Kutaja
Common Name:
Kurchi(Eng.)
Sanskrit Names:
Kutaja- Means it generally grows on Kuta mountain
Girimallika- Means it is having bright white flowers
Vatsaka- Means the plant generally grows in Vatsa desha (Place somewhere in Utter pradesha, India)
Vrikshaka- Means it is a small size plant
Kaalinga- Means it also grows successfully in Kalinga pradesha (Area covering most of the modern state of Orissa, as well as some northern areas of the bordering state of Andhra Pradesh, India.)
Indravriksha- Means it is mostly found on Mahendra Mountain in Kalinga pradesha
Lt. Name:
Holarrhena antidysenterica- Apocynaceae
Bio energetics:
Rasa (Taste)- Tikta(Bitter); Kashaya(Astringent)
Guna (Characteristics)- Laghu(Light); Ruksha (Rough)
Veerya (Potency)- Sheeta (Cool and calm)
Vipaka (Post digestion effect)- Katu (Pungent)
Effect on Tridosha (Three bio humors of the body)-
Tridoshaghna (Pacifies all the three Doshas) i.e. it is useful in management of diseases with their origin in either of the Dosha or all of them.
Chemical composition:
Around 30 alkaloids have been isolated from the plant, mostly from the bark. These include conessine, kurchine, kurchicine, holarrhimine, conarrhimine, conaine, conessimine, iso-conessimine, conimine, holacetin and conkurchin.
Pharmacology:
Conessine from the bark killed free living amoebae and also kills entamoeba histolytica in the dysenteric stools of experimentally infected kittens.It is markedly lethal to the flagellate protozoon. It is antitubercular also. Conkurchine is hydrochloride hypotensive and vasodilator
Actions according to Ayurveda:
Raktarshoghna- Useful in management of bleeding hemorrhoids
Kandughna- Alleviates itching
Stanya shodhana- Lactation purifier
Aasthapanopaga- Useful in enhancing the effect of Aasthapana vasti(Therapeutic enema with decoction as the main constituent)
Vamana- Useful in inducing therapeutic vomiting
Deepana- Stimulates the digestive fire
Atisarahara- Useful in diarrhea
Trishnahara- Alleviates excessive thirst
Kushthajit- Useful in all skin diseases
Medicinal value:
-
It is one of the best drugs for chronic diarrhea and to check blood coming from stool.
-
H. antidysenterica is found useful in curing Chronic Diarrhoea, Amoebic Dysentery, Intestinal & extra-intestinal amoebiasis Bacillary Dysentery, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Tropical Spru.
Useful part:
Bark; Seeds
Doses:
Powder- 3-6 gm;
Some useful combinations of Kutaja:
Kutajarishta, Kutajavaleha, Kutaja Ghana Vati
Some special notes about Kutaja :
For therapeutic vommiting in patients with weak physical and psychological set up and diseased by bleeding tendency, heart or skin disease; Kutaja is the best.
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