Botanical name : Couroupita guianensis Aubl.
Family : Lecythidaceae
SANSKRIT SYNONYMS
Nagalingataru
AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES
Rasa : Tikta, Kashaya, Katu
Guna : Lakhu, Rooksha
Virya : Ushna
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English : Brazil Nut, Cannon ball tree
Hindi : Nagalinga vriksh
Malayalam : Nagalinga maram, Sivalinga maram.
Distribution – Throughout India growing in gardens and sacred places.
PLANT DESCRIPTION
A moderate size tree, grows up to 30 meters in height. Leaves simple, alternate or sometime in whorls, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate and with prominent veins. Flowers are found in special stems on the main trunk, orange, scarlet or pink forming racemes up to 3 m long. They mature into large spherical woody fruit 15-24 cm diameter, containing numerous (200-300) seeds. The pulp of the fruits turns bluish on keeping and has an unpleasant smell
The trees are grown extensively in Shiva temples in India. It is considered a sacred tree among Hindus because the flower resembles a nagam or a sacred snake on the central large shiva lingam and numerous shivalingams around
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant pacifies vitiated vata, kapha, inflammation, alopecia, skin disease and fever.
Useful part : Leaves
Photo : Dr. Eby Abraham MD
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Properties 