Botanical name: Terminalia arjuna
Botanical family: Combretaceae
Dravyaguṇa
• Energetics:
- Rasa taste: astringent (kaṣāya), sweet (madhura), pungent-spicy (kaṭu)
- Vīrya heating or cooling energy: cooling (śīta)
- Vipāka Post-digestive effect: pugent-spicy (kaṭu)
• Actions of the Doshas:
- V+, P-, K-
- Disturbs Vata, Soothes Pitta, Dispels Kapha
• Actions (Karma):
- heart tonic (hṛdaya)
- removes kapha and pitta dosha (kapha pitta hara)
- helps white mucousy kapha or yellow-green mucousy pitta coughs (kāsahara)
- helps ashtma (svāsahara)
- cleanses urinary tract (mūtra virecana)
- removes poisons (viṣaghna)
- decreases fat (medo hara)
- rejuvenative-aphrodisiac (vajīkaraṇa)
- sandaniya
- purīṣa saṃgrahaṇiya
- chedana
- śoṇita sthāpana
- aśmari bhedana
Other names: Kakubha (‘mountain top’, S), Vīrataru (‘hero’s tree’ S), Arjun, Anjan, Kahu (Hindi), Attumaratu, Nirmarutu, Vellaimarutu, Marutu (Tamil), White Murdah (English)
Botany: Arjuna grows to become a very large tree with a huge buttressed trunk, widely spreading, drooping branches, and a grey bark that flakes off in large, flat pieces. The leaves are opposite, simple, oblong to elliptic, pale green above and pale brown below. The white flowers are borne in short axillary spikes or terminal panicles, giving way to an ovoid or oblong fruit with 5-7 short, hard wings. Arjuna is found throughout the subcontinent of India, from the foothills of the Himalayas southwards into Sri Lanka (Kirtikar & Basu 1935, Warrier et al 1996).
Part Used: Stem bark
Fair Use Sources:
- Vaidya V.M. Gogte 2000: p. 299
- Dr. Vasant Lad Ayurvedic Studies Program 1998
- Kirtikar & Basu 1935, Warrier et al 1996