Wednesday, February 27, 2013

www.malaysianherbals.com-Boswellia Serrata (60) INDIAN OLIBANAM- குங்கிலியமரம்

Boswellia -குங்கிலிய மரம்



Boswellia is the purified resin made from the gum from the Boswellia serrata or Boswellia carteri trees. For medicinal purposes, the products of these two trees are used in similar ways.
B. serrata is a moderately large branching tree that grows in the hilly regions of India. It grows to a height of about 12 ft (4 m). The sticky resin, or sap, from the tree is also called Indian frankincense, Indian olibanum, dhup, and salai guggulB. carteri is a related tree that grows in parts of North Africa, especially Somalia, and in some parts of Saudi Arabia. The resin from this tree is called frankincense.

Boswellia sacra   ESSENCIAL oil induces tumor cell-specific apoptosis and suppresses tumor aggressiveness in cultured human breast cancer cells

Common name: Indian Olibanum, Indian frankincense • Gujarati: સાલેડી saaledi, સલાઈ ગૂગળ salaai gugul • Hindi: शल्लकी shallaki, kundur, luban • Kannada: ಗುಗ್ಗುಳ ಮರ guggula mara • Malayalam: കുങ്ങില്യം kungilyam • Marathi: धुपाळी dhupali, धूपसाळी dhupasali, कुरुंद kurunda, सालफळी salaphali, साळई salai, साळी sali • Oriya: salai • Sanskrit: भीषण bhishan, गुग्गुल guggula, हस्तिनशना hastinashana, पालंक palank, पार्वती parvati, ऱ्हादिनी hradini, कुरुन्द kurunda, सल्लकी sallaki, शल्लकी shallaki, स्रुवा sruva •Tamil: குமஞ்சம் kumancam, குங்கிலியம் kunkiliyam, மரத்துவெள்ளை marattu-vellai, பறங்கிச்சாம்பிராணி paranki-c-campi-rani, வெள்ளிக்கீரை vellai-k-kirai • Telugu: గుగ్గిలము guggilamu, పరంగిసాంబ్రాణిచెట్టు parangi-sambrani-chettu, సల్లకి sallaki • Urdu: kundur, lobana 

Botanical name: Boswellia serrata    Family: Burseraceae (Torchwood family)
Synonyms: Boswellia glabra, Boswellia thurifera, Bursera thurifera


Indian Olibanum is a deciduous tree endemic to India and has been recorded on dry hills and slopes, on gravelly soils between an altitude range of 275-900 m. It is a medium sized tree, 3-5 m tall, with ash coloured papery bark. Alternately arranged leaves are pinnate, crowded at the end of branches, 20-40 cm long. There are 8-15 pairs of leaflets, 3-6 cm long, with an odd one at the tip. Leaflets are ovate, with toothed margin. Flowers are tiny, creamy, about 8 mm across, borne in 10-15 cm long racemes in leaf axils. There are 10 stamens with a short style and a 3-lobed stigma. Fruits are 2 cm long, 3-cornered. Indian Olibanum tree, on injury, exudates an oleo-gum-resin known as Salai, Guggal or Indian Frankincense. Flowering: January.
Medicinal uses:Extracts of Indian Olibanum have been clinically studied for osteoarthritis and joint function, particularly for osteoarthritis of the knee. A Boswellia extract marketed under the name Wokvel has undergone human efficacy, comparative, pharmacokinetic studies. Indian Olibanum is used in the manufacture of the supposed anti-wrinkle agent "Boswelox", which has been criticised as being ineffective.


Boswellia is a tree found in the hills of India. Traditionally, the part of tree used for medicine is a sap-like resin, or gummy oleoresin. The resin is made up of essential oils and terpenoids. Boswellic Acid is a terpenoid, the organic chemical that is thought to contain the part of boswellia that works as a medication.

