Malabar Nut | Vasaka Benefits, Medicinal Uses and Side-effects
Know about Vasa (Malabar nut) botanical description, medicinal properties, medicinal uses in Ayurveda, It’s health benefits, dosage, contraindications and side-effect of different parts of this plant. Detail of uses of vasaka herb to treat various respiratory infections like chronic bronchitis, chronic wheezing, fever due to cough.
Vasa, Vasaka, Adusa, Arusa, Adhatoda or Malabar Nut is a very well-known medicinal herb in Ayurvedic, Siddha, Homeopathy and Unani medicine system. The most accepted official botanical name of this plant is Justicia adhatoda. The other common synonym is Adhatoda Vasica.
Vasa is a medicinal herb native to India and found throughout India up to an altitude of 1300 meters. It is indicated in treatment various diseases, and especially in cold, cough, chronic bronchitis and asthma. All part of this plant contains alkaloid vasicine which is a bronchodilator, respiratory stimulant, hypotensive (lowers blood pressure), cardiac depressant (decreases heart rate and contractility), uterotonic and abortifacient.
The oral administration of this medicinal herb normalizes Kapha and Pitta. It is pungent, bitter and astringent in action. This plant is useful in stopping abnormal bleeding due to vitiation of pitta, through the mouth, nose, genitals, or the urinary system. Vasaka leaves are useful in treating digestive problems. The leaves activate the digestive enzyme trypsin (enzyme required for better digestion). Leaves also has anti-fungal properties and useful in skin diseases.
General Information of Malabar Nut
Plant Description: Vasaka is a tall, branched, dense evergreen shrub of about 2.2-3.5 meters height. It has large leaves. Its flowers are white in colour with some purple. Its fruits are capsular with four seeds.
Leaves: Leaves, 10-30 cm long and 3-10 cm broad, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, slightly acuminate, base tapering, petiolate, petioles 2-8 cm long, exstipulite, glabrescent, 8-10 pairs of lateral vein bearing few hairs, dried leaves dull brown above, light greyish brown below, odour, characteristic, taste, bitter.
Inflorescence: It is dense short-pendunculate, bracteate with terminal spike. The bracts are ovate and sessile. The bracteoles are lanceolate.
Flowers: The flowers are hermahrodite. The corolla is large and white with a funnel shaped lower portion, the lower lip of corolla is streaked purpule.
Fruits: The fruit is a small capsule.
Part(s) used for medicinal purpose: Fresh, dried, mature leaves, roots, flowers, bark
Preparation: Infusion, extract, decoction, poultice, powder, cigarette
Justicia adhatoda Scientific Classification
All plants are scientifically classified into main 7 levels. These levels are Kingdom, Division, Class, Order, Family, Genus and Species. A genus comprise of many species and botanical name consists of Genus (uppercase) followed by Species (lowercase). Genus consists of many species which are closely related and have lots of similarities. Species is the lowest level and represents the group of same plant.
Ayurvedic Properties and Action of Malabar nut
Justicia adhatoda is known as Arusak (not angry), Vasa (giving smell), Vrisha (chief), Sinha-mukhi (lion-mouthed), Sinha-parni (lion-leaved), Sinhakatpat (lion-eradicator) and Ruksha (dry) in Sanskrit.
Vasa is chief medicinal herb used in case of upper respiratory ailments. It reduces phlegm and heat inside body. It is cooling in action and so reduces Pitta and Kapha but increases Vata. Due to light and drying action, it benefits in cough and respiratory ailments.
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