RITHA
English : Soap-nut/Soap-nut tree/Indian Filbert
Urdu : Ritha/Rithah
Telugu : Kunkudu/Kunkudu chettu
Description :
The fruit of the tree is used as medicine.It is of the size of betel-nut.Its outer-skin is wrinkled and darkish yellow.On breaking it,a dark stone resembling ‘scared lotus-nut’ is obtained containing a white kernel inside.
Action and Uses:
The fruit is detergent,emetic,resolvent,astrigent and expectorant.It is also anthelmintic.The rind of the fruit is prescribed internally in small doses as resovlent and expectorant in cases of phlegmatic and asthma.However the common practice is to use drug externally. A paste of the drug with vinegar is externally applied to lessen scrofulous swellings and to kill head lice , and also another paste with psoralea seeds to white discolouration of the skin and lesions of vitiligo.A decoction of the drug is used as gargle in throat and vocal cord affections especially in hoarseness of voice.Soapnut water is used for washing hair and body to improve complexion and to clean hair. It is also including in the formulations of face powders known as ‘Ubtan’.A watery solution of pulpy pericarp dropped in to the nostrils relieves hemocrania and nasal obstruction and restores consciousness during epileptic and hysteric fits by irritating the mucous membrane and increasing its secretions. For this purpose the usual method of use is to put drops in the nostrils of healthy side e.g if the left side aches,the right nostril has to be irrigated and vice versa.
Ibn Sina’s view:
Its application with vinegar is useful in scrofula. Also good for scabies and prutitus. When used as snuff, it is highly beneficial in facial paralysis, migraine,headache,epilepsy,insanity and meloncholia.A drink prepared in wine from sapindus root is given in pleurisy,asthma and chronic cough and haemoptysis.Also useful in cholera.