Medicinal Plants No 30

Alstonia venenata R.Br. Apocynaceae (कुटज-कुलम्)

Mal : Analivēgam (come Co.) Kan : Addasoppu (es isety) San Visaghni, Anadană (faqe , STAIGT) Tam : Sinnappālai (FOTÚLIN)

Distribution: Throughout India in deciduous forests in areas upto 1,800 m

elevation The plant: A large shrub or a small tree upto 6.0 m in height with greyish

brown bark and bright yellow hard and woody root; leaves simple, whorls of 3-6, membranous, lanceolate, margins wavy, finely acuminate, main nerves numerous, close, parallel, united by intramarginal nerve; flowers white, in terminal, subumbellate cyme or in racemes, fruits fusiform, stalked and beaked follicles, tapering

at both ends, seeds many, flattened with a tuft of hair at each end. Parts used: roots, fruits Properties and uses: The roots are bitter, astringent, thermogenic,

depurative, antitoxic, febrifuge and anodyne. They are useful in ski diseases, erysipelas, leprosy, cobra bite and other venomous bites, epilepsy, fatigue, fever and otalgia. The fruits are useful in syphilis, insanity and epilepsy.

क्षुद्रश्च सप्तपर्णो न्यो विषघ्नश्चाप्यनादनः । क्षुद्रपूर्वश्च विज्ञेयः सप्तपर्णस्तु नामतः ।। नातीवसुरभीनस्य सुमानीति विशिष्यते ।" (स्व.) ["Kșudrasca saptapaļņõſnyö vişghnaścăpyanādanaḥ Ksudrapūrvasca vijñēyaḥ saptaparnastu nāmatah Nātivasurabhinasya sumānīti visişyatē" (Sva.)]

"सप्तच्छदसमानं स्याद्गुणे, त्वक्कुष्ठनाशिनी ।। फिरगविषवीसर्पभूतापस्मारपीडनम् ।नाशयेत्, कर्णशूलघ्नी मूर्छाज्वरहरी च सा ॥ (F.) ["Saptacchadasamānam syādguņē, tvakkuşthanasini Phirangavişavisarpabhūtāpasmārapidanam Näsayēt, karnaśūlaghni murcchājvarahari ca sā" (Sva.))