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Herbs & Plants

Capparis Zeylanica

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Botanical Name :Capparis Zeylanica
Family: Capparaceae
Genus: Capparis
Species: C. zeylanica
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Brassicales

Synonym : Capparis brevispina, Capparis horrida, Capparis zeylanica

Common Names:
*Bengali: Kalokera,Asarilata, Asaria, Kalokera, Kalukoan, Baganoi
*English: Ceylon Caper
*Gujarati: Kakhbilado, Govindakal, Karrallura
*Hindi :Ardanda, Jhiris
*Irula :Kevisi kodi
Kannada : Mullukattari
Konkani :Vaghamti
Malayalam: Elippayar, Karthotti, Gitoran
Marathi : Vaghanti,  Govindi,  Kaduvaghanti
Others Ban Kera, Garna, Govind-phal, Karwila, Wagati, Gitoran, Kaatu Thotti, Elippayar, Ceylon Caper, Karwilun
Rajasthani : Gitoranj
Sanskrit :Karambha, Tapasapriya, Vyaghra Nakhi
Tamil: Atandy, Suduthoratti, Ekkathari, Suduthorati, Karrotti, Atontai, Morandan
Telugu: Arudonda

Habitat : Native to India and China

Description:
Capparis zeylanica is a climbing shrub common in the forests of the Indian subcontinent and China.A rigid, climbing, much-branched shrub; young parts clothed with rufous tomentum. Leaves 2.5-7.5 cm long, elliptic, oblong, obtuse, acute or retuse; stipular spines hooked. Flowers supra-axillary, solitary or 2-3, one above the other in a vertical line, the upper the longest. Sepals 9 mm long, densely rufous-pubescent outside; petals twice as long as the sepals, densely villous. Fruit subglobose, 3.2 cm across. Methanolic extracts of the leaves have been shown to reduce diarrhea in mice. Many butterfly larva feed on its leaves.
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Botanical description:
Flower: In axillary clusters; stamens cream when anthesis, red to purple in the evening. Flowering from February-April.

Fruit: An ovoid berry, pendulous, smooth, pustulate; blood red when ripe; seeds many. Fruiting April onwards.

Leaf:

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate-spiral

Leaf Type: Simple

Leaf Shape : Ovate, elliptic or lanceolate

Leaf Apex: Obtuse-retuse or mucronate

Leaf Base: Cuneate-obtuse

Chemical Constituents:
Leaves and seeds contain thioglucosides, glucocapparin, n-tricontane, alpha-and bita-amyrin, an alkaloid, a phytosterol, a mucilaginous substance and a water-soluble acid, capric acid. The seeds contain fixed oil.

Medicinal Uses:
Root bark is sedative, cooling, cholagogue, stomachic and antihidrotic; along with spirit given in cholera. Leaves are used as a counter irritant and as a cataplasm in boils, swellings, piles and rheumatism. Flowers are used as laxative.
click to see..>1) :Antidiarrheal activity of Capparis zeylanica leaf extracts  :

2)    Research work

Disclaimer:
The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capparis_zeylanica
http://www.mpbd.info/plants/capparis-zeylanica.php
http://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/32086.

 

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Featured News on Health & Science

The Vulnerable Lobes

Medical students have always been fascinated by the story of Phineas Gage, a normal, hard working 26-year-old labourer. He became famous in 1848, when an iron rod pierced his skull and brain and exited on the opposite side. He survived this extensive trauma and was physically normal. His life aroused scientific curiosity as physicians suddenly realised that, contrary to popular opinion at that time, all parts of the brain where not essential for life.

The brain controls the physical functions of the body, determines our intelligence, memory, personality and ability to respond to change. It has four paired lobes. Of these, the parietal, temporal and occipital lobes have well elucidated mapped areas for functions like sight, speech, hearing and movement. The frontal lobes (through which the rod pierced Gage), situated just behind the forehead, are responsible for subtle psychological functions like mental maturity, recognition of social norms of behaviour, emotional development and appropriate responses to society.

English: Four brain lobes frontal lobe(red) pa...
English: Four brain lobes frontal lobe(red) parietal lobe(orange) temporal lobe(green) occipital lobe(yellow) and insula(purple) is also shown. others are Brain stem(black) Cerebellum(sky blue). Polygon data are from BodyParts3D maintained by Database Center for Life Science(DBCLS). ???: ????? ???(??) ???(?????) ???(??) ???(??) ??? ?????? ? ??(??) ??(??) ????????Database Center for Life Science(DBCLS)???????BodyParts3D??? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The frontal area of the brain is protected to some extent by the skull bones. However, damage to the frontal lobes can occur as a result of accidents. Surgery may be performed on the frontal lobes to remove cysts or tumours, to treat intractable epilepsy, or very rarely for psychiatric disorders. The effects of injury to the frontal lobes are often subtle and difficult to pinpoint as the IQ (intelligence quotient) may remain normal. There may be weakness without actual paralysis, inability to perform sequential movement (like dressing for work), lack of flexibility and spontaneity, poor attention and difficulty in expressing thoughts lucidly despite increased talking. Sexual habits may change with promiscuity or disinterest or socially inappropriate behaviour. The entire personality of the individual may change, making him or her unpleasant, obnoxious and intolerable.

The brain fibres in the frontal lobes mature as we grow older and develop fully around the age of 25. Genetic defects or injury in the uterus, during birth or within this time frame, can result in faulty connections, inadequate development and poor release of brain chemicals like dopamine. This can cause learning disabilities, antisocial personalities and sometimes even major psychiatric illnesses like schizophrenia. Also the size of our brain, particularly of the frontal lobes, shrinks over time. This affects important human abilities such as planning, reasoning and problem solving.

Not all brains age or deteriorate at the same rate. Part of this process is genetic and the degeneration sets in at a certain chronological age triggered by an in-built biological alarm. This apparently inevitable mental decline is further influenced by environmental factors, which can be modified favourably.

The concept of retraining ageing brain circuits has been gaining popularity. There are DVDs and books available on brain exercises. The numbers game Sudoku is in almost every newspaper. Retraining the frontal lobes can also be done quite simply by memorising passages or poetry from books. Repetition of a task makes performance rapid and more efficient with less room for error, as the cascading chemical reactions in the brain then occur on accustomed pathways. Older adults who regularly participate in cognitive activity improve their memory, speed of thought and attention span. This helps them to efficiently manage their day-to-day activities and their finances. The benefits of brain training can be enhanced by regular physical activity.

Look after your brain as it is the only one you have.

* Protect it from injury by wearing seat belts and using helmets.

* Do not hit anyone on the head (this particularly includes corporal punishment).

* If anyone has had an accident or brain surgery, tolerate their idiosyncrasies, changes in personality, unreasonable anger and emotional outbursts.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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