Modern botanical taxonomy usually writes the cultivated plantain complex as Musa × paradisiaca L., recognising it as a hybrid associated with Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew currently accepts Musa × paradisiaca as a hybrid within the Musaceae family.

Ayurveda knows this plant as Parijata, botanically identified as Nyctanthes arbor-tristis L. It belongs to the Oleaceae family. Ayurvedic institutions record its flowers, leaves and bark among the parts used medicinally.

Palandu is botanically identified as Allium cepa L. It belongs to the family Amaryllidaceae in modern botanical classification, although older botanical and Ayurvedic references often place it under Liliaceae. Kew’s Plants of the World Online recognises Allium cepa as an accepted species and describes it as a bulbous plant known primarily through cultivation.

Jati, identified in much Ayurvedic literature with Jasminum grandiflorum L., is valued especially for its leaves. Traditional practice associates the plant with wound care, oral health and several skin conditions. Modern research has also begun examining some of these applications.