Botanical name : Annona muricata Linn (Annona macrocarpa Wercklé)
Family : Annonaceae
SANSKRIT SYNONYMS
Lakshmanaphala
AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES
Rasa : Tikta, Kashaya, Madhura
Guna : Guru
Virya : Seeta
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English : Soursop tree
Hindi : Lakshman phal
Malayalam : Mullan chakka, Lakshmanapazam.
Distribution – Cultivated throughout warmer parts of India, as well as growing wild.
PLANT DESCRIPTION
A small erect tree grows up to 6 meters in height. Leaves simple alternate, acute, oval-oblong, glossy dark green colored, glabrous above and hairy below. Flowers arises from main stem and from tender stems, thick petellate, greenish yellow and heart shaped. Fruits large, with abundant prickles or bristles, containing numerous long brown colored seeds embedded in the whitish pulp.
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant pacifies vitiated pitta, constipation, burning sensation, bacterial infections, parasites, hypertension, depression, fever, viral infections, malignancy and general tonic. Root decoction is a powerful purgative. Powdered seed kills body and hair lice on external application.
Useful part : Leaves, Fruit, Root, Bark, Seed.
CHEMICAL CONTENTS
The plant contains plenty of sesquiterpene derivatives: β-elemene, isocaryophyllene, β-caryophyllene, αhumulene, γ-muurolene, OC-selinene, α -muurolene, germacrene A, β-cadinene and the alcohols: elemol, (E)-nerolidol, spathulenol, globulol, epi-globulol, 1-epi-cubenol, d-epi-cadinol, á -epi-muurolol, and á -cadinol.
The cadinols, cadinenes and caryophyllenes predominated in both oils. The difference observed in the compositions of the two oil samples concerned the caryophyllenes. isocaryophyllene was more abundant than the β-isomer at 6 a.m., while at 9 a.m. the relative proportions were reversed. 6-cadinene was more abundant at 9 a.m. (9.1% versus 4.5% at 6 a.m.). Analogous variations were observed for tx-epi-cadinol (8.4% versus 4.1%).
Photo : Dr. Eby Abraham MD
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