Plumbago Zeylanica

Description

Chitrak, also called DoctorBush or Ceylon, is one of the oldest plants known for its medicinal value and is considered as Rasayana in Ayurveda. It is grown throughout India in the wild or cultivated state due to its health benefits.
Chitrak root is beneficial in managing diabetes. It lowers blood glucose levels by enhancing insulin secretion due to its anti-diabetic and antioxidant properties. Chitrak also reduces blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels and thereby, helps in weight loss. It also aids in reducing anxiety and calming brain activity as it suppresses the central nervous system due to its relaxant properties.

According to Ayurveda, it helps improve the digestive system due to its Deepana (appetizer) and Pachana (digestion) properties. It also helps manage atherosclerosis as it prevents the deposition of fatty substances in arteries and maintains the blood flow in the body.

Chitrak can also be used for external purposes. It helps in managing various skin diseases such as acne, sore, dermatitis due to its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. It also accelerates wound healing owing to its antioxidant properties and helps in the formation of new skin cells.
It is advised not to consume Chitrak during pregnancy as it irritates the uterus and enhances contractions which might lead to miscarriage

The therapeutic uses of Chitrak are as follows:

• In Ayurveda, the roots are used to treat migraine, jaundice, skin diseases, urinary calculi, seminal weakness, and internal abscesses. It is also used as a detoxicant, febrifuge, antiseptic, and antihelminthic.5,6.
• The root is used extensively in India and China to treat contusion of extremities, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and dysmenorrhea.
• The roots contain an alkaloid called plumbagin. It is responsible for various therapeutic properties like antioxidant, antimalarial, antibiotic, antifertility, anticancer, and cardiotonic.

Benefits of Chitrak in Kidney Disorders:

• The extract of Chitrak can produce a reversal of kidney damage due to cisplatin.
• Chitrak extract showed protective activity against the nephrotoxic effects of the drug cisplatin

Chitrak, a.k.a Plumbago zeylanica is a classical ayurvedic herb that has been used for the treatment of various health woes since the time of the Sage Charaka. Classified as a powerful ‘Rasayana Dravya’ or rejuvenative herb, the medicinal uses of Chitrak encompass far beyond just gastrointestinal disturbances. With more and more knowledge about the medicinal properties of the herb, Chitrak is successfully used for the management and treatment of constipation, indigestion, piles, muscular pain, diarrhoea, diabetes, compromised immunity, common cold, cough, bronchitis, asthma, obesity, rheumatism, skin infections, pain and inflammation, hypercholesterolemia, and many more.