Urbanity cannot stop growing plants. Gardening in lawn, terrace, or balcony is trendy home décor. Not only flowers, but people also cultivate fruits, vegetables, and even cereals to show their interest in organic farming. Many plants have well-established medicinal properties and they are easy to grow also. A wise selection of plants for your garden helps you to prevent diseases and promotes health without giving much effort.
In 2020, the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) did a national campaign for encouraging all Indians to grow twenty medicinal plants in their home garden to promote home herbal therapy. [1] All these plants are easy to grow in pots or small areas on the land and do not require much care. Among the twenty enlisted plants, I will explain five herbal plant benefits in this blog.
The aim to explain the medicinal value of the enlisted plants is to reinforce the motive of the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) and strengthen the journey of incorporating herbal medicinal plants in our daily life to keep ourselves healthy. Although we have to establish the exact dosing of these plants or plant parts by performing many more human trials though we know that these plants are safe for human use because all these enlisted plants are used for centuries.
1. Aloe vera (Ghritkumari):
- Aloe vera is used as an herbal regimen for skincare. It is not a traditional approach but multiple human trials have confirmed that the efficacy and safety of Aloe vera to treat skin burn and accelerate the wound healing process. [2] But remember, skin burn treatment required pasteurized aloe vera gel. I will explain how to pasteurized aloe vera gel in my upcoming Aloe vera health benefit blogs.
- Apart from skin burn, the application of Aloe vera ‘latex’ present in the fleshy leaves is an effective treatment for erythema, genital herpes, and seborrheic dermatitis. [3,4]
- Aloe vera is used in herbal cosmetic formulation. This plant part helps to retain skin moisture and helps in maintaining skin integrity. This herbal ingredient has several medicinal properties such as anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, antiseptic. Human trials revealed that Aloe vera could prevent skin ulcers, and also treat burn wounds, postoperative wounds, cracked nipples, genital herpes, psoriasis, and chronic wounds including pressure ulcers due to these multiple medicinal properties. [2]
- Apart from skin benefits, oral intake of fresh Aloe vera latex acts as a natural laxative that prevents and treats constipation. A small-scale clinical trial showed that the combination of Aloe vera, celandine, and psyllium is effective to cure chronic constipation. Although the FDA does not permit to sell any Aloe vera containing formulation as an OTC product due to lack of safety data. [5] But you can formulate your skin moisturizer as well as treat constipation by collecting fresh Aloe vera gel from your herbal garden.
Even individuals with type II diabetes can also take one tablespoon of Aloe vera gel for six weeks to control blood glucose and serum triglyceride levels. [5] Although Aloe vera is considered a complementary treatment, it is always better to take medical suggestions in case of pre-existing medical conditions.
2. Asparagus (Shatavari):
Ayurveda medical science acknowledged multiple medicinal benefits of Asparagus roots including a diuretic, antidysenteric, nutritive, galactagogue, aphrodisiac, and antispasmodic properties. [6] According to Ayurvedic text, Asparagus treat and prevent gastric ulcers, dyspepsia, nervous disorders, diarrhea, dysentery, tumors, inflammations, hyperdipsia, neuropathy, hepatopathy, cough, bronchitis, hyperacidity, and certain infectious diseases. [7] However, yet now no clinical trials conducted to check the safety and efficacy of these vast enlisted therapeutic benefits of this plant root.
- But some of the human trials concluded that Asparagus has efficacy as a galactagogue, effective to treat PCOS and Menorrhagia. [6,8,9]
- A human study result found that the intake of Asparagus root powder with a dose of 60mg/kg body weight thrice in a day with milk for 30 days could increase the prolactin hormone level in lactating mothers. [6]
- Another clinical trial confirmed that a degree of reduction of PCOS could be possible by an intaking equal amount of dill seeds and Asparagus root powder in combination with a mixture of cow ghee with dill seeds and Asparagus root powder. [8]
- In 2018, a human study was conducted which reported a combination of Satawari powder and Satawari oil is more effective to treat Menorrhagia than Shatavari Churna alone. [9]
3. Chaste tree (Neergundi):
The botanical name of this plant is Vitex negundo, which indigenously grow throughout India, Mediterranean countries, and Central Asia. You may worry by thinking about how you grow a tree in your small garden. But no to worry. Although the tree term is used in the Chaste tree name, this is a small plant and does not take much place to grow. A medium-sized pot with moist soil is ideal to grow this plant.
