pilu :

पिलु श्र्लेश्मसमीरघनं पित्तलं भेदी गुल्मनुत │

स्वादु तिक्तं च यात्पिलू तन्नात्युष्नं त्रिदोषह्रत ││

Pilu

Raja Pilu

Taxonomical Classification

Kingdom: Plantae - Plants
Order: Gentianales
Family: Salvadoraceae

VERNACULAR NAMES

English: Tooth brush tree, Mustard tree, Salt brush tree
Hindi: Jhaka, Meswak
Telugu: Varagogu
Bengali: Jhal
Marathi: Peelu, Khakana
Gujarathi: Khari Jhal
Tamil: Perungoli
Kannada: Gonimara
Punjabi: Peelu
Arabic: Arak

Mentions / Gana

AmradiPhala Varga (Bhav prakasha)
Jwarahara Varga
Virecanopaga Varga (Charaka Samhitha)

Synonyms

Synonyms in Ayurveda:

Rasa: Madhura Tikta
Guna: Laghu Snigdha Teeskhsna
Veerya: Ushna
Vipaka: Katu

Parts used for medicinal purpose

Fruit, Leaves, Oil, Root bark, Seed, ,

Dosage:

BeejaChoorna – 1 to 2 gm.

Phalarasa – 5 to 10 ml.

Patra Choorna – 1 to 3 gm.

General Use:

External Application-

Seed oil is used for massage in diseases like Sandhivata nd Amavata as it is Shothahar and Vedanasthapak in nature.

Beeja churna of Pilu or Mulatwak of Pilu is rubbed at the site of snakebite as it is Vishaghna in nature.

Phala of Pilu is tishna in nature hence it is used for Shirovirechana nasya.

Warm leaves of Pilu is tied over the site of Arsha and Arbuda .

Bark of the Pilu is used for Dantadhavana.

Internal application :

Being anulomana ripe fruit and the seed are used as virechana in udara, gluma and arsha. Leaves being stambhana and raktapittaprashamana are used in raktapitta. Juice of the leaves or their quatha is indicated in mootrakrichchhra and as ashmarighna.

Arsas (Piles) :- Fruits of Pilu (Salvadorapersica) is taken with buttermilk for a fortnight or a week is useful in Arsas (Piles).

Gulma (A bdominal tumor) :- Pilu (Salvadorapersica) fruits fried then consumed with Lavana (Salt). This remedy is very good in Gulma.

The cold infusion prepared from the fruit is given in a dose of 40-50 ml to treat fever.

The small twigs of the plant Meswak is used as toothbrush for cleaning the teeth. This practice is still prevalent in some parts of the country where Pilu is found.

Therapeutic Uses:

Shwasa-Kasa:

Decoction of Pilu or Swarasa of Pilu is used in the treatment of Swasa-Kasa-Pratisyaya.

Dysmenorrhoea:

The fruits and the decoction of the root are given to treat dysmenorrhea and difficulty in micturition. Mulatwak of Pilu is used as Aarvatajanan in Anartava.

Kushta:

The paste of the leaf and seed is applied over the area affected with skin diseases. The extract of the plant is used in toothpaste by some of the manufacturers.

Wood of this plant is used for Dantadhavan

Pharmacological:

पिलु श्र्लेश्मसमीरघनं पित्तलं भेदी गुल्मनुत │

स्वादु तिक्तं च यात्पिलू तन्नात्युष्नं त्रिदोषह्रत ││

Kapha- vatashamaka, Pitakara.

Pakvaphala-tridoshaghna.

Research:

A total of 24 rats were divided into 4 groups; control, stress, extract alone, and stress+ extract (n=6 each), for total 21 days of treatment. The immobilization stress was induced in rats by putting them in 20 cm ˣ7cm plastic tubes for 2 h/day for 21 days.