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Terminalia arjuna - Arjuna, White Marudah
Nirmatti or Terminalia arjuna is a tree of the genus Terminalia. It is commonly known as arjuna or arjun tree in English,[1] thella maddi in Telugu, kumbuk in Sinhala, marudha maram in Tamil and neer maruthu in Malayalam.
Description
The arjuna is about 20–25 metres tall; usually has a buttressed trunk, and forms a wide canopy at the crown, from which branches drop downwards. It has oblong, conical leaves which are green on the top and brown below; smooth, grey bark; it has pale yellow flowers which appear between March and June; its glabrous, 2.5 to 5 cm fibrous woody fruit, divided into five wings, appears between September and November.[1]
Uses
The terminalia arjuna was introduced into Ayurveda as a treatment for heart disease by Vagbhata . It is traditionally prepared as a milk decoction. In the Ashtānga Hridayam, but was also mentioned in many ancient Indian vedas, and was a known practice for thousands of years, passed down by tradition, before vagbhata mentioned it in his writings. Vagbhata mentions arjuna in the treatment of wounds, hemorrhages and ulcers, applied topically as a powder. Arjuna is an excellent medicine for Heart, it has the capability to even reverse heart failure. The Arjuna plant has traditionally been used to treat heart disease for centuries, which is why it got the nickname Guardian of the heart. It’s named after the hero of the famous epic “Mahabharata”, because of its protective effects. Arjuna is an evergreen tree of the Combretaceae family, which grows along the rivers of West Bengal in the drained beds of central and southern India. In Ayurveda,it’s considered a sacred plant.
Common name
- English - White Marudah
- Kannada - ಮತ್ತಿಮರ
- Hindi - कोह
