Cobra Saffron: Best Herb for Piles, Leucorrhea and Menorrhagia Problems (Mesua Ferrea)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

“Cobra saffron is the national tree of Sri Lanka and state flower of Tripura and Mizoram.” The plant is popularly known as Nagakeshara because snakes are attracted toward the saffron-like aroma of the plant flowers. It is believed that snakes reside near the plant.

Since time immemorial, Cobra saffron has been extensively used in folklore, therapeutic, and commercial industry. It is a beautiful evergreen tree cultivated widely for its timber, fragrant flowers and foliage. It is not included in any of the dashemani gana but Charaka used it in the treatment of arsha, visarpa, and vataroga.

Sushrut considered it as a vishaghna Dravya and used in hikka and water purification. Bangsena considered Cobra saffron as the best rakt sangrahak (hemostatic) drug. It is also a famous ingredient in many Siddha formulations like elathi churna, inji churna, kanthaga rasayanam, narathai legium, karisalai legium and thalisathi vadagam.

The tribals of Assam used it as an antiseptic, purgative, blood purifier, anthelmintic, and tonic drug. In Thai traditional medicine, it is used to treat fever, asthma, common cold, and as antipyretic, carminative, expectorant, cardiotonic, and diuretic drug. The plant is commercially popular in the market because of its oil which is known as kesar oil, extracted from the seeds. In north Canada, the oil is used in rheumatism and itching.

Apart from medicinal uses, its seeds oil is being used commercially in polymer industry, painting, as firewood, dye, cosmetics, substitute for gasoline of silver nanoparticles. The seeds are burnt like candles, the woods is used for making golf club heads, and flowers and stamens are sued to stuff pillows for bridal bed.

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2. Common Names

• Family – Clusiaceae
• Hindi Name – Nagkesar
• English Name – Cobra’s saffron, Indian Ironwood, Ceylon Ironwood

3. Vernacular Names

• Assamese – Negeshvar
• Bengali – Nageshvara
• Gujrati – Nagkesara
• Kannada – Nagsampige
• Malayalam – Nangaa
• Marathi – Nagkesara
• Tamil – Naugu
• Telugu – Nagachampakamu
• Urdu - Narmushk

4. Synonyms

• Ahipushpa – The flowers are liked by snakes.
• Champey – The flower is golden colored.
• Kanchaaha – It is denoted by the other synonyms of gold.
• Kesar – The useful part of the plant is stamen.
• Nagpushpa – The flower is characterized by its hooded petals.
• Tung – It is a synonym for snake.

5. Distribution

The plant is native to tropical countries like India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Bangladesh, China, Russia etc. It is widely distributed in evergreen forests up to an altitude of 1,500m. It is mostly distributed in the states of Assam, Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala and is cultivated in the gardens of North India for decoration.

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6. Classical Categorization

• Charaka Samhita – Not mentioned
• Sushrut Samhita – Eladi, Vachadi, Anjanadi
• Ashtang Sangraha – Eladi, Vachadi, Anjanadi
• Dhanvantari Nighantu – Shatpushpadi varga
• Madanpal Nighantu – Karpuradi varga
• Kaiyadev Nighantu – Oushadi varga
• Raj Nighantu – Pippalyadi varga
• Bhavaprakasha Nighantu – Karpuradi varga

7. Morphology

It is a medium-to large-sized, glabrous, evergreen tree with beautiful foliage that can attain a height of 18 to 30 m.

Bark – It is reddish-brown to gray, smooth and peels off in thin flakes, its wood is extremely hard.

Leaves – they are simple, opposite, leathery lanceolate, 6-15cm long by 2-4cm wide, immature leaves are coppery red covered in a waxy bloom below, acute-acuminate apex, nerves inconspicuous.

Flowers – They are sweet, scented, up to 7.5 cm in diameter, solitary or paired, axillary or terminal, white colored with numerous golden yellow stamens, stamen is shorter than the length of the petals and style is twice as long as the stamens.

Fruits – They are ovoid shape, with a conical point, 2.5 to 5 cm long. It is green when unripe, and becomes brown on drying, with woody pericarp that contains 1-4 pyriform, smooth, shiny, brown seeds.

