Nilini - Neeli Avuri

Nilini - Avuri



Botanical name: Indigofera Tinctoria
Family: Fabaceae
English: Indian Indigo
Hindi: Nili
Kannada: Karunili
Malayalam: Neelamar Amar
Sanskrit: Nilini
Tamil: Neeli avuri, Neelamari
Telugu: Nili Chettu,Nili

Parts Used: Whole Plant

Actions : Hepato-protective, Anti-periodic, Stimulant, Antidote.

Introduction:
India is a country with rich natural resources with variety of medicinal plants. In contrast to synthetic drugs, Herbal drugs enjoy the advantages of comparatively less toxic than synthetic drugs, more harmony with the biological system and affordable to all classes of people. In the last few decades, Herbs and plants have been in use as a source of therapeutic compounds in traditional medicinal system. Medicinal plants play an important role in traditional health care systems as well as in International herbal and pharmaceutical markets. This is because that the herbal medicines are cheap, and have natural origin. The plant Indigofera tinctoria belongs to the family of Fabaceae which popularly known as Neeli in Tamil and found throughout India. The roots, stems and leaves of Indigofera tinctoria are bitter and are useful for promoting the growth of hair, asthma, ulcers, skin diseases and diuretic.

The plant was found to contain indirubin and indigtone where the juice extracted from the leaves is useful in the treatment of hydrophobia.

Description of Plant
A branching shrub upto 2m high with 7-13 leaflets. Leaves are green when fresh and greyish black on drying, tender branches bluish red in color, flowers many in nearly sessile lax spicate recemes which are much shorter than the leaves with red or pinkin colour; fruits cylindrical pods,pale greenish grey when young and dark brown on ripening with 10-12 seeds.

The roots, stems and leaves are bitter, thermogenic, laxative, trichogenous, expectorant, anthelminthic, tonic, naturopathy, splenomegaly, echolalia, cardiopathy, chronic bronchitis, asthama, ulcers, skin diseases, diuretic and are useful for promoting growth of hair. The juice expressed from the leaves is useful in the treatment of hydrophobia. An extract of the plant is good for epilepsy and neuropathy. The plant possesses anti-toxic property. The plant is stimulant, alternativr, deobstruent and purgative. Indigo is antiseptic and astringent.

The Juice of the leaves and indigo in powder are used mixed with honey in enlargement of liver and spleen, epilepsy and other nervous affections. In hydrophobia two ounces of fresh juice with an equal quantity of milk is given in the morning for 3 days as a prophylactic; Juice is also given in asthma, whooping cough, palpitation of heart, in some lung diseases and kidney complaints as in dropsy. Decoction of the root is given in calculus; Juice of the young branches mixed with honey is a used application for aphthae of the mouth in children. An Infusion of root is given as an root is given as an antidote in cases of poisoning by arsenic.

Externally, leaves crushed are used as stimulant, Poultice or plaster in various skin affections, to haemorrhoids etc., and to cleanse a heal wounds and ulcers. Powdered indigo also is used for sprinkling on ulcers. It is applied mixed with castor oil to the navel of children to promote the action of the bowels and mixed with warm to the pubes and hypogastria as it stimulates bladder and therefore useful in cases of retention of urine.

Siddha Medicinal Uses :

1. It is the best Siddha medicine for all toxicities

2. The powder given in dose of 5 grams for three times a day for any type of toxicity (herbal, metal or poison of any living creature), fever due to derranged vatham, kamalai (jaundice), mantham (indigestion) etc.

3. The root is crushed and prepared into decoction, and given for gunmam (abdominal disorders), vellai(leucorrhoea), all types of toxicities etc.

4. The leaves are crushed, prepared into decoction and given for toxicities, fever, arthritis etc.

5. The leaf juice is given in the dose of 10-20ml along with honey twice daily for jaundice, inflammation of liver etc.

6. For poisonous bites, the samoolam or the whole plant is ground and applied as a paste over the bitten area. Also the leaf juice is given internally to the patient.