Gmelina arboria / Atdemata / ඇත්දෙමට / Bhadraparni / Sri parni / Gambhari / kumil

Botanical Name   :Gmelina arboria

Family                  :Verbenaceae

English Name      :

Sanskrit Names   : Bhadraparni, Sri parni, Maduparnika, Kaśmari, Kaśmīri, Hīra,                                                 

                                 Kaśmarya, Pītarohini, Krushnavrunta, Madurasa, Mahakusumika.

Singhalese Name : Atdemata / ඇත්දෙමට

Other Names :Bengali (gamari,gumbar,gumhar,gomari,gamar); Burmese (mai saw,yemari,yemane,yemani); English (white teak,yemane,Malay beechwood,Kashmir tree,Candahar tree,beechwood,goomar teak,gmelina); French (melina,gmelina,peuplier d Afrique); German (Gumar-Teak); Gujarati (shewan); Hindi (gomari,gumhar,gambhar,sewan,kambhari); Nepali (gamari,khamari,gambari,gumhari); Sanskrit (bhadraparni,gambhari,gandhari,shriparni,kasmari); Spanish (melina,gmelina); Tamil (perungumpil,gumadi,kumadi,umi-thekku); Thai (so,so-maeo); Trade name (yemane,gumhar); Vietnamese (nghi [ees]n d[aas]t,l[ox]I th[oj])

Morphology :

Gmelina arborea is an unarmed, moderately sized to large deciduous tree with a straight trunk. It is wide spreading with numerous branches forming a large shady crown, attains a height of 30 m or more and a diameter of up to 4.5 m. Bark smooth, pale ashy-grey or grey to yellow with black patches and conspicuous corky circular lenticels. Inside surface of bark rapidly turns brown on exposure and exfoliates into thick woody plates or scurfy flakes. Blaze pale orange and mottled with a darker orange colour. Leaves opposite-decussate, mostly rather soft and limp; petioles cylindrical, 5-15 cm long, puberulent or glabrous; leaf blades broadly ovate, 10-25 cm x 7-20 cm wide, apically long acuminate or caudate, entire on mature plants but strongly toothed or lobed on young plants, usually cordate or trunkate basally, with a short cuneate attenuation into the petiole, densely tomentose above when young, becoming glabrous above when mature, permanently densely fulvulous-tomentellous with stellate hairs beneath, glanduliferous just above the petiole on the basal attenuation. Flowers abundant, scented, reddish, brown or yellow, in terminal and axillary 1- to-3-flowered cymes on the panicle branches, which are about 8- 40 cm long. Flower 2.5-5 cm in diameter; bracts 8 mm long, linear lanceolate; calyx broadly campanulate, about 5 mm long, densely fulvoustomentose externally, the rim with 5 small, triangular, acute teeth; corolla large, showy, varying from yellow to orange or brilliant orange to reddishor brownish-yellow, dull yellow-brown, tubular below, obliquely funnel-form at the throat, the tube densely pubescent externally, the limb 2-lipped, the upper lip often orange-pink, deeply divided into 2 oblong, obtuse, backwardly curled lobules, the lower lip often lemon yellow, up to twice as long as the upper and 3-lobed. Fruit a drupe, 1.8-2.5 cm long, obovoid, seated on the enlarged calyx, glossy and yellow when ripe; exocarp succulent and aromatic; endocarp bony and usually 2-celled. Seeds 1-3, lenticular, exalbuminous.

Parts used    - root bark, fruit

Properties:

            Rasa            Kashaya, Tikta, Madhura,

            Guna           Guru

            Veerya        Ushna

            Vipaka        Madhura

Attributes / Karma:

Alleviate Tri-dosha

Promote appetite & digestion. Brain tonic (mēdya). Analgesic.

Cures – constipation, vertigo, edema, excessive thirst due to tridosha, āmadosa,

             Hemorrhoids, toxicity, burning sensation of the body, fever.

Fruits – nutritive tonic (vrunhana), aphrodisiac (vrushya), rejuvenating (rasayana),

             Cures – excessive thirst due to Vata & Pitta. Rakta kshaya, aurea, heartburn,

              Burning sensation of the body, ratpitta (bleeding disorder), wounds, emaciation,

    
                                                                                                                                

Medicinal uses:

External

·         Headache cause by fever – applied past of leaves over the forehead.

·         Burning & pain – leaves are tied to the affected parts.

·         Vatarakta (rumatoid arthritis) – oil made out of roots & madūka (Glycerrhiza glabra) is used.

·         To develop breast – kept a tampon of oil derived from gambhari juice.

Internal

·         Disurea, gonorrhea & cystitis – juice of leaves are given along with cow’s milk & sugar

·         Threatened abortions (garbhapāta) – ripe fruit juice with honey is given.

·         Post partum fever – decoction of root bark is used.

Formulations:

            Dasamularishta

            Vruhat pancamula kvata