Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary

E.) Like cajeput oil, the principal constituent
is cineole (eucalyptol).
A related species, M. genistifolia,
indigenous to Australia, is grown in
botanical gardens at Saharanpur and
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh). The leaves
and terminal twigs yield 0.53% of
a volatile oil which consists mainly
of d-pinene, and about 2% cineole and
traces of aldehyde.
Melastoma malabathricum
Linn.
Synonym ◮ M. normale D. Don.
Family ◮ Melastomataceae.
Habitat ◮ Moist parts of India, up to
1,800 m.
English ◮ Indian Rhododendron.
Folk ◮ Laakheri, Paalorey (Maharashtra).
Tulasi (Nepal). Nakkukappan
(Tamil Nadu), Phutuka (Assam).
Action ◮ Leaf—antidiarrhoeal,
antiseptic. Locally applied in
smallpox to prevent pox-marks.
Leaf and flowering top—astringent,
antileucorrhoeic. Bark—applied
to wounds. Also employed in
preparation of gargles.
The leaves gave amino acids—glycine,
valine, leucine, aspartic acid,
glutamic acid, methionine, tyrosine,
isoleucine and hydroxyproline. The
roots gave beta-sitosterol and a triterpene,
melastomic acid.
Melia azedarach Linn.
Family ◮ Meliaceae.
Melia azedarach Linn. 403
Habitat ◮ Cultivated and naturalized
throuhout India. Wild in the
Sub-Himalayan tract up to 1,800 m.
English ◮ Persian Lilac, Pride of
India.
Ayurvedic ◮ Mahaanimba, Ramyaka,
Dreka. (Neem is equated with
Azadirachta indica.)
Unani ◮ Bakaayan.
Siddha/Tamil ◮ Malaivembu.
Action ◮ Leaf—diuretic, anthelmintic,
antilithic. Leaf and
flower—febrifuge, sedative, emmenagogue.
Leaf, fruit and stem
bark—antileprotic. Leaf, flower,
fruit, root bark—deobstruent,
resolvent. Seed oil—antirheumatic,
insecticidal. Leaves, bark and
fruit—insect repellent. Gum—
used in spleen enlargement. Heartwood—an
aqueous extract, used in
asthma.
The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India
indicated the use of the dried stem
bark in increased frequency and turbidity
of urine, skin diseases, nausea,
emesis, asthma, gastroenteritis, giddiness
and vertigo.
The bitter constituents are present
exclusively in the pericarp, not in the
kernel as in the case of Neem fruit.
Bakayanin has been isolated from the
pericarp (bitter in dilutions of 1 in
10,000).
The heartwood also yielded bakayanin
and a lactone, bakalactone. Leaves
gave quercitrin and rutin and tetranortriterpenoids,
salanin and vilasinin.
An infusion of the bark is effective
against ascariasis. The activity resides
in the inner bark which is bitter but not
M