Read more: Boswellia Side Effects | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5389979_boswellia-side-effects.html#ixzz2LFJun9cS

What is boswellia serrata?
A: A reader recently asked The Herb Companion about boswellia serrata. Having never heard of it before, (It looked like a made up word to me) I had to research to find out more. It turns out that this nonsense-word plant is actually very interesting.
Boswellia serrata is a medium-sized tropical tree with ash-colored, papery bark. It’s native to India and other tropical regions of Asia and Africa. When cut, the bark of boswellia yields a gummy resin, or tree sap, that is used for medicinal purposes. This resin, called gugul or salai, is related tofrankincense. It is taken from the frankincense shrub, which is a prime ingredient in incense and oils.

The resin from boswellia has long been used in traditional Indian Siddha Ayurvedic medicine as a remedy for arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, bursitis, diarrhea, dysentery, goiter, liver problems and rheumatism. Today, boswellia is used to help reduce inflammation, stiffness and joint pain. The resin contains boswellic acids, which work to reduce inflammation. Boswellia serrata resin can also help soothe pain caused by minor injuries and is an effective remedy for the chronic pain associated with arthritis.

To burn the resin as an incense you need to have a heat source. Most people use a charcoal disc that is designed specifically for this purpose. The disc should be placed inside a heat resistant container with earth inside if required to shield the strong heat. Once alight the resin can be spooned gently placed onto the charcoal and the resin becomes an incense and the delightful aromas are released. You can then add more resin as required

Frankincense is tapped from the small drought-hardy Boswellia trees by slashing the bark, which is called striping, and allowing the exuded resin to bleed out and harden. These hardened resins are called tears. There are several species and varieties of frankincense trees, each producing a slightly different type of resin. Differences in soil and climate create even more diversity of the resin, even within the same species.
Boswellia Sacra trees are considered unusual for their ability to grow in environments so unforgiving that they sometimes grow out of almost solid rock. Attachment to the rock is accomplished by a bulbous disk-like swelling of the trunk. This feature is slight or absent in trees grown in rocky soil or gravel. The tears from trees growing on rock are considered superior for their more fragrant aroma. [need citation where]
Boswellia serrataThe trees start producing resin when they are about 8 to 10 years old. Tapping is done 2 to 3 times a year with the final taps producing the best tears due to their higher aromatic terpenesesquiterpene and diterpene content. Generally speaking, the more opaque resins are the best quality. Fine resin is produced in Yemen and along the northern coast ofSomalia, from which the Roman Catholic Church draws its supplies.
Recent studies have indicated that frankincense tree populations are declining, partly due to over-exploitation. Heavily tapped trees produce seeds that germinate at only 16% while seeds of trees that had not been tapped germinate at more than 80%. In addition, burning, grazing, and attacks by the longhorn beetle have reduced the tree population. Conversion (clearing) of frankincense woodlands to agriculture is also a major threat.Thanks Wiki

Boswellia sacra (frankincense)
Frankincense, an oily gum resin from the tree Boswellia sacra and related species, is named in the Bible as one the three gifts given to the baby Jesus by the 'Three Wise Men'. It has been used for thousands of years in many different cultures.
Boswellia sacra Helen Pickering




About this species

Boswellia sacra is a tree with papery, peeling bark and leaves clustered at the ends of tangled branches. It is the source of the oleo-gum-resin frankincense, which besides other uses, has long been valued for its sweet-smelling fumes when burnt. The name ‘frankincense’ is derived from the Old French ‘franc encens’, meaning pure incense or, more literally, free lighting. Trade in frankincense, which is produced by various trees in the genus Boswellia, dates back to at least 2000 BC. Up until the 1830s, many Europeans mistakenly believed that frankincense was the resin of a species of Juniperus, a conifer


