CHANDRASHOORA PLANT

     चन्द्रशूरं हितं हिक्कावातश्र्लेष्मातिसासारीणाम्

असृग्वातगरद्वेषी बलपुष्टिविवर्धनम्

Botanical Name :Lepidiumsativum. Linn.

·         Classification:

§  According To Modern

o   Kingdom-Plantae

o   Class -Dicotyledons

o   Subclass -Polypetalae

o   Series -Thalamiflorae

o   Order -Parietals

o   Family    -Cruciferae

o   Genus -Lepidium

o   Species -Sativum

§  According To Ayurveda

• Charak– Not included in Varga
• Sushruta–Not included in Gana
• Bhavprakash–Haritakyadivarga,Chaturbeeja

§  Other Names of Chandrashoora :

English name- Garden Cress, Garden pepper cress, Aliv Seeds.
Hindi name- Chandrashoor, Chandrasur, Chansur, Halim, Asalia, Halam
Kannada name –Alavibeeja,
Bengali name- Halim Shak
Gujarati name –Asheliyo
Telugu name-Adityalu, Adeli
Tamil name-Alivirai
Punjabi name –Halium
Farsi name –Sipandan
Arabian name –Habburshad
Oriya name –Hidamba Saga
Spanish name –lepido, Mastuerzo
French name – Cresson de fontaine

Sanskrit Name-Chandrika,Raktabija,Charmahantri,Pashu Mehana Karika,Nandini,Karavi,Bhadra

Suvasara,Vasapushpa-flowers resemble to Vasa

• General Information :

Annual erect plant reaches height of 50cm,Leaf- Entire or variously lobed or pinnatisect. Lower leaves are petiolate and the upper leaves are sessile.

Inflorescence – raceme , Flower-white or slightly pink petals measuring 2mm,flowering flowers in wild state between March and June, small pods, obovate notched at the apex with two seeds per pod.

• Properties (Gunadharma)
  • Rasa-Katu, Tikta
  • Vipak- katu
  • Virya-Ushna
  • Guna—Laghu, Ruksa, tiksna
• Specific Parts

Seed

• Doshaghnata

Kapha, Vataghna

• Shloka’s

       चन्द्रशूरं हितं हिक्कावातश्र्लेष्मातिसासारीणाम् 

       असृग्वातगरद्वेषी बलपुष्टिविवर्धनम्

• Benefits

Infusion of Chandrashoor plant is used to treat piles and asthma.

Paste of Chandrashoora plant is taken after every 4 hours of interval in case of cold and cough.

Decoction of whole chandrahoor  plant is used to treat scanty urination and difficult urination.Dose-30ml thrice a day

Seeds of Chandrashoor are given to improve appetite and elimination of parasitic worms.

In Arabic countries ,chandrasoor seeds are used to improve the healing of bone fracture.

The dried seed powder of chandrashoor are used to stimulate the urine production,to treat respiratory illness,rheumatism,inflammation,muscular pain and bone fractures

In some countries ,seeds are boiled with milk is given to cause abortion.

To treat diarrhoea and dysentry seed powder is given with misri. or Chandrashoor seed (3gm)should be taken with buttermilk

To treat bloating and Vata imbalance disoders,3 grams of Chandrashoor seed is boiled in half cup of milk.

Kheer prepared with Chandrashoor seeds are given to improve the breast milk secreation.

To treat the skin disease paste of chandrashoor seeds is applied externally

External application of Chadrashoor seed paste relieves the pain

Chandrashoora seed contains phytochemicals that resemble estrogen action.Hence it is used in treating amenorrhoea and irregular menstrual cycles

1. Provide Cardiovascular Benefits

Chandrashoor is rich in vit C hence it is very good for hearts health.It promotes the immune system.

2. Beneficial for lactating mother

Chandrashoor increased the milk production by encouraging the mammary glands.Hence it gives in food to lactating mothers.

3. Fights Inflammation

Chandrashoor is rich in Vit A which neutralizes free radicals in the body and prevet  tissue and cell from damage. Vitamin A provide immunity against allergy and inflammation .It also helps to prevent the cells from becoming overactive.  Reduced levels of inflammation are connected with a lower risk for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

4. Preventing Osteoporosis

Manganese is essential for bone health.And this manganese  present in chandrashoor are linked to reduce osteoporosis as well as osteoarthritis syndrome.

5. Protects the Nervous System

Vitamin B2 which is found in chandrashoor,which  can help in treating numerous nervous system problems like Alzheimer’s disease, numbness, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and anxiety, among others. When it is combined with  vitamin B6,it is effective in painful diseases like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

6. Pregnancy and Birth Defects

Vit B9 is essential during pregnancy because it  prevents the baby from birth defect. Chandrashoor consists of 40 µg of vitamin B9 . Neural tube defects are one of the common birth defects caused due to vitamin B9 deficiency. Thus, Vitamin B9 effectively improves the chances of giving birth to a healthy child.

7. Helps Treat Anemia

Chandrashoor consists of vitamin B6 which is required to create hemoglobin in the blood, that is transported by red blood cells throughout the body to help bring oxygen to cells and to mobilize iron.   vitamin B6 can help lower symptoms of anemia like fatigue,leg cramps.

• Formulation (Kalp)

ChaturbeejaChoorna.

Dhanwantararishtham

Vat Vidhwans Rasa

• Dosage

Choorna – 1 to 3 gm.

• Chemical Composition.

Benjoilcianoid in panchanga, benjoilisocianoid in panchanga

• In seeds

Protein – 23.5%

Fat 15.91%

Phosphorus – 1.95%

Calcium – .31%

Sulphur – .9%

Ash – 5.7%

• Special preparations

Chaturbeejachurna

• Research Corner

A study is been carried out to evaluate anti-inflammatory activity of seeds of Chandrasura (Lepidiumsativum Linn) in Charles foster albino rats. In Carrageenan induced rat paw oedema the test drug produced moderate anti-inflammatory activity, however the effect did not show statistically significant activity due to variation in the data of control group. In format, dehyde induced paw oedema in rats. The test drug produced moderate to significant suppression. This indicates that chandrasura has a strong inhibitory effect on proliferation fibroblasts and also probably has connective  tissue modulation effect.

Side Effects-

IT is used very carefully in people with Pitta prakruti because of its Unshna virya.

It is best to avoid it duringpregnancy