- Ayurveda text mentioned that this plant is used to reduce uterine inflammation in post-natal care assists in child-birth, gonorrhea treatment, improvement of digestion, treating liver problems, fever, and bad breath. Although no human trial was conducted to check the efficacy and safety of this plant. However, sufficient experimental studies and preclinical trials reported the shaded dried leaf extract of this plant had strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and effective in treating arthritic disorders, [10] and also treat gout by reducing uric acid level. [11]
- A literature review published in 2020, also mentioned that along with anti-inflammatory properties, the Chaste tree could treat sleep disorders due to its CNS depressant property. [12]
- Tuberculosis patients are taken anti-tuberculosis treatment could intake leaf extract of this plant for liver safeguard due to its hepatoprotective activity. [12]
4. Curry leaves (Karipatta):
The aroma of curry leaves is added a unique flavor to many Indian cuisines. But you may not know this plant has many medicinal properties. Although human trials are not conducted to check the efficacy of medicinal properties, I am sure introducing this plant to your herbal garden can add value to your self-care mission.
- A journal published article in 2020 reported that the leaves of this plant can act as a skin disinfectant. You can add curry leaves in lukewarm bathing water to prevent skin infections.
- Curry leaves are also acting as skin-lightening and moisturizers due to their strong antioxidant and hyaluronidase-reducing activity. Therefore, you can use curry leaves paste as a skin-brightening face-pack.
- Chewing of curry leaves or used as homemade oral gargle is effective to prevent oral problems such as dental caries.
- Diabetic patients can also intake curry leaves extract every day to control blood glucose levels, and also regularized triglyceride and total cholesterol levels.
- Curry leaves extract is also useful in weight management due to its anti-obesity effect. [13, 14]
Apart from these, many more medicinal benefits such as cardio-protective, anti-ulcer, wound healing, anti-microbial infection, the anti-diarrheal activity of this plant have been evaluated through animal researches and are mentioned in different scientific research journals. [15]
5. Drumstick (Sahjan):
Drumstick is a nutritive rich plant. Every part of this plant is useful. The World Health Organization s well as AYUSH both enlisted Drumstick as a home gardening plant and encourage people to grow this plant in their home garden to get essential nutrients in a cost-efficient way. [1, 16] You can grow this plant on the ground or a large-sized pot, as it is a perennial angiosperm tree with 7 to 15 m height and 20 to 40 cm in diameter. [ 17]
- Recent human trial details reported that intake of drumstick tea 200ml twice a day for four weeks could reduce blood glucose level, LDL, and triglyceride level and also significantly improves plasma antioxidants level. [18] You can prepare drumstick tea by infusing 4 gm of drumstick in 200ml hot water.
- Another human trial also researched that correction of dyslipidemia by intaking drumsticks can increase cardiac endurance and reduce the risk of heart disease. [19]
- Drumstick or Moringa leaves supplementations are used for treating malnutrition, skin disease, and sexual disorder. [19]
- This herb increases the iron content in the blood. [19]
I have already mentioned five recommended medicinal plant benefits. There will be my upcoming three more segments under the same heading.
References
- https://www.nmpb.nic.in/sites/default/files/National%20Campaign%20on%2020%20Medicinal%20plants%20for%202020.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6330525/
- https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2012-09/aloe-vera-gel-research-review
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2050312119875921
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92765/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3869575/
- http://www.bioline.org.br/request?ms03025
- https://ijpsr.com/bft-article/a-randomized-clinical-trial-to-evaluate-the-efficacy-of-satapushpashatavari-powdered-drug-with-satapushpa-shatavari-grita-for-the-management-polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos/?view=fulltext
- https://www.greenpharmacy.info/index.php/ijgp/article/view/2277
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3040892/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/vitex-negundo
- https://www.ejpmr.com/admin/assets/downloads/1585194553.pdf
- https://globalresearchonline.net/journalcontents/v62-2/18.pdf
- https://medcraveonline.com/MOJBM/curry-leaf-murraya-koenigii-a-spice-with-medicinal-property.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7070712/
- https://www.who.int/bulletin/archives/77(9)784.pdf
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0379572117749814
- https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04314258
- https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04164771