Medicinal Plants 3

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (Singgralei)

Plant is a shrub. It is planted as an ormaental plant for its beautiful fragrant flowers. An orange dye obtained from the flowers is used for colouring silk and cotton. Leaves and flowers are edible.

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis

Cyperus rotundus (Shembangkaothum)

Plant is a perennial erect sedge with stoloniferous rhizome. Dried tuberous root has aromatic properties and used in perfumes and also for hair oils.

Cyperus rotundus

Coptis teeta (Urihangampal)
Plant is a rhizomatous perennial herb. Plant is used in malaria and stomach pain. The root is a pungent, very bitter, cooling herb that controls bacterial and viral infections, relaxes spasms, lowers fevers and stimulates the circulation. It is analgesic and anaesthetic and is used as a general panacea with alterative, ophthalmic and pectoral activity. The root contains several compounds that are effective in inhibiting various bacteria and they are a safe and effective treatment for many ailments, such as some forms of dysentery,  that are caused by bacteria. The root is harvested in the autumn and can be used fresh or dried.

Moringa oleifera (Sajana) 
Plant is a deciduous tree. Green fruits and tender leaves are used as vegetables. Oil from seeds is used in cosmetics. 

Moringa oleifera

Ficus racemosa (Ashi Heibong) 
Plant is a deciduous tree. It is used in diabetes.  

Ficus racemosa

Ricinus communis (Kege) 
Plant is an evergreen shrub. Leaves are used to feed eri silkworm. Seeds are used to poison fish. Fresh leaves boiled with milk when given to mother increases milk flow. Plant is used during stomachache and carbuncles.

Ricinus communis

Morus nigra (Heijampet)

Leaves are antibacterial, astringent, diaphoretic, hypoglycaemic, odontalgic and ophthalmic. They are taken internally in the treatment of colds, influenza, eye infections and nosebleeds. The stems are antirheumatic, diuretic, hypotensive and pectoral. A tincture of the bark is used to relieve toothache. The fruit has a tonic effect on kidney energy. It is used in the treatment of urinary incontinence, tinnitus, premature greying of the hair and constipation in the elderly. Its main use in herbal medicine is as a colouring and flavouring in other medicines. The root bark is antitussive, diuretic, expectorant and hypotensive. It is used internally in the treatment of asthma, coughs, bronchitis, oedema, hypertension and diabetes. The bark is anthelmintic and purgative, it is used to expel tape worms. Extracts of the plant have antibacterial and fungicidal activity. A homeopathic remedy is made from the leaves. It is used in the treatment of diabetes. Fruit - raw, cooked or used in preserves. A delicious slightly acid flavour, it makes an excellent dessert fruit and can be eaten in quantity. The fruit is juicy and refreshing, though it must be used as soon as it is ripe.

Morus nigra

Punica granatum (Kaphoi) 

Pomegranate fruit juice is known as a delicacy and is made into excellent sherbet with the addition of water, sugar and taken internally, and some people use it in preparing ice-creams, jellies and marmalades. Such juice of pomegranate fruits possesses diuretic, cooling effect, glucose, fructose, tannins, oxalic acid, and reduces thirst in cases of fevers, supplies the required minerals and helps the liver to preserve vitamin A. from the food, increases the body's resistance to T.B infection, and acts as a tonic for heart and kidney.

Punica granatum

Emblic Myrobalans (Heigru) 
It is a deciduous tree. Fruit bark and leaves are used in tanning and dyeing fabrics. It is used in allergy, anti-dandruff shampoo, skins diseases. It removes excessive salivation, nausea, vomiting, giddiness, spermatorrhoea, internal body heat and menstrual disorders. Because it is also cooling, it increases sattwa, and is an excellent liver tonic. The fresh fruit is a diuretic and a laxative. A cooling and refreshing drink can be made from it. The dried Amla fruit is astringent and useful in cases of diarrhoea and dysentery.

Emblic Myrobalans

Aegle marmelos (Heirikhagok) 
It is a middle sized deciduous spiny tree. The fruit and leaf extract are good in diarrhea, chronic dysentery and other stomach ailments. Half-ripe fruit is astringent, digestive and stomaich. Root bark is is used in intermittent fever. The ripe fruit is consumed and also used for squash making. Ground leaf-paste is rubbed over the body to eliminate foul body smell.  

Aegle marmelos

Citrus sinensis (Komla)

The Fruit is appetizer and blood purifier. It is used to allay thirst in people with fever and also treats catarrh. The fruit juice is useful in the treatment of bilious affections and bilious diarrhoea. The fruit rind is carminative and tonic. The fresh rind is rubbed on the face as a cure for acne. The dried peel is used in the treatment of anorexia, colds, coughs etc. A semi-drying oil obtained from the seed is used in soap making.

Citrus sinensis

Citrus limon (Champra) 
They are an excellent preventative medicine and have a wide range of uses in the domestic medicine chest. The juice is a good astringent and is used as a gargle for sore throats etc. Lemon juice is also a very effective bactericide. It is also a good antiperiodic and has been used as a substitute for quinine in treating malaria and other fevers. The skin of the ripe fruit is carminative and stomachic. The essential oil from the skin of the fruit is strongly rubefacient and when taken internally in small doses has stimulating and carminative properties. The stem bark is bitter, stomachic and tonic. An essential oil from the fruit rind is used in aromatherapy. A semi-drying oil obtained from the seed is used in soap making. An essential oil from the peel is used as a food flavouring and also in perfumery. The juice of the fruit is used for polishing bronze and other metals that have been neglected. It can also be used for removing ink stains. The juice is used as a bleaching agent. Wood - nicely veined, it takes a beautiful polish.

Citrus limon

Citrullus lanatus (Tarbuj) 

The seed is demulcent, diuretic, pectoral and tonic. It is sometimes used in the treatment of the urinary passages and has been used to treat bed wetting. The seed is also a good vermifuge and has a hypotensive action. A fatty oil in the seed, as well as aqueous or alcoholic extracts, paralyze tapeworms and roundworms. The fruit, eaten when fully ripe or even when almost putrid, is used as a febrifuge. The fruit is also diuretic, being effective in the treatment of dropsy and renal stones. The fruit contains the substance lycopine (which is also found in the skins of tomatoes). This substance has been shown to protect the body from heart attacks and, in the case of the tomato at least, is more effective when it is cooked. The rind of the fruit is prescribed in cases of alcoholic poisoning and diabetes. The root is purgative and in large dose is said to be a certain emetic. it is also used for making soap and for lighting. Face masks made from the fruit are used as a cosmetic on delicate skins.

Citrullus lanatus

Arocarpus heterophyllum (Theibong) 

Roots of the plant is known to cure hydrocoele. Leaves are antidote to snake bite. Fruit  paste is used to cure swellings of feet and arms. Heart of the wood is bright yellow, hard and durable and used in the construction of house and furniture.

Arocarpus heterophyllum

Bauhinia hookeri (Chingthrao Angouba)

It is a rounded shrub or small open tree, up to 5m high, with an irregular habit. Leaves are silver to grey green, held in small delicate pairs up to 2.5 cm across, looking just like hundreds of butterfly wings. Plants are semi-deciduous with most leaves falling immediately before flowering then replaced with the flowers. Plants flower in spring to early summer and dot the canopy with large pure white orchid-like five petal flowers up to 7 cm in diameter, with a number of long spidery brilliant red stamens protruding out.

Bauhinia hookeri