gambhari :

HISTORICAL AND MYTHOLOGICAL REVIEW:

In Vedas, for the first time the name Rohini was mentioned in Atharvaveda (4/3/12), where it has been considered as vranaaropak (wound healer) & raktastambhak (styptic) . However the synonyms like Arundhati etc. doesn’t seem to be of Gambhari. Similarly the guna - karma described for Gambhari does not match completely. In Sathapatha Brahaman (7/4/1/7), Kashmarya word has come and it has been explained as Rakshoghna (disinfectant) but the properties of which do not correlate with Gambhari 

Taxonomical Classification

Kingdom: Plantae - Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta - Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta - Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons
Family: Verbenaceae
Genus: Gmelina
Species: Gmelina arborea

Allied species:

VERNACULAR NAMES

Sanskrit: gambhari, gambari, mahabhava, shriparni, madhupamika, kashmari, pita-rohini, kashmiri, kashmarya, bhadraparni, madhurasa, gopabhadraगम्भारी gambhari, सिन्धुपर्णी sindhuparni, सिन्धुवेषणम् sindhuveshanam, स्तूलत्वचा stulatvach
English: candhar tree, coomb teak, cashmeri tree
Hindi: Gambhara Gambhar, Khambhari
Telugu: Peggumudu , Peggummudu, Peggummadi
Bengali: gamar Gambhar
Marathi: Shivana,Shivan
Oriya: Gambhari , kumar,ଗମ୍ଭାରୀ
Gujarathi: Savan
Tamil: Umi-thekku . Gumadi , Kumishan, Kumizhan
Malayalam: Kumbil, kumbulu, kumilu, kumiska, pokki Kumizhu, Kumpil,
Kannada: Shivanigida, Shivani
Punjabi: Gambhari, Gumhar, Kumhar
Spanish: -(melina,gmelina)
Assamese: Gamari
Japanese: -gmelinaのアルボレア
Chinese: - 云南石梓
French: (melina,gmelina,peuplier d Afrique)
German: -(Gumar-Teak
Burma: jamanei
Nepal: Gambari, khamaari
Persian: arborea gmelina
Sinhalese: Demata (දෙමට)
Tulu: -
Greek: -

Varities:

-

Definition

Synonyms

Synonyms in Ayurveda: gambhari, gambari, mahabhava, shriparni, madhupamika, kashmari, pita-rohini, kashmiri, kashmarya, bhadraparni, madhurasa, gopabhadra

madhuparni, madhuparnika - leaves yield a sweet gel
Rasa: Kashaya Madhura Tikta
Guna: Guru
Veerya: Ushna
Vipaka: Katu
Karma: Pittahara Vatahara

Cultivation:

Propogation:

Planting material is seed.

Harvesting:

Tree grows fast and may be ready for harvesting of bark after 7 years. This plant is coppiced and traded. The roots are also harvested for medicinal purposes. The tree may stand up to 25 years. The medicinally important part of this species is stem bark which is extracted from 7-10 years old tree

Phytochemistry:

A large number of phytochemicals have been isolated from Gambhari, which include lignans, flavanoids, coumarins, saponins, terpenes, fatty acids and glycosides. 

PHARMACOLOGY:

IMPORTANT FORMULATIONS

Parts used for medicinal purpose

Flower, Fruit, Leaves, Root, ,

Dosage:

• Root bark decoction 50-100 ml
• Fruit powder 1-3 g

Substitute:

fruits are used as a substitute for grapes and raisins

Adultrants:

According to Bapalalji towards Haridwar, on the bank of the river Ganges bark of Trewia nudiflora (Euphobiaceae) is used by the local Vaidyas as Shriparni . According to Database on medicinal plants used in Ayurveda, vol. III in South India roots of G.asiatica Linn. are sold on name of Gambhari . The legitimacy of substitution of any drug can only be approved if it has similar bioactivity and bioequivalence. 

Controversy:

-Brahatpanchmula: It is a combination of roots of five medicinal plants, including Bilva (Aegle marmelos), Agnimantha (Premna integrifolia), Shoynaka (Oroxylum indicum), Gambhari (Gmelina arborea), and Patla (Sterospermum suaveolens).

Commercial value:

Gmelina arborea timber is reasonably strong for its weight. It is used in constructions, furniture, carriages, sports, musical instruments and artificial limbs. Once seasoned, it is a very steady timber and moderately resistant to decay and ranges from very resistant to moderately resistant to termites.

Morphology:

Root –

·         Occurs in pieces with secondary and tertiary branches,

·         root pieces nearly cylindrical with uneven surface, greyish brown, fracture somewhat tough in bark, brittle and predominant in woody portion.

