American-Eurasian Journal of Botany, 1 (3): 68-72, 2008ISSN 1995-8951© IDOSI Publications, 2008

Corresponding Author: Miss Gayatri R. Nambiar, Department of P.G. Studies and Research in Botany,Sir Syed College Taliparamba, Kannur, Kerala, India

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Indigenous Medicinal Plants Scripted in Amarakosam

Gayatri R. Nambiar and K. Raveendran

Department of P.G. Studies and Research in Botany, Sir Syed College, Taliparamba, Kannur, Kerala, India

Abstract: Indigenous medicinal plants are an important component of traditional knowledge. Monumentalscriptures provide a unique source for several medicinal plants. This paper reports about the 176 indegenousmedicinal plants scripted in the Amarakosam (Namalingkanusasanum), an important text, dealing with thesynonyms of almost all the living and non living object, written somewhere around 1-6 centuary AD.

Key words: Amarakosam, Medicinal plants, Traditional knowledge, Exploration

INTRODUCTION was written by Amarasshimhan in between some where in

India is an exquisite example of biodiversity. From division has 10 chapters, the second division has 11time immemorial scholars like Charaka, Barathwaj, chapters and the third has 6 chapters. Two chapters of theAthreyan, Agnivesha, Dhanyandhari, Shushruthan, second division are dealing with plants. Of it the firstWakbadan and Bharathduja etc. have studied and chapter deals with forest plants. The second chapter dealsexplored the possibility of such a diversity for human with medicinal plants, their names and synonyms [2].welfare and the most conspicuous exploration in this Present paper tries to expose the identity of the medicinalfield has lead to the discovery of so many indigenous plants mentioned in Namalinkanusasanum later known asmedicinal plants that were scripted mainly in Vedas Amarakosam by Amarashimhan. (1500 BC) that contain rich materials on herbal lore of thattime. Charaka in his medical treaty, ‘Charaka samhita’, METHODOLOGYdealt with innumerable medicinal plants, their usage anddescriptions. Besides the two above said texts, treatise The two chapters dealing with plants in thelike Sushruth samhita and Ashtangha hridaya samhita second division of the text were studied carefully.are a few among other precious ancient texts. Thus the The plants were recorded. Later these plants weregradual accumulations of practical and systematic medical identified with the help of standard literature [3-7].knowledge lead to the formation of Ayurveda. The herbarium sheets of the collected plants are

Ayurveda-the science of life, prevention and deposited in the Dept. of P.G. Studies and Research inlongevity, is the oldest and most holistic or Botany, Sir Syed College, Taliparamba. The identifiedcomprehensive medical system available. It was plant species are arranged in alphabetical order by theirplaced in written form over 2000 years ago. Ayurveda botanical name along with their family.is said to have been first complied as a text by Agnivesha(Agniveshtantra). This text was later revised by Charaka RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONSand renamed as Charaka samhita (completed byDhridhabala). The concept of medicines envisaged in the A total of 270 medicinal plants were mentioned inAyurveda comes from the monumental scripture called the chapter. Out of this except 94all other ie 176 wereAshtanga hridaya and Sahasrayoga [1]. properly identified, listed and herbarium were prepared.

Similar to the plant diversity of India the same kind A good number of these medicinal plants are still in useof diversity exist in the world of scriptures delineating by Ayurvedic physician for various ailments. They usethe miracle of medicinal plant. One among them is the these plants in different forms such as juice, extract,Amarakosam. Namalingkanusasanum or Amarakosam decoction, paste infusion, powder etc.

