Cissampelos Pareira (Velvetleaf) – Uses and Health Benefits
In Ayurveda, there are present that are helpful for medicinal purposes, beauty use or also used for religious purposes. The naturally growing herbs have all the beneficial properties. Cissampelos Pareira is a naturally occurring herb that is used for multiple purposes. It is a flowering plant which having bulb and fruits.
Introduction
Cissampelos pareira is a flowering that was first described by the Latin America, but now it is available all over the tropics.
Various parts of this plant are used for medicinal purposes like stems and leaves of Cissampelos pareira are used for Gastro-Intestinal disorders such as diarrhea, dysentery, ulcers, intestinal worms, and other digestive complaints. It is also used for the genital problems like menstrual disorders, during miscarriage, genital bleeding, also used for treating infertility.
Categorization
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Clade: Angiosperms
- Clade: Eudicots
- Order: Ranunculales
- Family: Menispermaceae
- Genus: Cissampelos
- Species: C. pariera
Common names of C. pariera are: velvet leaf, pariera brava, abuta, pariera root, barbasco.
- Sanskrit: laghu pathha.
- Hindi: akanadii, batiindu
- Urdu: paatha
- Marathi: dhaakati padaval
- Gujarati: veniivel
- Bengali: kiijri
- Botanical name: Cissamphelos pariera
- Synonyms of C. pariera: C. hirsute, C. nepalensis, C. cordifolia.
Morphology of C. Pariera
- It is a climber plant, that is slim or slender by the look and it is velvety and covered in hairs means tomentose type. The leaves have a shield like shape means peltate, two to twelve cm long in height, and two to eleven cm in width.
- The flowers are smaller in size and the pedicals are like filiform
- The male flower of the C. pariera are clustered in the axil of the small leaves. The sepals are four in number, oblong type and hair are present outside. Petals are four in number, and are present in a united manner and make a four- toothed cup, hair are present outside.
- Stamens are also present in four number, with a short column, anthers are connate and encircle the column from top.
- The female part of the flower is present in the clustered form that is present in the axils of the orbicular, the racemes in female flower are present with 5- 10 cm long. The sepals are one, the petals are one and the carpel is also in one number. It is also having a dense type of hairy skin. The drupe is about four to six mm longer and broader in three to four, which is compressed or subglobose, with hairy pubescent. They are red in color when fresh and become black at the dry stage and also tuberculate.
- Shape of seeds is like Horse-shoe shaped.
Ayurvedic Properties of Patha
- Rasa: tikt means bitter in taste
- Guna: laghu and tikashan means physical properties are light or can be sharp.
- Virya: ushna means it has hot potency
- Vipaka: katu means metabolic properties pungent.
- Synonyms of C. pasiera according to ancient studies are as follows: patha, praachina, raasa , pathikaa.
- It is bitter in taste that gives the hot metabolic property.
- It maintains the balance of the VATA and KAPHA doshas that is useful in the treatment of vataj or kaphaj roga.
Part Used are Roots and Leaves
Medicinal Uses of C. Pareira are As Follows:
- It is used in Nasya therapy in which the medicinal dose is given through the nasal route. The juice and powder of C. pareira are used in the nasya treatment that is useful in kaphaj roga.
- Due to hot potency of patha, it is useful in digestive disorders. It maintains the jatharagini (digestive fire), which is important for digestion. It increases the appetite and also treats anorexia. It is helpful in indigestion and in abdominal discomfort. It also cures diarrhea and dysentery.
- It has healing property so it is useful in healing of the wounds. It can be used in various types of skin disorders such as kushtaa roga, visfodika etc. Make a paste of the leaves and apply on the wound.
- It is also used in the treatment of poisoning caused by the snake bite. Just simply make a paste of roots and leaves and apply on the bites area.
- It maintains the balance of kapha dosha, so it can be used in the treatment of cough and cures dyspnea as well.
- The roots and leaves have the property to reduce inflammation. So C. pasirera has an anti -inflammatory property.
- It is also be used as a blood purifier. It is also useful in heart related disorders and blood diseases.
- It is helpful in female reproductive system. There are some disorders in which Patha is used such as menstrual problems, veneral diseases, miscarriage, etc. It also treats infertility.
- It is used for purifying the breast milk and also useful in breast disorders.
- It also acts as a diuretic, therefore useful in urinary complaints.
- It is also useful in the intestinal worms and act as an antihelminthic.
- It is used in skin disorders, so it can be effective in scabies, abscess, itching, acne or any wound.
C. pasiera does not have bad effects therefore it gives good results.
Health Benefits
- Used in the respiratory disorders therefore useful in treating kaphaj related problems
- This herb is also helpful in Dog Bites. Apply the paste of leaves and roots of the patha on the affected area.
- It is useful in skin related issues like kushatha, acne or any derma related issues. It gives the soothing effect. It is also used in burns, edema, inflammation, sores etc.
- It also cures leucorrhea, parturition, menorrhagia etc
- It also useful in eye related disorders such as eye infections.
- It also useful in treating the disorders of central nervous system. Patha is effective in CNS disorders such as delirium. It also acts as an anti-epileptic because it is useful in convulsions or epilepsy.
- But pregnant and lactating women should avoid the use of patha because of its hot potency.
Dose: 1-2 gm powder BD means twice in a day
Dr. Vikram Chauhan (MD-Ayurvedic Medicine) is an expert Ayurveda consultant in Chandigarh (India). He has vast experience of herbs and their applied uses. He has successfully treated numerous patients suffering from various ailments, throughout the world. He is CEO and Founder of Krishna Herbal Company and Planet Ayurveda in Chandigarh, India. He researched age old formulas from ancient Ayurvedic text books to restore health and save human beings from the worst side-effects of chemical based treatments.