Root bark-

• mature root bark when fresh, yellowish in colour, 

• dry pieces curved and channelled,

• thinner ones forming single quills, 

• external surface rugged due to presence of vertical cracks, ridges, fissures and numerous lenticels, 

• fracture short and granular

Flowers- appearing with or sometimes before the young leaves, usually in small cymes of about three flowers arranged along the branches of a densely fulvous- hairy panicle reaching 30cm. long; buds clavate, angular; bracts 8mm. long, linear- lanceolate Calyx 5mm. long, broadly campanulate, densely fulvous- hairy; teeth 5, small, triangular, acute. Corolla brownish yellow, densely hairy outside reaching 3.8cm long, 5- lobed, 2- lipped; upper lip rather more than 1cm long, deeply divided into 2 oblong, obtuse lobes; lower lip nearly 2.5cm long, 3- lobed, the middle lobe projecting forward, ovate, sub obtuse, with irregularly crenulate margin, much longer and broader than the obovate rounded lateral lobes. 

Fruits- Drupe, 2- 2.5cm long, ovoid or pyriform, smooth, orange yellow when ripe

Histology:

Geographical distribution:

In India, Gmelina arborea occurs extensively from the Ravi eastwards in the sub-Himalayan tracts, common throughout Assam and adjoining areas of northern West Bengal, also in southern Bihar and Odisha, sporadically found in western and southern India and planted elsewhere on a large scale. Gamhar most commonly occurs in West Bengal forests in mixed forests.

ECOLOGICAL ASPECT:

-Estimated to range from Tropical Very Dry to Wet through Subtropical Very Dry to Wet Forest Life Zones, gmelina is reported or estimated to tolerate annual precipitation of 7 to 45 dm (NAS, 1980a), annual temperature of 20 to 26°C, and pH of 6 to 8. It can tolerate a 6–7-month dry season. Grows on many soils, acidic laterites to calcareous loams, doing poorly on thin or poor soils with hardpan, dry sands, or heavily leached acidic soils, well-drained basic alluviums.

Plant conservation:

 it is suggested that from one tree partial debarking should be done by removing bark in patches of 15cm X 15cm with a distance of 60 cm. For getting roots, from the young plant it is desirable that the root should have good thick bark so as to get maximum active principle. Since, harvesting of roots and bark would be destructive, it is recommended to collect the bark from the clear felled crop as secondary product to avoid destruction of the plants growing in nature. Yellowish green fruits are collected from April-June from the ground duly rejecting the green and black ones. Fruits are heaped under or buried in a pit for 4-5 days and then washed to remove the pulp

General Use:

• This herb is capable to suppress pain and inflammation.
• Helpful herb to improve digestion and absorption in the body.
• Good supporter for normal functioning of heart.
• Useful in maintaining the normal blood pressure level.
• It is used in improving brain functioning and it has feature to improve intelligence.
• Natural anti-aging agent.
• Its a natural herb to prevent hemorrhages;
• A natural strength enhancer of the body.
• It has properties of a good aphrodisiac agent.
• It is diuretic in nature.
• One of the useful herb which has features to increase milk secretion in the lactating mothers.
• Fruits of Gambhari are having uses in haemorrhoids.
• Its properties improve the quantity and quality of semen.
• Fruit of Gambhari is also efficient in nourishing hair and promotes the growth of hair.
• It can provide relief from burning sensation.
• The fruit of this herbaceous plant is found to be useful natural agent in bleeding disorders like nasal bleeding, heavy periods, etc.
• It treats thirst, vata disorders wounds and emaciation.
• Gambhari roots are also suitable remedy in ascites due to Vata
• It helps in normalizing the abnormally raised temperature.
• The fruits have advantageous anabolic effects in tuberculosis to accelerate the healing of cavitation in the lungs.
• External application of the paste of the leaves on the forehead lessens the headache, especially in fever.
• The decoction of its root can be used for abdominal tumors.
• Flowers have its use in Leprosy.
• Root and Bark are beneficial herbal agent in hallucination, piles, abdominal pain, burning sensations, fever, tridoshas diseases and urinary infection.

Therapeutic Uses:

It promotes digestive fire and is a purgative. It manages vertigo, inflammation, vata disorders, pain, piles, fever, heat and toxins.

Systemic Use:

1 – Acidity

Gambhari has Pitta reducing properties. Eat 2-3 fruits and drink water.

2 – Biliousness, giddiness

Bark cooked with rice is eaten.

3 – Bleeding disorder

Stem decoction is given.

4 – Cold, Cough, gonorrhea

• Gambhari Stem bark + Kalmegha Andrographis paniculata whole plant, decoction is given. Or
• 20 ml leaf juice is taken orally.