1-6 century AD. This treaty has three divisions. The first

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Table 1: List of Plants scripted in AmarakosamSl. No: Botanical name Family 1. Abrus precatorious Linn Fabaceae2. Achyranthes aspera Linn Amaranthaceae3. Aconitum heterophyllum Wall.ex Royle Ranunculaceae4. Acorus calamus Linn Poaceae5. Adenanthera pavonia Linn Fabaceae6. Adhathoda vasica Nees Acanthaceae7. Aegle marmelos Corr Rutaceae8. Alangium salviifolium Wang Cornaceae9. Albizia lebbeck Benth Mimosaceae10. Allium cepa Linn Liliaceae11. Allium sativum Linn Liliaceae12. Alpinia galanga Willd Scitaminae13. Alstonia scholaris R.Br. Apocynaceae14. Amaranthus viridis Linn Amaranthaceae15. Amomum aromaticum Roxb Zingiberaceae16. Anethum graveolens Linn Apiaceae17. Angelica glauca Edgeew Apiaceae18. Areca catechu Linn Palmae19. Artocarpus hirsutus Lan Moraceae20. Artocarpus intergifolia Linn. Moraceae21. Asparagus recemosa Willd Liliaceae22. Azardiracehta indica Juss Meliaceae23. Baccopa monneiri (L) Pennell Scorpularaceae24. Balanites roxburghii Planch Simarubaceae25. Baliospermum montanum (Willd)Muell Arg Euphorbiaceae26. Bambusa arundinacea Willd Poaceae27. Basella alba Linn Basellaceae28. Bassia longifolia Linn Sapotaceae29. Bennincasa hispida (Thunb) Cogn Cucurbitaceae30. Bombax ceiba Linn Bombaceae31. Borassus flabellifer Palmae32. Buchanania lanzan Spreng Anacardiaceae33. Butea monosperma (Lam) Taub Fabaceae34. Callicarpa lanata Linn Verbinaceae35. Calophyllum tomemtosum Weight Guttiferae36. Caloropis procera (L) R. Br. Asclepiadaceae37. Canarium strictum Roxb. Burseraceae38. Carissa carandas Linn Apocynaceae39. Caryota urens Linn Palmae40. Cassia absus Linn Fabaceae41. Cassia fistula Linn Caesalpinaceae42. Cassia tora Linn Caesalpinaceae43. Cayratia carnosa (Waller Wight) Vitaceae44. Celastrus paniculatus Willd Celastraceae45. Cephalandra indica Naud Cucurbitaceae46. Chrysanthemum cinerarifolium Asteraceae47. Chrysanthemum leucanthemum Asteraceae48. Cinnamomum verum J.S. Prasell Lauraceae49. Citrus medica Linn Rutaceae50. Cocos nucifera Linn Palmae51. Commiphora mukul (Hook.ex Stock) Engl Burseraceae52. Convolvulus gangeticus Linn Convolvulaceae53. Cordial dichotoma Forst Boraginaceae54. Corypha umbraculifera Linn Palmae55. Coscinium fenestratum (Gaertn) Colebr Menispermaceae56. Crataeva nurvala Caparidaceae57. Cucumis sativus L Cucurbitaceae58. Cullenia excella Wt. Bombaceae59. Curculigo orchioides Gaertn Amaryllidaceae60. Curcuma latifolia Rose Zingiberaceae61. Cynadon dactylon (Linn) Pers Poaceae62. Cyperus rotundus Linn Cyperaceae63. Datura stramonium Linn Solanaceae64. Dendrocalamus strictus Nees Poaceae65. Desmodium gangeticum (L) D.C. Fabaceae

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Table 1: Continued66. Desmostachya bipinnata (L) Stapf Graminae67. Diospyros peregrina Gairton Ebonaceae68. Dregea volubilis Benth Asclepiadaceae69. Elettaria cardamomum Maton Zingiberaceae 70. Embelia ribes Brum F Myrsinaceae71. Emblica officinalis Gaertn Euphorbiaceae72. Enicostemme axillare (Lam) Raynal Gentianaceae73. Ensete superba (Roxb) Cheesman Musaceae74. Evolvulus alsinoides Linn Convolvulaceae75. Ficus benghalensis L Moraceae76. Ficus dalhousiae Miq Moraceae77. Ficus glomerata Roxb Moraceae78. Ficus religosa L Moraceae79. Flacourtia jangomas (Lour) Raeusch Flacourtiaceae80. Fritillaria royeli Hook Liliaceae81. Garcinia morella Desr. Clusiaceae82. Gloriosa superba Linn Liliaceae83. Glycyrrhia glabra Linn Fabaceae84. Gynandropsis pentaphylla Dec Cappridaceae85. Hemidesmus indicus (L) R.Br. Asclepiadaceae86. Hibiscus rosasinensis Linn Malvaceae87. Holarrhena antidysenterica Wall Apocynaceae88. Holoptelea integrifolia (Roxb) Planch Ulmaceae89. Hygrophila schulli Acanthaceae90. Indigofera tinctoria Linn Fabaceae91. Inula racemosa Hook F Asteraceae92. Jasminum angustifolium (L) Willd Oleaceae93. Jasminum multiflorum (Burn F) Andr Oleaceae94. Jasminum sambac Ait Oleaceae95. Kydia calycina Roxb Malvaceae96. Lippia nodiflora Rich Verbenaceae97. Loranthus longiflorus (G.F) Desr Loranthaceae98. Mallotus philippensis (Lam) Muell. Arg Euphorbiaceae99. Mangifera indica Linn Anacardiaceae100. Manikara hexandara (Roxb) Dubard Sapotaceae101. Melina arborea Roxb Verbenaceae102. Merremia tridentate (L) Hallier Convolvulaceae103. Mesua ferrea Linn Clusiaceae104. Microstylis muscifera Ridl Orchidaceae105. Mimusops elengi Linn Saportaceae106. Mitragyna parvifolia (Roxb) Korth Rubiaceae107. Mollotus philippiensis Muell Euphorbiaceae108. Moringa olefera Lamk oleaceae109. Mucuna pruriens (L) DC Fabaceae 110. Musa paradisiaca Linn Musaceae111. Myristica fragrans Linn Myristicaceae112. Neolamarckia cadamba (Roxb) Boser Rubiaceae113. Nerium indicum Mill Apocynaceae114. Nymphaea stellata Willd Nymphaceae115. Ochlandra beddomei Gamble Graminae116. Oroxylum indicum (L) Benth.En.Kurz Bignoniaceae117. Ougeinia oojeinensis (Roxb) Hochr Fabaceae118. Oxalis corniculata Linn Oxalidaceae119. Pandanus fascicularis Lamk Pandanaceae120. Pennisetum typhoideum Rich Poaceae121. Pentapetes phoenicea Linn Sterculiaceae122. Pterocarpus marsupeum Roxb Fabaceae123. Phoenix farnifera Roxb Arecaceae124. Phyllanthus amarus Schum and Thonn Euphorbiaceae125. Picrorhiza kurroa Pannel Scrophularaiceae126. Piper attenuvatum Piperceae127. Piper longum Linn Piperaceae128. Piper vetel Linn Piperaceae129. Plectranthus vettiveroides (Jacob) Singh and Sharma Lamiaceae130. Plumbago zeylanica Linn Plumbagineceae131. Plumeria rubra Apocynaceae

