Important plants used on cardiovascular system

(rasa rakta vaha samsthana)

1. Arjuna

2. Manjishta

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Arjuna

Latin name????? : Terminalia arjuna

??????????? ????????????? Terminalia – disposition of leaves of some species towards the end of

?????????????????????????? branchlets.

Family???????????? : Combretaceae

English name?? : Arjuna

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Gana vargeekarana:

Charaka??????????? : Udarda prashamana

Sushruta?????????? : Nyagrodhadi, Salasaradi.

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Botanical Description:

??????????? A large tree, 20-25 m height. Trunk – straight, pale white and smooth externally, thick and reddish internally.

Leaves: sub opposite or upper most alternate, hard, coriaceous, oblong, ovate or elliptic, hairy beneath, 10-15cm long. There are small nodes at the top of ?the petioles immediately below the leaves.?

Flowers: Dull yellow, in erect terminal panicles.

Fruit: obovoid, oblong with 5 broad wings.

Flowering season: Summer

Fruiting season??? : Winter.

??????????? The bark is shed like snake skin once in a year.

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Chemical composition:

Arjunine, calcium carbonate 34%, calcium salts, Tannin-16%, Aluminium and magnesium.


Guna karma:

Rasa???? - Kashaya????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Guna??? - Ruksha, laghu

Veerya? - Sheeta???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Vipaka? - Katu

Doshakarma- Kaphapittahara

Karma? - Hridya, Medohara, sandhaneeya


Indications: Hridroga (heart), Bhagna (fractures), Medovriddhi (scrotum), Sadyovrina and Prameha (obstinate urinary conditions).


Precaution: May aggravate arrhythmia; best taken with boiled milk for Vayu doshas

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Circulatory system:

It is a cardiac tonic. It gives strength to the cardiac muscles and improves cardiac function and rhythm. It reduces cardiac rate. It increases peripheral resistance by constricting capillaries which leads to rise in blood pressure. Arjuna enhances blood quality and also acts as a haemostatic. By virtue of its capillary constricting activity, it prevents accumulation of fluid and there by reduces oedema. The decoction of bark in milk is effective in this condition. It helps in cardiomegaly.

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Manjishtha

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Latin name????? : Rubia cordifolia

??????????????????????? ? Rubia – Red (its internal use gives red colour to breast milk and urine)

??????????????????????? ? cordifolia – cordia- heart, folia- leaves, heart shaped leaves.

Family???????????? : Rubiaceae.

English name?? : Indian madder.

Sanskrti names: Rakta, Ragangi and Tamramoola.

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Gana vargeekarana:

Charaka: Jwarahara, varnya and vishaghna.

Sushruta: Priyangvadi

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Botanical description:

??????????? It is a perennial, herbaceous climber, whose branches spread for a long distance.

Trunk- square shaped and reddish.

Leaves: heart shaped, in whorls of 4, lower leaves are larger than upper leaves.?4-9cm x 2-4 cm, rough upper surface and has superfluous hair on lower side.?Petiole is longer than leaves and has thorn like structure on it. Petiole is?triangular.

Flower : In terminal panicled glabrous cymes, yellowish white.

Fruit??? : 4-6mm long, round, fleshy, violet or black when ripen.

Root??? : Reddish, long and thick.

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Chemical constituents:

Root contains starch, sugar, gum, colouring matter and common salt. The red colour is due to Perfurin. It also contains manjishtin, algerin and zenthin.

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Guna karma:

Rasa???? - Madhura, Tikya and Kashaya???????????????
Guna??? - Guru, ruksha

Veerya? - Ushna????????????????????????????????????????????????
Vipaka? - Katu.

dosha karma- kapha pitta shamaka

Karma – Varnya, vishaghna.


Indications: Jvara (fever), Mutrakrichra (dysuria), Prameha (obstinate urinary conditions), Kushta (obstinate skin conditions), Visarpa (erysipelas), Vrana (wounds), Shotha (edema), and Raktatisara.

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Cirulatory system: Being haemostatic, used in many blood disorders, Raktapitta, skin disorders, erysipelas etc.

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