CHIRAITA SHIRIN

English            :           Chiretta

Urdu                :           Chiraita/Chiraita shirin

Telugu             :           Nila Vemu

Description : It is a 1-1.5 m high shrub of strong and branching stem,having leaves in opposite pairs usually lanceolate and 10 cm long and numerous flowers in large panicles,very small,geen-yellow,tinged with purple with long, white or pink hairs. Capsules are minute and  sharp-pointed. The stem which forms the major part of the drugs, is purplish brown and glabrous. The drug is odourless and taste intensely bitter.

Action and Uses: It is a valuable bitter tonic especially for liver,appetizer and stomachic and hence is given in liver disorders, indigestion, loss of appetite and flatulent abdomen.It is febrigue, anti-periodic, anthelmintic, alterative,blood purufier , anti-diabetic and expectorant. It is used in intermittent fevers,intestinal worms,skin diseases,e.g boils,abscesses,syphills,leprosy,eczema,psoriasis and scabies and in diabetes mellitus liver functions and bronchial asthma.

Ibn Sina’s View:It is resolvent,healing,and eye-sight tonic. It is very useful in burns when used with rose oil and vinger and also used in muscular rupture. It is also useful in cough,hepatitis,gastritis, ascites in strangury.