Bael - Vilvam

Common Name: Bel, Beli fruit, Bengal quince, Stone apple, Wood apple
Botanical Name:Aegle marmelos
Sanskrit: Bilva ,Adhararuha, Sivadrumah, Tripatra
English: Bael
Hindi: Bel, Sirphal
Manipuri: Heirikhagok
Marathi: Maredu
Tamil: Vilvam
Malayalam: Koovalam
Telugu: Sandiliyamu
Kannada: Bilvapatre
Bengali: Bel
Konkani: Bello
Urdu: Bel
Assamese:Bel
Gujarati: Bili

Vilvam is a species of tree native to India. It is present throughout Southeast Asia as a naturalized species. The tree is considered to be sacred by Hindus. Its fruits are used in traditional medicine and as a food throughout its range. It is found in India, Burma, and Sri Lanka, often planted in the vicinity of Shiva temples. It grows wild all over the sub-Himalayan forests, central India and its west coast and in dry hilly places ascending to 4,000 ft. high.


It is a medium to large sized deciduous, glabrous and armed tree with axillary and 2.5 cm long spines. Leaves alternate, 3-5 foliate, leaflets are ovate to lanceolate, crenate, acuminate, membranous and petiololed. Flowers in short axillary panicles, large and scented. Calyx pubescent and four lobed. Petals 4, white and gland dotted. Stamens many. Ovary ovoid, cells 10-20, ovules many, fruit globose, grey or yellowish, rind woody. Seeds many, oblong, compressed, embedded in reddish yellow coloured sweet pulp.

BILVA - Bael, Shivadruma - Aegle marmelos (Rutaceae)

This fruit is a fantastic remedy for the digestive system. Sacred to Lord Shiva it destroys weakness in the intestines. The dried immature part is used for diarrhoea while the mature, fresh fruit is more laxative.

Parts Used : Leaves, fruits 

Energetics :
- Rasa (taste) : Astringent, bitter
- Virya (action) : Heating
- Vipaka (post-digestive effect) : Pungent
- Guna (quality) : Dry, light (immature)

Action :
Astringent, carminative, anthelmintic

Increases the digestive fire, Digests toxins, Alleviator of diarrhoea, Binds stool, Removes swellings, Alleviates colic, Alleviates vata and kapha.

Indications :
Chronic dysentery, diarrhoea, mild laxative, asthma, fever, jaundice, constipation, indigestion, discomfort

Gastro Intestinal Tract: 
Immature dried Bilva is a specific herb for chronic IBS, diarrhoea, dysentery and malabsorption that manifest as long-term imbalances with ‘mucusy’ and watery stools. Its astringency checks the excessive downwards movement of vata. It also dries the excess mucus and ama that comes with high kapha aggravations. It is a good choice where there may be ulceration and inflammation of the mucus membranes in the intestines; ulcers, colitis, Crohn’s disease. The fresh fruit is more of a laxative used in summer to cool the system. It is very heavy to digest and should only be taken in small amounts.

- The immature fruit pulp is best used for diarrhoea. It can be made into a jam and used as a nutritive healer.
- The fruit juice from the ripe fruit is commonly available in India at fruit-juice stalls as a summer cooling drink.
- It is commonly found near Shiva temples as the leaves are used in worship (puja); the juice is said to cool the hot poison that Shiva drank after it emerged from the churning of the milky ocean. It is also a ‘trifoliate’ or trishikha, a leaf having three sections; this also relates to the sacred trident (trishul) that Shiva carried on his itinerant wanderings.
- The root is one of the ingredients in the famous Dasmoola formula. It sedates vata and calms the nerves. It is also used in inflammatory conditions of the uterus.

Medicinal Uses of Bilva Leaves:
Bilva leaves powder is specially useful in diabetes to regulate the blood sugar and minimize diabetic complications.
Bilva leaf juice is put in the eyes and paste of leavess applied over the eyelids.
Bilva  leaves are used  for fomentation in disease condition like swelling pain in ribs.
Bilva leaves alleviates oedema and pain.

Bilva leaves juice is liver stimulant.

Bilva leaf juice mixed with black pepper used in jaundice.

Medicinal Uses of Bilva Fruit:

Bilva fruit powder calms down the extra heat in the body in this way it corrects gastric disturbances like diarrhea, IBS and colitis.

Bilva unripe fruit is an appetizer, digestant and astringet. Ripe fruit is a sweet, mild laxative.

Bilva unripe fruit ground to paste and cooked with sugar is very beneficial in bleeding piles.

Bilva sharbat of ripe fruit pulp can be used as it act as digestive and alleviates diarrhoea.

Bilva fruit (ripe or unripe) useful for prevention of cholera.

Medicinal Uses of Bilva Root:

Bilva is a cardiac tonic, haemostaic and alleviates swelling, hence is root used in cardiac dedillity and palpitation.

Bilva root bark and leaf juice are used to alleviate oedema.

Bilva root alleviates the inflammation of uterus, hence it is used in pregnancy, leucorrhoea and puerperal disorder.

Bilva  root tranquilises the nerves hence it is used in vata disorder, insomnia. Epilepsy and hysteria.

Bilva  root bark, unripe fruit are useful in loss of appetite, diarrheoa, dysentery, sprue, pain in abdomen.

Combinations :
- Bibhitaki, Amalaki, Haritaki to repair the large intestine and encourage regular peristalsis.
- Manjishta, low dose of Rhubarb root if there is bleeding from the GIT.

Dosage :
1/2 teaspoon Leaves powder mix with water before breakfast.

Note: Siddha treatment is based on complete physical examination of the patient, Naadi diagnosis, and other diagnostic criteria of the disease. The content given in this article is purely meant for information and education purpose only. Kindly consult a Siddha physician before any sort of self medication.