Shalparni: Health Benefits and Therapeutic Uses (Desmodium Gangeticum)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Desmodium Gangeticum is one of the drugs Laghupanchmoola and Dashmoola. It is also one of the components of Parnidwaya, Vedic literature describes its potential as a regulator of nervous (vata), venous (pitta), and arterial (kapha) systems essential to restoring health.

It is widely found in Samhitas. It is mainly used in compound form as Parnidwaya or Chatuparni form.  The genus Desmodium is derived from the Greek word “Desmos” meaning “bond” or “chain” due to the resemblance of the jointed seed pods to links of a chain. It is distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is a slender herb with leaves like Sala and long, deep-seated, fibrous, sweet aroma roots. The drug can be used as rasayana and alleviates cardiac pain and edema. It is Tridoshasamaka in action.

Various ethnomedical claims regarding Desmodium Gangeticum were found in different parts of India, such as Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal. Tamil Nadu, which shows its availability and popularity among tribal peoples.

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2. Common Names

• Family – Fabaceae
• Hindi Name – Salvan, Shalpan
• English Name – Flax weed, flixweed

3. Vernacular Names

• Bengali – Salpani
• Gujarati – Salvan
• Kannada – Kadangaa
• Siddha – Pulladi
• Marathi – Salvan
• Malayalam – Orila
• Tamil – Orila
• Telugu – Gitanaram
• Urdu – Sharpani
• Punjabi – Shalpurni

4. Synonyms

• Anshumati – It has fibrous roots.
• Dirghanghri – Its roots are long.
• Guha – The roots are deep-seated.
• Saumya – It has rasayana properties like that of soma.
• Shoolaroghari – It alleviates cardiac pain.
• Shophaghni – It alleviates edema.
• Sthira – It gives strength to the body.
• Vidarigandha – It bears the smell of Vidarikanda.

5. Classical Categorization

• Charaka Samhita – Angamardaprashamana
• Sushrut Samhita – Vidarigandhadi
• Ashtanga Hridya – Vidaryadi
• Dhanvantari Nighantu – Guduchyadi varga
• Madanpal Nighantu – Abhayadi varga
• Kaiyadev Nighantu – Oshadi varga
• Raj Nighantu – Shatahwadi varga
• Bhavaprakasha Nighantu – Guduchyadi varga

6. Distribution

It is distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Among 20 to 25 species, flax weed shows the highest biodiversity in India. It is found on lower hills and plains throughout India. It is abundant in Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, the outer Himalayas, and more. It is also distributed in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Malaysia and Australia.

7. Morphology

It is a perennial, erect, or ascending herb or undershrub 1 to 4 feet in height.

Stem – Angular, woody with numerous prostrate branches.

Leaves – Unifoliate, alternate (6-14 x 2-7 cm), thin lamina, stipulate, petioles 1 to 2 cm long, stipules 6 to 8 mm long, ovate-oblong or rounded in shape, cordate base, acute-acuminate apex, the upper surface is glabrous, paler, and clothed with dense, soft, whitish, appressed hair beneath.

Flower – They are in large terminal and axillary racemes, usually in small fascicles on a slender rachis, bracts subulate, up to 4mm, calyx 2mm long, hairy, corolla 4 to 5 mm long, purple, violet, blue, lilac, or white with these colors appearing at the same time on the same plant.

Fruit – Sub falcate, flat pod, 2cm by 0.3cm, slightly indented on the upper and deeply so on the lower suture slightly dehiscent, six to eight jointed. One seeded, straight, or slightly curved above and rounded on the lower.

Seed – Compressed, reniform without a strophiole.

Root – Deep-rooted, tap roots are poorly developed, and lateral roots are very strong, nearly cylindrical, light yellow, and smooth.

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8. Ayurvedic Properties

• Rasa (Taste): It has Madhura, Tikta (sweet, astringent) taste.
• Virya (Potency): It is Ushna in nature (hot).
• Vipaka (Post-digestive taste): It is Madhura (sweet) taste.
• Guna (Qualities) – Guru, Snigdha.

9. Chemical Constituent

Desmodium Gangeticum is rich in flavonoids, alkaloids, pterocarpans, steroids, terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, coumarins, and volatile oil as mentioned below.

• Alkaloids – b-carbolinium cation, N-dimethyl, Uridine triacetate.
• Pterocarpans – Desmocarpin, Desmodin, gangetial, gangetin.
• Flavonoids – 4,5,7-trihydroxy.
• Phytosterol – Acetate, lupeol, stigma sterol.
• Volatile oil – 1-Tritriacontanol, Aliphatic.
• Phenyl Propanoids – Chlorogenic acids.

10. Identity, Purity, and Strength

• Foreign Matter – Not more than 2%
• Total Ash – Not more than 6%
• Acid-insoluble ash – Not more than 2%
• Alcohol-soluble extractive – Not less than 1%
• Water-soluble extractive – Not less than 6%

11. Ayurvedic and Pharmacological Actions

Ayurvedic Actions

Its actions are pacified body aches, physical strength promoter, relieving vertigo, body mass improver, rejuvenation, antipyretic, pacifying tridosha, reducing edema, pacify vatadisha, and aphrodisiac.

• Doshakarma – Tridoshakarma
• Dhatukarma – Balya, Brumhana, Vrushya
• Malakarma – Mutral

Pharmacological Actions

Various pharmacological actions are nootropic, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-ulcerative, cardioprotective, immunomodulatory, renal protective, and wound healing.

12. Health Benefits

It is useful in piles, diarrhea, heart disease, fever, cough, worm infestation, emaciation, diabetes, colic pain, edema, emaciation, asthma, thirst, and intermittent fasting.

13. Therapeutic Uses

Hemicrania – Juice of Desmodium Gangeticum should be applied locally or snuffed to alleviate hemicrania.

For easy delivery – Apply the Desmodium Gangeticum root paste on the navel, pelvis, vulva, etc. expel the confounded fetus.

The disease of the eye – Desmodium Gangeticum root combined with rock salt and marica and rubbed with sour gruel in a copper vessel should be used as collyrium, it destroys pila.

Cardiac pain – Desmodium Gangeticum boiled with milk is efficacious in cardiac pain.

Hemorrhage – Desmodium Gangeticum with mudga rasa in ahara.

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14. Official Part Used

Roots and whole plant.

15. General Doses

• Powder – 5 to 10g.
• Decoction – 50 to 100ml.

16. Formulations

Agasthya rasayana, anutails, Brachchagaladya, Ghrita, Chitrakaharitake, Chyavanprash, Dashmoola kwath, Dashmoola taila, Dashmool arishta, Mahanaryana taila, Mooshikadya taila, Shalparnyadi kvath, Vayuchchhaya surendra taila.