Embelia ribes - Vidanga

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Embelia Ribes

Embelia ribes ( Devnagari : विडंग, Gujarati : 'વાવડીંગ' ), commonly known as false black pepper, white-flowered Embelia, vidanga, vaividang, or vai vidang ,vavding, is a species in the Primulaceae. It was originally described by Nicolaas Laurens Burman in his 1768 publication, Flora Indica.

It is widely distributed throughout India. In Ayurveda, it is considered widely beneficial in variety of diseases and is also used in homeopathy. In India, it is one of the widely and commonly used Ayurvedic herbs.

Uses

Gas and Stomach Ache, apeworms, Snakebites, flatulence, Skin eruptions, dyspepsia, jaundice, Skin eruptions, flatulence, colic.

Parts Used

Dried Folaige, Whole herb.

Chemical Composition

Embelia ribes berries contain several chemical constituents like embelin, volatile oil, fixed oil, resin, tannin, christembine (alkaloid), phenolic acids like caffeic acid

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	Amogha, Vayi-vulanga
Hindi	Baba-rang, Baberang
Malayalam	Tiriitticanni, Tiruvittikanni
Tamil
Telugu	Potosul, Vaividungalu
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit
English	Embelia

Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Rasa

Kashaya (Astringent), Katu (Pungent)

Guna

Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry), Tikshna (Sharp)

Veerya

Ushna (Hot)

Vipaka

Katu (Pungent)

Karma

Kapha, Vata

Habit

Herb

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Simple	coriaceous	Lancelate 6-14cm long and 2-4cm broad, alternating, acuminate entire, perfectly glabours and petiole 1.0 cm -0.8 cm margined

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Unisexual	4-4 mm	white or yellow	5	smooth, succulent, in dry condition with wrinkles with loss of calyx

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
reddish seed		enclosed in a brittle pericarp, is covered by a thin membrane	With hooked hairs	the seed is seen covered with light spots	{{{6}}}

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

• Vishatinduka Taila as root juice extract

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings.

How to plant/cultivate

Easily grown in most soils, preferring a calcareous soil. Thrives in a dry lightly shaded position, though it prefers full sun.Plants usually self-sow quite freely when growing in a suitable position. The seeds are contained in burrs that can easily attach themselves to clothing or animal's fur, thus transporting them to a new area where they can germinate and grow.The cultivar 'Sweet scented' is popular in France for making tea because the whole plant is sweet scented and the flowers have a spicy apricot-like fragrance

Commonly seen growing in areas

Central and lower Himalayas, Deccan Ghat, Western Ghats and South India.