Trunk of Boswellia sacra showing the peeling bark


Trunk of Boswellia sacra showing the peeling bark (Image: Helen Pickering)
Frankincense and olibanum are commonly used names for the oleo-gum-resin of Boswellia trees. Frankincense has long been valued for the sweet-smelling fumes it produces when burnt. The ancient Egyptians used the resin in religious rites, in anointing the mummified bodies of their kings, and to treat wounds and sores. Incense containing frankincense was found in Tutankhamen's tomb. It is still used in religious ceremonies by the Parsees, thought by some to be cultural descendants of the 'Three Wise Men' (Magi) of the Christian tradition.
The earliest recorded account of the use of Arabian frankincense and myrrh by the ancient Greeks comes from Herodotus, suggesting that by 500 BC a well-established trade existed between southern Arabia and Greece. In 295 BC Theophrastus recorded that Alexander the Greek (356-323 BC) sent Anaxicrates to southern Arabia to ascertain the origin of frankincense.
Theophrastus (c. 372-287 BC), the Greek botanist, and Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD), the Latin naturalist, provided eyewitness accounts of the cultivation and harvesting of frankincense, and the methods remain largely unchanged today. When slashed, the bark exudes an oily gum resin which is either scraped off the tree or collected from the ground as it drips off, a method which produces a better quality resin. The best quality resin is pale in colour, while resin which is scraped off the bark is reddish and considered inferior.

Christmas bad for frankincense trees

Tapping the resin
Tapping Boswellia tree for frankincense in Eritrea (Image: Dr Woldeselassie Ogbazghi, Asmara, Eritrea)
If Jesus was born today, the three wise men might have had to substitute frankincense for another gift, according to new research suggesting that production of the fragrant substance is in trouble.
Frankincense, an aromatic hardened wood resin obtained by tapping Boswellia trees, has been an ingredient in perfumes and incense for thousands of years.
The Bible says that at Christmas, the magi brought gifts to Jesus of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Now ecologists from the Netherlands and Eritrea warn that current rates of tapping frankincense from Boswellia trees are endangering sustained production of the aromatic resin.
Writing in the December issue of the Journal of Applied Ecology, Professor Frans Bongers of Wageningen University says that over-tapping the trees results in them producing fewer, less viable seeds.
And production, in the Horn of Africa, is declining because Boswellia woodlands are failing to regenerate.
The ecologists hypothesise that poor regeneration, due to intensive tapping, means trees are diverting too much carbohydrate into resin at the expense of reproductive organs such as flowers, fruit and seeds.
They tested the theory by looking at how many seeds were produced by intensively tapped trees in southwestern Eritrea compared with untapped trees, and their germination rates.
"At all study sites, trees subject to experimental tapping produced fewer flowers, fruit and seeds than trees that were exempt from tapping," Bongers says.
"Furthermore tapped trees produced smaller fruits with seeds of lower weight and reduced vitality than non-tapped trees."
The ecologists suggest changing the way trees are tapped, by reducing the number of tapping points per tree and enabling rest periods, would help ensure production is sustainable.
"In order to control the decline in fruit and seed production, less intensive tapping procedures should be developed," they write.
"As our results show that six tapping points per tree are already having a negative impact, we suggest reducing the number of tapping points.
"New tapping regimes should also include rest periods when there is no resin harvesting to allow the trees to recover."
The study is the first to show the fragile relationship between extracting wood exudates and tree regeneration in natural populations.

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Saturday, February 23, 2013

www.malaysianherbals.com-Couroupita guianensis(Cannon Ball Tree)(59) நாகலிங்க மரம்

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நாகலிங்க மரம்

இந்தியாவிலும் மலேஷியாவிலும் பல இடங்களில்
இம்மரங்கள் உள்ளன. Couroupita guianensis
Couroupita guianensis
The name "Cannon Ball " comes from the fruits, big as cannon balls, hanging on special branches along the trunk. This large deciduous (sheds leaves annually ) tropical tree, 75" tall and an interesting asset to Amazon rain forest, is listed as a rare tree and flower in India. The leaves, up to 6" long, are simple with serrate margin; it flowers bloom in yellow, reddish and pink flowers with mesmerizing fragrant (This fragrance attracts snakes at the first place hence they don't prefer to plant them outsides mainly expect in the premises of Lord Shiva's Temple) . These are 3" to 5" waxy aromatic smelling, pink and dark-red flowers growing directly on the bark of the trunk. The tree bears, directly on the trunk and main branches, large sphere woody fruits; they look like big rusty cannonballs hanging in clusters, like balls on a string.

