Sringataka

शृंगाटक हिमं स्वादु गुरु वृष्यं कषायक l

ग्राही शुक्रानीलश्लेष्म प्रदं पित्तास्त्रदाहनुत् l l भा प्र

Botanical Name :TrapanatumBispinosa. (Roxb). Makino

 Classification:

According To Modern

Kingdom –Plantae

Order –Myrtales

Family     – Trapaceae

According To Ayurveda

Charak-     Not included in Varga

Sushruta-   Not included in Varga

Bhavprakash- AmradiPhalavarga

Other Names :

Hindi name – Singhada
English name – Water Chestnut or Caltrops
Bengali name – Paaniphala
Gujarati name – Sheengoda
Tamil name – Singheda
Telugu name -Patigadda
Malayalam name – Karimapolam

Sanskrit Name-

Trikonaphala-The fruit resembles triangular shape

Jalaphala ,Paniyaphala-found in water

Shringatak-Thorns resembling horns are found on the fruit

General Information :

Habit – Aquatic floating herb with submerged roots. Stem – Ascending in the water, submerged parts furnished with numerous pairs of green root like spreading pectinate or, gans. Leaves – Simple, alternate, crowded on the upper part of the stem, 4 to 5 cm long, 4 to 7 cm wide, rhomboidal  with a triangular apex, somewhat truncate and entire at the base, green mottled with brown, glabrous and shining above, reddish purple, pubescent beneath ptiole in upto 12.5 cm long. Flowers – few, axillary, white, opening above the surface of water. Fruits – obovoid, bony, angular with a short conical beak in the center at the

Properties (Gunadharma)

Rasa- Madhura ,Kashaya

Vipak- Madhura

Virya- Sheeta

Guna-Guru,Ruksha

Specific Parts :

            Seed

Doshaghnata :

Pittashamaka,

Benefits :

शृंगाटक हिमं स्वादु गुरु वृष्यं कषायक l

ग्राही शुक्रानीलश्लेष्म प्रदं पित्तास्त्रदाहनुत् l l भा प्र

शृंगाटक: शोणित पित्तहारी लघु : सरो वृष्यतमो विशेषात  l

त्रिदोषतापश्रमशोफहारी रुचीप्रदो मेहनदार्ढ्य हेतू :l l रा नि

• The powder of dried kernel of Shringataka is given to control bleeding, treat polyuria, oedema.
• Shrungatak seed or fruit is used to treat burning sensation of the body, pacify thirst and retention of urine.
• Shringatak seed powder or fruit powder is used as nutritional supplement to treat muscle weakness and to give strength to the body.
• The fruit powder of shrungatak is used to improve the sexual potency .
• The fruit powder of Shrungataka is also given to pregnant woment to avoid threatened abortion.
• The women having small uterus and underdeveloped cervix,should be treated with Shrungataka churna,Shatavari churna,Ashwagandha churna,Vidarikanda churna,Bala churna,Nagbala churna,Yashtimadhu churna,Samudrashoka and Ksheervidari churna.

Kasa (Cough):

Sringataka (Trapabispinosa) seed, kamala (Nelumbonucifera) seed, nili (Indigoferatinctoria) and Gajapippali (Psindapsus officinalis) are mixed with ghee and honey and taken as linctus in case of Kasa (Cough).

Dosage :

            3 to 6 gm.

Kalpa-

Amritprash Ghrita

Pugakhanda

Soubhagyashunthi

Chemical composition:

The flour of the dried fruit is rich in proteins and minerals. It contains phosphorus, sulphur, calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron and potassium.

Research Corner :

Effect of hydroalcoholic extract of TrapaBispinosa (TB) was studied on fluorescence product and biochemical parameter like lipid peroxidation, catalase activity and glutathione peroxidase activity in the brain of female albino mice. Ageing was accelerated by the treatment  of 0.5 ml 5% D-gelactose for 15 days. This resulted in increased fluorescence  product, increase lipid peroxidation and decrease antioxidant  enzyme like glutathione peroxides and catalase in cerebral  cortex.