Udsaleev / Himalayan Peony (Paeonia Emodi)- Ayurvedic Properties, Effects On Doshas & Dosage

Description

Ayurveda is a science that appropriately gets by through various ages and moves from one age to the next. What kind of things mean to exist, they exist, whatever the changes held in the world. Nature has its own means to make equilibrium among all the conditions. Ayurveda medicine is said to be the oldest medium of medicine that helps the human body to regain the ability to have a healthy life by managing the disease. The written monuments of this Ayurveda medicine are almost 5,000 years old. There are three basic fundamental biological humor to maintain the equilibrium in the body, which are tri-energies like Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These are co-related by kinetic, potential, and thermal energy. Ayurveda tries to create harmony by balancing all the energies in a proper manner. Ayurvedic science puts stress on dietary changes or lifestyle modifications which helps to maintain the balance between the body and nature. A herb named Udasaleev which we are going to discuss in this article will help us to balance the Kapha - vata dosha by its beneficial properties. Let's know its properties among various health illnesses.

General Information

Udasaleev is a herb having the botanical name Paeonia emodi, and belongs to the family Paeoniaceae. This is a robust herbaceous perennial plant consisting of large white-colored flowers and deeply incised large leaves, this plant grows up to 1.5 metres long and is beastly used to manage the Kapha-Vata disorders. This herb is well known widely in Hindi - it is known by the Udsaalap, in Bengali - Udsalam, in Punjabi - it is Mamekh, Chandra, in Kannad - Mid, mahamed, in English it is named as a Himalayan peony. This plant blooms in the month of May and people use its new and soft growths for eating. This herb mainly lies at the elevation of 5 to 10,000 ft. Kashmir to kumbaya. It grows better in warm temperate weather. This herb is used to manage the Vata and Kapha dosha and their related disorders.

Special Note About This Plant

• This herb is kind of endemic to the Himalayas; it gives its wonderful effects when used with a proper lifestyle.
• Terpenoids and phenolics are major chemical constituents in this herbaceous plant.
• This herb is used in hypertension and works on palpitations, uterine diseases, and respiratory distress.

Ancient Verses

Shloka - 1

बृहत्तखण्डितपर्ण: रम्यपुष्पस्तूदसालप:।
बहिरदूसरावच्चान्तः श्वेतमूलः प्रकीर्तिताः।।
रुक्षस्तीक्ष्णो लघुस्तिक्ताः कटुरुष्णो विनाश्येत्।
आक्षेपकार्दितोन्मादशूलोदरयकृद्रुज:।।
बस्तिवृक्काश्मरीशूलं कष्टार्तवमसृग्व्यथाम्।
पुष्पं स्तम्भनमत्रातिप्रशस्तमतिसारिणाम्।।

Reference - Dravyaguna

Interpretation of Shloka - This herb is a perennial herbaceous plant having beautiful flowers that are singular in form. These are earthy or reddish-white in colour, with white roots in cluster form. This is rough, dry, sharp, light and bitter, and pungent in taste with hot potency. This plant is very useful in epilepsies, palsies, mental diseases, a painful abdomen, or liver diseases can be cured with this. Bladder, kidney stones, Calculus pain, or dysmenorrhea condition can be pacified with this herb. Its flowers are good for stambhan, so is very beneficial indiarrhoea conditions.

Systemic Classification

• Botanical Name - Paeonia emodi
• Family - Paeoniaceae
• Genus - Paeonia
• Species - P. emodi

Habitat

• Himalayan Peony is a kind of diploid nothospecies and is a perennial herbaceous plant, which grows in the Himalayas in moderate or warmer temperatures. This plant has hair-less stems, about 70 to 160 cm long from the ground.
• Its leaves are 6 to 12 inches long with a diameter of 2-3 inches which gives the resemblance to an oval or ovoid shape.
• Its stamens are long, curved, and are of purplish in colour.
• Its flowers are homosexual. These have a circumference of 6 to 10 cm, of white or reddish in colour, singular in form, and sometimes may grow in 1 or 2 groups.
• Its fruits are 1 to 3 inches long and are of widening by half or 3/4th of a circular shape, this is a kind of earthy colour and consists of lines in white-colored petals.
• Its roots are in cluster form.

Classical Categorization

This herb is explained by Acharya Priya Vrat Sharma and is highly focused as an anti-epileptic herb and is used to pacify the Kapha and Vata dosha.

Ayurvedic Properties

• Rasa (Taste) - Katu (Pungent), Tikta (Bitter)
• Guna (Quality) - Ruksha (Dry), Laghu (light), teekshan (Sharp)
• Veerya (Potency) - Ushna (Hot)
• Vipaka (Post digestive effect) - Katu (Pungent)
• Karma (Action) - Balances the Vata and Kapha dosha
• Projyang (Part used) - Roots are used

Effects On Doshas

• This plant helps to balance the Vata and Kapha dosha.
• Its Ruksha, Laghu gunna, and its Tikta, Katu rasa helps to pacify the Kapha dosha and its ushna gunna will help the patient to pacify the Vata dosha.

Practical Uses

• This herb is used as an anti-inflammatory and is helpful by its scrapping properties.
• By Acharya Priya Vrat Sharma, this herb is included under the anti-epileptic herbs because it helps to strengthen the nervous system and nourishes the micro-channels.
• This herb is also helpful in relieving pain.
• Its roots are used for pain relieving and are used to expel the increased dosha from the body systems.
• This herb is hepatoprotective and acts as a Cardiac tonic in nature.
• Its seeds are used to treat vomiting and may be used in purgations.
• Its flowers are used in bleeding disorders and are considered under the stambhan dravyas.
• It also works as a diuretic and due to its ushna gunna, it is used for proper menstrual flow and is used in the contraction of the uterus.
• This herb is good for enhancing the colour complexion and is used in various skin-related conditions.
• When its flowers are made in the paste form and applied over any wound or any fractured site it will help to decrease the inflammation, and pain in that area.
• Its roots are used in children to keep them away from various kids-related conditions.
• It is used in various Vata-related conditions, like seizures, epilepsy, facial paralysis, and many mental disorders.
• Abdominal pain, liver inflammations, ascites, and jaundice patients can take the decoction of the roots of this plant.
• Psoriasis and blood-related disorders can be relieved with the help of the decoction of the root.

Dosage

• Powder of this herb can be used in quantities of 1 to 3 gram.
• If this herb is taken in excess quantity it will cause headaches, ear pain (otalgia), etc.
• To combat its higher dosage, this plant will be healed with gulkand (Rosa centifolia), mulethi (Glycyrrhiza glabra), and all other Vata-Pitta shamak herbs.