Couroupita guianensis


whose common names include Ayahuma and the Cannonball Tree, is an evergreen tree allied to the Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa), and is native to tropical northern South America and to the southern Caribbean. In India it has been growing for the past two or three thousand years at least, as attested by textual records, hence it is possible that it is native to India also. It's rare, but also found in Bangladesh. It is known as নাগকেশর(Nagakeshar) or নাগালিংগম(Nagalingam) in Bengali. It's part of the family Lecythidaceae and grows up to 25 m (82 ft) in height. The "Cannonball Tree" is so called because of its brown cannon-ball-like fruits. The majority of these trees outside their natural environment have been planted as a botanical curiosity, as they grow very large, distinctive flowers. Its flowers are orange, scarlet and pink in color, and form large bunches measuring up to 3m in length. They produce large spherical and woody fruits ranging from 15 to 24 cm in diameter, containing up to 200 or 300 seeds a piece. Both the fruit and the flower grow from stalks which sprout from the trunk of the tree. Cannonball Tree flowers are found on thick tangled extrusions that grow on the trunk of the tree; these are found just below the foliage branches, and right down to just above ground level. The extrusions however, can range from two to six feet in length.

The trees are grown extensively in Shiva temples in India. In Hindi it is called Shiv Kamal and also known as "Kailaspati". It is called the Nagalingam tree in Tamil. The flowers are called Shivalinga flowers in Hindi; Nagalinga Pushpa in Kannada; Nagamalli flowers or Mallikarjuna flowers in Telugu. Hindus revere it as a sacred tree because the petals of the flower resemble the hood of the Naga, a sacred snake, protecting a Shiva Lingam, the stigma. The Cannonball Tree possesses antibiotic, antifungal, antiseptic and analgesic qualities. The trees are used to cure colds and stomach aches. Juice made from the leaves is used to cure skin diseases, and shamans of South America have even used tree parts for treating malaria. The inside of the fruit can disinfect wounds. The fruit emits an unpleasant odor and can be used as an insect repelent just by rubbing it to the skin or clothes.






 Cannon ball trees usually carry 'CAUTION' signs posted on the trunks to advise people not to stand close to and directly under the fruits as one can get hurt as they drop off by themselves. The fruit contains small seeds in a white, unpleasant smelling white jelly, which are exposed when the upper half of the fruit goes off like a cover. The long dangling fruity branches give the tree an unkempt appearance. The hard shells are used to make containers and utensils.  
Cannon ball flowers are considered of special significance in Buddhist culture in Sri Lanka. In Andhra Pradesh  [a state in India] , it is called Nagamalli/ Nagalingam/Nagalinga  flower.
Cannon Ball  flowers are offered to worship one of the important deity of India, Shiva. The reason is there will be   a small bump at the center of the flower  resembling Lord Shiva's Lingam and the pollen hood shaped like a multi hooded snake over the linga . This rare flower can be used only for offering to Lord Shiva 


A large deciduous tropical tree 90' tall and indigenous to the Amazon rainforest.
The leaves, up to 6" long, are simple with serrate margin; it flowers in racemes; the yellow, reddish and pink flowers are stunning fragrant.
These are large 3" to 5" waxy aromatic smelling, pink and dark-red flowers, growing directly on the bark of the trunk (cauliflory).
Pollination is done by bees and bats.
The tree bears, also directly on the trunk and main branches, large globose woody fruits; they look like big rusty cannonballs hanging in clusters, like balls on a string.
The fruit contains small seeds in a white, unpleasant smelling edible jelly, which are exposed when the upper half of the fruit goes off like a cover.
The long dangling fruity branches give the tree an unkempt appearance.
The hard shells are used to make containers and utensils.


Couroupita guianensis, whose common names include Ayahuma and the Cannonball Tree, is an evergreen tree allied to theBrazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa), and is native to tropical northern South America[citation needed]; and to the southern Caribbean. InIndia it has been growing for the past two or three thousand years at least, as attested by textual records[citation needed]; hence it is possible that it is native to India also. It's rare, but also found in Bangladesh. It is known as নাগকেশর(Nagakeshar) or নাগালিংগম(Nagalingam) in Bengali.
It's part of the family Lecythidaceae and grows up to 25 m (82 ft) in height. The "Cannonball Tree" is so called because of its brown cannon-ball-like fruits. The majority of these trees outside their natural environment have been planted as a botanical curiosity, as they grow very large, distinctive flowers. Its flowers are orange, scarlet and pink in color, and form large bunches measuring up to 3m in length. They produce large spherical and woody fruits ranging from 15 to 24 cm in diameter, containing up to 200 or 300 seeds a piece.



