by Sheela Rani Chunkath
A medicine which has anti-inflammatory properties, in addition to being an analgesic, an antiseptic, a nasal decongestant, an antidote for scorpion stings, and a remedy for earaches should surely be a household name. However, the herb Apamarga or Achyranthes aspera or Nayurivi as it is locally called in Tamil is hardly known to many except those in the ayurvedic community. Charaka, the greatest vaidyar of all times, has named a chapter after this wonderful herb.
The appearance of the herb belies its multifaceted uses. It is a very unpretentious plant with small velvety leaves and a thorny spike which is greenish-white. I have seen this herb grow wild all over and other than to learn the name academically, I didn’t think that it was much of a great herb. Only after reading Charaka, I learnt about the wonders of this herb. The herb has a spiny spike which will invariably hook on to your saree or kurta. You normally get quite irritated with this plant and end up spending time extricating yourself from its thorns. It really lives up to its common name prickly chaff flower.
The seeds from this prickly spike is powdered and used for pradhaman nasya, where this fine powder is blown through a small tube into the nose. This reduces the kapha in the head region. The kshara or salts of this plant are also used to cure moles, fistula and bleeding piles. The herb is a good appetizer and can be used instead of our usual antacids. The herb is a blood purifier and is used where there is oedema and inflammation. This plant also reduces the acidity of urine and is used to tackle renal calculi. Like Aerva lanata (of which I have written about earlier) this herb is also a stone breaker.
The plant contains alkaloids achyranthin and betaine which accounts for its usefulness. Here are a few home remedies which can be tried out. The juice of fresh leaves called swarasa can be instilled in the ear in case of ear pain. A few fresh leaves of apamarga can be chewed in case of mouth ulcers. In case of migraine, one can smell the ground seeds of apamarga. The juice of apamarga leaves can be used to wash wounds and can be applied on them for healing them. In case of kidney stones the whole plant, including the roots can be ground and about 5 g can be added to 200 ml of water, reduced to one-fourth the volume, strained and drunk. Most of the above home remedies are quite effective and one can try them as the plant is safe and efficacious.
In traditional areas, the Apamarga roots are tied on the arms. The formulations which include apamarga in classical formulations are Apamarga kshara taila, Sikhari ghrita, gorochnadi gulika etc. Gorochnadi gulika is an excellent medicine for cough, cold, bronchitis. Apamarga kshara is used in minor surgical conditions. Since Achyranthes aspera has a chedi effect i.e a scraping effect, it is useful in fat reduction. So next time you are out walking and your dress gets caught by the thorns of this herb, please stop and study the herb as Charaka did in recognition of its multifaceted and useful actions on the human system.
--- The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com. Earlier articles can be accessed at http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/