Chunga: Health Benefits and Therapeutic Uses (Symplocos Racemosa, Lodhra)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Herbal plant Symplocos Racemosa commonly known as Lodhra or Chunga is a small evergreen tree located in a hilly region and most found in the Poorvothara Pradesh of India mainly in planes and lower hills of Bengal, Assam, and Burma. Symplocos Racemosa is an indigenous plant having ample medicinal application. Its main useful part is bark.

In Sanskrit, this tree was known as Lodhra meaning “propitious” and “Tilaka” because it was used in making the Tilaka mark on the forehead.

You may also like

2. Common Names

• Synonyms - Symplocos Beddomei
• Family – Symplocos
• Hindi Name – Symplocaceae
• English Name – Chunga, Symplocos Bark

3. Vernacular Names

• Bengali – Lodhra
• Gujarati – Lodhaz
• Kannada – Lodhra
• Assamese – Mugam
• Marathi – Lodhra
• Malayalam – Pachotti
• Tamil – Vellilathi
• Telugu – Lodhuga
• Urdu – Lodh
• Punjabi – Lodhar

4. Synonyms

• Akshaprasadan – It is healthy for the eye.
• Akshibheshaja – It is useful in eye disease.
• Bhillataru – It is well known to tribal people as Bhilla.
• Galab – The bark is used in the dyeing industry.
• Pattikalodhra – It is one variety of Lodhra.
• Rodhra – It has healing properties and stambana action.
• Sthulavalkala – The Bark of this plant is thick.
• Tirit – That which relieves diseases.

The other synonyms are Brihatprakash, Chillak, Hastriodhrak, Jeernapatra, kandakilak, Kramuka, Lakshaprasad, Pattila, Savara, Shambaro etc.

5. Classical Categorization

• Charaka Samhita – Shonita sthapana
• Sushrut Samhita – Lodhradi
• Dhanvantari Nighantu – Chandanadi varga
• Madanpal Nighantu – Abhyadi varga
• Kaiyadev Nighantu – Oshadi varga
• Raj Nighantu – Pippalyadi varga
• Bhavaprakasha Nighantu – Haritakyadi

6. Distribution

It is found abundantly in the plains and lower hills throughout north and east India, ascending in the Himalayas up to an elevation of 1400m, southwards it extends up to Chhota Nagpur. It is very commonly found in the lower hills of Bengal, Assam, and Burma. It is also found in Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Nepal.

Explore Wholesale Herbs Powder

7. Morphology

It is an evergreen, small tree or shrub, 6 to 8.5cm tall.

Leaves – Simple, alternate, or oblong, 8-15 x 3-5 cm, base rounded, acute or acuminate apex, dentate margin-saw-like teeth. Papery, hairless, 8 to 10 pairs of nerves.

Flowers – Shortly stalked, bisexual in axillary racemes, whitish-pink and fragrant. The flowers are very small with a 1.4cm diameter and appear mostly white which turn yellow, and fragrant in auxiliary, simple, or compound racemes. Pedicels if calyx tubes and stamens are about 100 in number.

Fruit – Drupes, ellipsoid to ovoid 1.5 x 0.5cm, hairless, dark blue when ripe, turning yellow when dry.

Seed – One to two, oblong.

Bark – Small of varying sizes and thickness, outer surface buff to brownish, longitudinally wrinkled and bearing horizontal lenticels, inner surface brownish, rough and scanty fracture, short and granular, taste acrid and bitter.

8. Types

According to Bhavaprakash, it has two types:

• Lodhra
• Paittika Lodhra

9. Ayurvedic Properties

• Rasa (Taste): It has Kasaya (pungent) taste.
• Virya (Potency): It is Sheeta in nature (cold).
• Vipaka (Post-digestive taste): It is Katu (bitter) taste.
• Guna (Qualities) – Laghu, Ruksha.

10. Chemical Constituent

Its bark contains flavanol glucosides like symplocoside, symposide, ellagic acid, flavanol glycoside like rhamnetin, botulin, oleanolic acid, oxalic acids, loturidine.

Explore Herbal Tea

11. Identity, Purity, and Strength

• Foreign Matter – Not more than Nil%
• Total Ash – Not more than 12%
• Acid-insoluble ash – Not more than 1%
• Alcohol-soluble extractive – Not less than 9%
• Water-soluble extractive – Not less than 15%

12. Ayurvedic and Pharmacological Actions

Ayurvedic Actions

It is anti-inflammatory, beneficial for vision, absorbent, relish, and antidote.

• Doshakarma – Kaphapittahara
• Dhatukarma – Raktastambhana
• Malakarma – Grahi

Pharmacological Actions

It has an analgesic, anthelmintic, antiacne effect, antiangiogenic, and antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective properties.

13. Health Benefits

It is used in diarrhea, diarrhea with fever, hemorrhage, inflammation, swelling, menorrhagia, and thirst. It is used for eye diseases, acne, and pimples, leucorrhea, wounds, skin disorders, ascites, hoarseness of voice, fever, menstrual disorder, hemorrhage, diarrhea, dysentery, liver disease, bowel complaints, ulcer, bleeding gums. Lodhra is considered a drug of choice for gynecological disorders. It has been used as emmenagogue and aphrodisiac, and it is a potent remedy for inflammation and clearing the uterus in the Unani system of medicine. It is used in raktapittam, athisaram and pradaram as per Siddha.

Explore more herbs

14. Therapeutic Uses

Acne and Pimple – Paste of Chunga and Sphatik should be applied locally.

Eye Disease – Sariba, Lodhra fried in ghee should be applied on the lid as paste in the disease of the whole eye.

Skin Disease – Rubbing and applying powder paste of Chunga, Dhataki, Indravya, Karanja, and Jati is useful for skin disease.

Wound – Powder of Dhataki and Chunga promotes wound healing.

Leucorrhea – Paste of Chunga is taken with the decoction of Nyagrodha bark.

Dysentery – Chunga with curd is useful in dysentery.

Disease of Women – Lodhrasava is a popular formulation for women’s diseases.

15. Official Part Used

Bark

16. General Doses

• Powder – 3 to 5gm
• Decoction – 20 to 30gm

17. Formulations

Brihat Gangadhar churna, Chandanasava, Dashmoolarista, Kumaryasava, Lodhradi Kwath, Lodhrasava, Pustanuga churna and Rodhrasava.