ACHYRANTHES ASPERA
(Apamarga)
Plant Introduction:
This plant is found all over India, generally in high lands. Plenty grow in old houses. Germination occurs in rainy season; florescence in winter (white or silvery spicate flowers) when it gets matured; finally, The it becomes dried with ripe fruits in summer. plant is 3-4 ft high having small and wavy stalk of leaf. It is found in two varieties-white and red. Red spots are seen on the lamina, th e branches also being red in colour; flower-spikes of both the varieties are long and stiff. "Teyapamarga' another kind of Ach. Aspera is useful in the treatment of diseases of sinus; also useful in cough, rheuma tism etc.
Name: In Sanskrit-Apamarga; Bengali-Apang; Hindi-Chirchira or Latjira; Punjabi-Kutri; Marathi-Aghoda; Gujarati-Safed Aghoda; Telegu-Uttareel.
Family: Amaranthaceae.
Useful parts: Root, branches and seeds.
Chemical composition: Contains a large percentage of alkaline ash pregnant with potash.
Therapeutic actions: It is diuretic, appetizer, anticatarrh. Also effective in cough, flatulence, heart disease, piles, pain and night-blindness.
Opinions of different scholars (symposium)
Charak said: Snuff of this drug causes mucuos discharge from nose.
Sushruta: Peel of its root is useful in the treatment of piles and is a good vermicide.
Chakra Dutta: Early stage of opthalmia and bleeding from absces or boil may be removed by this drug.
Bhavaprakash: In cholera and severe diarrhoea.
Shankhdhar: In piles and haemorrhage (Blumia Odo, Durba).
Hurit: In general dropsy (Aegle fol.)
Banga Sen: Insanity is curable with this drug.
Dr. Dymock has obtained wonderful result by admini-stering this medicine in dropsy.
Reputed physician Dr. Mahendra Lal Sarkar obtained effective results on cholera and diarrhoea by carrying on researches with the tincture. I also prescribe in the case of cholera like watery diarrhoea and am getting very fruit-full result.
Symptomps
Mind:
Impatient, hesty, Fearful.
Head:
Headache due to suppression of cough; heaviness relief after mucus discharge; Insomnia.
Eyes:
Opthalmia; eyes are red and full of tears; Twinging sensation of the eyes with swelling; night-blindness.
Ears:
Buzzing sound in the ears; hard of hearing.
Throat:
Dry cough which is continuous. This medicine expels phlegm and relieves painful catarrh.
Face:
Small boils or pimples on the face with irritation.
Belly:
Very loose bowels like water but not Cholerin or, English cholera; rumble in the bowels; blood dysentery. Pain in the rectum with four or five excretions. Diarrhoea followed by dysentery with pain. Bleeding from piles is the most important symptom while prescribing this medicine. It can safely be used in case of cholera but dose must be heavy.
Female Rep organ:
It has astringent effect on uterus. It gives fine result in abnormal menstruation or menorrhagia and regulates after birth discharge and removes pain during abortion.
Skin:
This medicine is applicable both internally and externally in case of ring-worm, also it has been recommended for dropsy (Aegle folia).
Special Prescriptions:
In case of dog-bite, small pieces of; this plant is applied on the affected wound to anti-dote the poison; suppurated boil which do not easily split up, may be made to split by applying the wet pulp mixed with ground sunned rice. It is a febrifuge and expels black-fever. External appli-cation of the root extract abates pain of wasp or hornet sting. (Lemon, Ammonium Chloride, Onion).