Cannonball Tree flowers do not have nectar, so these flowers are mainly visited by bees in search of pollen; outside the native range of habitat, carpenter bees are considered to be the principal pollinators. Both the fruit and the flower grow from stalks which sprout from the trunk of the tree. Cannonball Tree flowers are found on thick tangled extrusions that grow on the trunk of the tree; these are found just below the foliage branches. The extrusions however, can range from two to six feet in length. The flowers are attached to an upwardly bent, white fleshy disk. The flowers have six petals, which are large, orange-red, and strongly perfumed. In pollination, fertile stamens can be found in a ring around reduced style and stamens. The sterile pollen is located in the anthers. As a bee enters to pollinate the flower, its back rubs against the ring with fertile pollen; this allows the bee to carry the fertile pollen to another flower. The differences in the pollen was noticed by French botanist Antoine Porteau in 1825. The differences in the pollen are as follows: the pollen of the ring stamens is fertile, while the hood pollen is sterile.

Fruits and dispersal

The tree gets its common name from the large, spherical fruits it produces. The fruit falls from the tree and cracks open when it hits the ground when mature, often causing the sound of a small explosion. The fruit emits an unpleasant aroma when exposed to the air. Individual seeds within the "ball" are coated with hair, which is thought to protect the seed when it is ingested and may also help in the passage of the seed through the intestines. The cannonball tree and its fruit are thought by some to be remnants of the last ice age, like the "hedge apple" or "osage orange" of north America. The fruit is thought to be an adaptation provided for the giant ground sloth, a long extinct species. Today instead of seeds being dispersed by the large extinct mammal, the fruit simply rots around the base of its mother tree. Like coconut palms, the trees should not be planted near paths or near traffic-filled areas, as the heavy nut is known to fall without notice.

Religious significance in Asia

The trees are grown extensively in Shiva temples in India. In Hindi it is called Shiv Kamal and also known as "Kailaspati". It is called the Nagalingam tree in Tamil. The flowers are called Shivalinga flowers in Hindi; Nagalinga Pushpa in KannadaNagamalli flowers or Mallikarjuna flowers in TeluguHindus revere it as a sacred tree because the petals of the flower resemble the hood of the Naga, a sacred snake, protecting a Shiva Lingam, the stigma.
In Sri Lanka, Thailand and other Buddhist countries the tree is often planted at Buddhist temples. It is here mistaken as the Sala tree, Shorea robusta, the tree under which the Buddha died and under which the previous Buddha Vessabhu attained enlightenment.

Medicinal uses

The Cannonball Tree possesses antibiotic, antifungal, antiseptic and analgesic qualities. The trees are used to cure colds and stomach aches. Juice made from the leaves is used to cure skin diseases, and shamans of South America have even used tree parts for treating malaria. The inside of the fruit can disinfect wounds and young leaves ease toothache[citation needed]. The fruit emits an unpleasant odor and can be used as an insect repelent just by rubbing it to the skin or clothes.


  

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www.malaysianherbals.com-Commiphora wightii- (58) gugulu

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Guggul

Guggul is sought for its gummy resin, which is harvested from the plant's bark through the process of tapping. In India andPakistan, guggul is cultivated commercially. The resin of the guggul plant, known as gum guggulu, has a fragrance similar to that of myrrh and is commonly used in incense and perfumes. It is the same product that was known in Hebrew, ancient Greek and Latin sources as bdellium.
Indian BedelliumGuggul can be purchased in a loosely packed form called dhoop, an incense from India, which is burned over hot coals. This produces a fragrant, dense smoke. The burning coals which let out the smoke are then carried around to different rooms and held in all corners for a few seconds. This is said to drive away evil spirits as well as remove the evil eye from the home and its family members.

