Abstract

VERSATILITY OF MEDA (MEMBER OF ASTAVARGA) IN ANCIENT PERIOD - A CLASSICAL REVIEW BASED ON VARIOUS AYURVEDIC SAMHITA AND OTHER ANCIENT TREATISE

Divya Vij*, Prabhat Kumar Srivastava, Ramakant Marde and Rajesh Kumar Mishra

Abstract

Medā commonly known as whorled Solomon’s seal is a perennial rhizomatus herb. According to Miller (1754) the generic name of Polygonatum is derived from its charactistic feature of rhizome which resembles to a great extent as yovi, a knee, because it has many little knees. It is a highly valuable medicinal plant specially rhizome which in the form of syrup is used for the treatment of pain, pyrexia, burning sensation and for phthisis and in combination with other herbs as it promotes urine discharge. The plant is also used as emollient, aphrodisiac, appetizer, galactagogue and tonic for weakness. Rhizome of this plant is an important ingredient of Aṣṭavarga, a drug used in as a tonic and for aphrodisiac. The plant also exhibits antifungal activities and used in the preparation of cosmetics as a skin tonic. Its rhizome is collected from wild and traded for medicinal purposes. This is one of the reasons that Medā is rapidly disappearing. So there is an urgent need for conservation of this plant.

Keywords: Meda, Ayurveda, Nighantu, Samhita, Astavarga.