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Table 1: Continued132. Poa cynosuroides Retz Var Graminae133. Pongamia pinnata (Linn) Pyre Fabaceae134. Pseudarthria viscida (L) Wight and Arn Fabaceae135. Punica granatum Linn Punicaceae136. Randia dumetorum Lam Rubiaceae137. Ricinus communis Linn Euphorbiaceae138. Saccharum officinarum Linn Graminae139. Salix tetrasperma Rox Salicaceae140. Salvadora persica Linn Salvodoraceae141. Saraca indica Linn Caesalpinaceae142. Sarcocephalus missionis Wall Rubiaceae143. Sarcostemma acidum Voigt Asclepiadaceae144. Saussurea lappa C.B. Clarke Asteraceae145. Scindapsus officinalis (Roxb) Schott Araceae146. Semecarpus anacardium Linn Anacardiaceae147. Sesamum indicum Linn Pedaliaceae148. Sesbania grandiflora Pers Fabaceae149. Sida rhombifolia Linn Malvaceae150. Sida spinosa Linn Malvaceae151. Solanum melogena Linn Solanaceae152. Solanum surattense Burn F Solanaceae153. Solanum torvum SW Solanaceae154. Spilanthes acemella Linn Asteraceae155. Spondias mangifera Willd Anacardiaceae156. Stereospermum chelanoides (Linn.) DC Bigoniaceae157. Strobilanthes cusia (Nees) Imlay Acanthaceae158. Strobilanthes sp. Acanthaceae159. Strobilanthus citiatus Nees Acanthaceae160. Symplocos spicata Rox Symplocaceae161. Syzygium cumini (L) Skeel Myrtaceae 162. Tabernaemontana heyneana Wall Apocynaceae163. Tamarindus indica Linn Fabaceae164. Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn) Roxb Combretaceae165. Terminalia chebula Retz Combretaceae166. Terminalia paniculata Roth Combretaceae167. Terminalia tomentosa Bedd Combretaceae168. Tinospora cordifolia (Willd) Miersen Hook F and Thons Menispermaceae169. Trachyspermum roxburgianum (DC) Craib Apiaceae170. Trichosanthes cucumerina Linn Cucurbitaceae171. Trichosanthes palmata Roxb Cucurbitaceae172. Vetiveria zizanioides (L) Nash Poaceae173. Vitex nigundu Linn Verbinaceae174. Vitis vinifera Linn Vitaceae175. Vitix alissima Linnf Verbenaceae176. Ziziphus mauritiana Wall Rhamnaceae

The present investigation throws light on the pharmacological, pharmacognostical and clinical research.importance given by Indians in the field of biological The steady increase in population and the awareness ofscience during ancient period. Current findings will the side effects of several synthetic drugs havecontribute to understand the importance of such text, as encouraged the usages of traditional medicines inmost of us are unaware of such script and the knowledge developing countries. Therefore utmost care must bein it. There is a need to carry out an in-depth survey and taken for the maintenance of traditional knowledge anddocumentation of the medicinal plants in our traditional traditional medicines.text. Once such knowledge systems are gone to theoblivion it would be an irrecoverable loss to the society. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTHence, the conservation of these scripter and traditionalknowledge in it seems to be the need of the hour. The authors are grateful to the Principal andMoreover, such information serves as a base for new Management of Sir Syed College, Taliparamba for theircompounds with active principles for phytochemical, timely help.

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