Other Names: Gukkulu, Salaitree, Indian Bedellium, Rata-dummula, Guggula, Moql, Gugal, Mukul, Aphalatana, Mokhil, Bai- jahundana, Mogla, Duk, Maishakshi, Gugal, Maisatchi Kungiliyam, Gugara, Kou-shikaha, Guggul, Gum-gugul, Gukkal
Additional Info: The plant is indigenous to India. It excretes a resin, which, when fresh, is wet, fragrant, and characterized by golden hue. When diluted with water the substance forms an emulsion, when exposed to sun it melts, and may be burnt in fire. It is commonly applied as an alternative to costly myrrh.
Commiphora wightii is a flowering plant in the family Burseraceae. The guggul plant may be found from northern Africa to central Asia, but is most common in northern India. It prefers arid and semi-arid climates and is tolerant of poor soil.
ommiphora wightii (Guggal, Guggul or Mukul myrrh tree) is a flowering plant in the family Burseraceae. The guggul plant may be found from northern Africa to central Asia, but is most common in northern India. It prefers arid and semi-aridclimates and is tolerant of poor soil.
It is a shrub or small tree, reaching a maximum height of 4 m, with thin papery bark. The branches are thorny. The leaves are simple or trifoliate, the leaflets ovate, 1–5 cm long, 0.5–2.5 cm broad, irregularly toothed. It is gynodioecious, with some plants bearing bisexual and male flowers, and others with female flowers. The individual flowers are red to pink, with four small petals.Wikipedia

Guggul has been a key component in ancient Indian  Siddha ,Ayurvedic system of medicine. But has become so scarce because of its overuse in its two habitats in India where it is found — Gujarat and Rajasthan that the World Conservation Union (IUCN) has enlisted it in its Red Data List of endangered species.
Guggul produces a resinous sap known as gum guggul. The extract of this gum, called gugulipid, guggulipid or guglipid, has been used in Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional Hindu medicine, for nearly 3,000 years in India.[1] The active ingredient in the extract is the steroid guggulsterone, which acts as an antagonist of the farnesoid X receptor, once believed to result in decreased cholesterol synthesis in the liver. However, several studies have been published that indicate no overall reduction in total cholesterol occurs using various dosages of guggulsterone, and levels of low-density lipoprotein ("bad cholesterol") increased in many people.

Cultivation and other uses

Guggul is sought for its gummy resin, which is harvested from the plant's bark through the process of tapping. In India andPakistan, guggul is cultivated commercially. The resin of the guggul plant, known as gum guggulu, has a fragrance similar to that of myrrh and is commonly used in incense and perfumes. It is the same product that was known in Hebrewancient Greek and Latin sources as bdellium.
Guggul can be purchased in a loosely packed form called dhoop, an incense from India, which is burned over hot coals. This produces a fragrant, dense smoke. The burning coals which let out the smoke are then carried around to different rooms and held in all corners for a few seconds. This is said to drive away evil spirits as well as remove the evil eye from the home and its family members.

Endangerment and rescue


'Save Guggul Movement' in Rajasthan, India
Because of its medicinal properties, guggul has been over harvested in much of its habitat, and has been listed on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Several efforts are in place to address this situation. India's National Medicinal Plants Board launched a project in Kutch District to cultivate 500 to 800 hectares (1,200 to 2,000 acres) of guggal while a grass-rootsconservation movement, led by IUCN associate Vineet Soni, has been started to educate guggal growers and harvesters in safe, sustainable harvesting methods.

Highly effective in the treatment of rheumatism, obesity, neurological and urinary disorders, tonsillitis, arthritis and a few other diseases. The fumes from burning guggul are recommended in hay- fever, chronic bronchitis and phytises. The gum resin is bitter, acrid, astringent, thermogenic, aromatic, expectorant, digestive, anthelmintic, antiinflammatory, anodyne, antiseptic, demulcent, carminative, emmenagogue, haematinic, diuretic, lithontriptic, rejuvenating and general tonic. Guggulipid is hypocholesteremic. [MEDICINAL PLANTS by P. P. Joy, J. Thomas, Samuel Mathew, Baby P. Skaria]


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