8. Ayurvedic Properties

Rasa (Taste): It has Tikta, Kashya (astringent, bitter) taste.

Virya (Potency): It is Ushna in nature (hot).

Vipaka (Post-digestive taste): It is Katu (bitter).

Guna (Qualities) – Laghu, Ruksha

9. Chemical Constituent

Phytochemical studies revealed that the plant is rich in phenyl coumarins, xanthones, and triterpenoids. Other constituents are mesuaferrol, leuco anthocyanidin, mesuone, and euxanthone.

Stem bark and heartwood have 4-alkylcoumarins ferruols A and B, triterpenoid, methoxyxanthone, and meauxanthone B.

The kernels contain about 75% of oil which is rich in fatty acids like linoleic, oleic, stearic, and arachidic acids.

Seed oil contains phenylcoumarins like mesoul, mesuagin, mammeisin, mammeigin and mesuone.

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10. Identity, Purity, and Strength

• Foreign Matter – Not more than 2%
• Total Ash – Not more than 6%
• Acid-insoluble ash – Not more than 3%
• Alcohol-soluble extractive – Not less than 15%
• Water-soluble extractive – Not less than 12%

(Source: The Ayurvedic Pharmacopeia of India 1999)

11. Ayurvedic and Pharmacological Actions

Ayurvedic Actions

Ayurveda classic has mentioned it as carminative, digestive, absorbent, hemostatic, removes foul odor, checks excessive sweat, antidote, anti-inflammatory, antithirst, antiemetic, anthelminitic, antipruritis, antidermatosis, diuretic, analgesic, antipyretic, tonic properties to it.

• Doshakarma – Kaphapittahara
• Dhatukarma – Raktasangrahi, Panchan
• Malakarma – Mutral

Pharmacological Actions

It has antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antiasthmatic, antiallergic, anticonvulsant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiseptic, blood purifier, anthelmintic, cardiotonic, diuretic, expectorant, antipyretic, purgative, antispasmodic, antineoplastic and immunostimulant activities.

12. Health Benefits

Stamen is used in the treatment of fever, itching, thirst, excessive sweat, bleeding disorders, vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, indigestion, foul smell, skin disease, worm infestation, erysipelas, poison, wounds, uterine bleeding, dysuria, bleeding piles, dysentery and arthritis.

Leaves and flowers are antidotes for snake bites and scorpion stings. Oil is used for cutaneous infection, sores scabies, wounds and rheumatism. Kernels are used for poultice wounds and skin eruptions. The decoction or infusion of bark and roots is useful in gastritis, bronchitis, uterine bleeding, leucorrhea, bleeding diarrhea, excessive sweat, chronic cough, and burning micturition.

13. Therapeutic Uses

Poisoning – Local application of Cobra saffron leaves of flower paste is used as antidotes for snake’s bite and scorpion stings.

Burning Sensation – Cobra saffron powder mixed with Shatadhauta ghrita is applied on palm and sole to reduce burning sensation of palm and sole.

Bleeding Diarrhea – Cobra saffron powder with rice water is an excellent remedy to prevent bleeding associated in diarrhea.

Bleeding Piles – Daily intake of Cobra saffron with butter and sugar checks bleeding in hemorrhoids. Local application of Shatashauta ghrita mixed with Cobra saffron powder is also beneficial.

Leucorrhea/menorrhagia – Intake of Cobra saffron powder along with buttermilk for 3 days cures both.

Excessive Sweat – If excessive sweat production occurs in a person, then application of Cobra saffron flower pastes locally or oral intake of its powder is used to check its production.

Hic-cough – In hikka one should take Cobra saffron churna with honey along with madhuka and ikshu rasa.

For Conception – Intake of Cobra saffron and Puga churna helps in garbhasthapana.

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14. Official Part Used

Stamens, Seeds

15. General Doses

Powder – 1 to 3 g

16. Formulations

Eladi churna, Pushyanug churna, Dashmoolarista, Suparipaka, Drakshaasava, Brahmi vati, Pradarnashaka churna.