5 – Diabetes

Take Gambhari fruit powder twice a day.

6 – Dryness of mouth-throat, less salivation

Eat Gambhari fruits.

7 – Fever

A decoction of the roots and bark is given.

8 – Galactagogue (increasing breast milk)

1. Decoction of the root of Gmelina arborea + liquorice root + sugar is taken orally. Or
2. A decoction of the roots and bark is given.

9 – Gout, Arthritis

1. Mix Gambhari Fruit powder + Mulethi root powder, in equal amount and take 1 teaspoon twice a day. Or Prepare decoction of Gambhari Fruit powder + Gambhari stem bark + Mulethi root powder (each 1 teaspoon) by boiling in 400 ml water till it reduces to 100ml. Filter and drink regularly.
2. Root powder is applied topically.

10 – Hemorrhage

Take ripe fruits with honey.

11 – Headache in fevers

Leaf paste is applied.

12 – Improving chances of conception/pregnancy, improving fertility

Prepare decoction of Gambhari bark + Mulethi, and drink regularly.

13 – Leucorrhoea

Prepare powder of fruits and take twice-thrice a day.

14 – Rheumatism

Root powder paste is applied.

15 – Scorpion bite

Root bark paste is applied.

16 – Smelly discharge worms from ulcers

The leaf paste or juice is used externally.

17 – Thirst Due To Fever

The decoction of the pulp of the fruits is given.

18 – Ulcerative colitis

Eat fresh or dry fruits of Gambhari twice a day with water.

19 – Urticaria, Sheet pitta, Skin Allergy

• Fruits are taken with milk. Or
• Fruit powder + Mishri, is taken.

20 – Wounds

Leaf paste is applied.

Administration:

decodtion

Pharmacological:

Clinical trials:

• 1. Comparative Pharmacognostic and Phytochemical Study of Medicinal Plant Species Used as Gambhari in Ayurveda
• 2.  TOXICITY STUDY OF GAMBHARI PHALA CHURNA  Ashalatha M1 , Kuber Sankh2

Research:

ENCYCLOPEDIC SCANNING OF GAMBHARI (GMELINA ARBOREA LINN.) MONIKA AGRAWAL1 , RAMANAND2 , MAKHAN LAL3

Precautions:

not known

Toxicity studies:

not known

Use in other system of medicine:

Stem bark of Gmelina arborea Linn. is used by Gondu tribes of Adilabad district (Andhra Pradesh, India) to increase sperm count. 100 gms of bark is grinded with 50 gms of sugar, 50ml of water and one spoon is given 4 times a day once in 3 days for 21 days.

CONCLUSION:

Gambhari (Gmelina arborrea Linn.), commonly known as Candhar Tree is a member of Verbenaceae family. Gambhari embraces in itself miraculous therapeutic activities. It is present in dahaprashmak, virechanopag, shyawathuhar mahakashaya and among rasayan dravyas. Its fruits are raktasangrahik, raktapitta prashamak, keshya and medhya. It is a part of many important formulations like Chayawanprash, Brahmrasayana etc. It is also included in Agraya dravyas of Charaka. Root bark of Gambhari is one of the ten ingredients of Dashmula and in particular Brihatpanchmula. Dashmulrishta is one of those Ayurvedic formulation which is most commonly used in India. Modern researches prove it to be Anti-inflammatory, Anti-oxidant, immunity enhancer, Anti-diabetic etc. It is also in prevalent use among tribal people as remedy for piles, hair problems, decreased sperm count, stomach disorders, septic wounds, vomiting, diarrhea, gonorrhea, snake bite etc. Ayurvedic system of medicine is gaining popularity worldwide mainly because of the realization that it is not only effective but also relatively free from harmful side effects

Ayurvedic Formulations:

Common Ayurvedic Formulations of gambhari with their Indications
Agasthya Rasayanam - Agasthya Rasayana for asthma
Brahma Rasayana
Sukumaram Kashayam

KEY WORDS: gambhari , Gmelina arborea Linn.

• » Classification and names of gambhari
• » Synonyms and definitions of gambhari
• » Drug Properties of gambhari
• » Chemical Constituents of gambhari
• » Standardization of gambhari
• » Parts used and Dosage of gambhari
• » Morphology and Histology of gambhari
• » Distribution and Conservation of gambhari
• » Cultivation of gambhari
• » gambhari in the market
• » Medicinal Uses of gambhari
• » Researches and clinical trails of gambhari
• » gambhari in other sytems of medicine
• » Ayurvedic formulations with gambhari
• » Images of gambhari