Herb : Nagkesar
(Botanical name: Mesua Ferrea)
Classification
- Kingdom- Plantae
- Division- Magnoliophyta
- Class- Magnoliopsida
- Order- Malpighiales
- Family- Clusiaceae
- Subfamily- Kielmeyeroideae
- Tribe- Calophylleae
- Genus- Mesua
- Species- M.ferrea
History
Mesua ferrea is commonly known as nagkesar and is a native to tropical
Sri Lanka also cultivated in Assam, southern Nepal, Indochina and Malay
Peninsula.
The plant is cultivated basically for its hard timber, foliage and
fragrant flower.
It is a bitter and a bit poisonous herb yet valued for its affective
medicinal properties.
Plant Description
Mesua is an evergreen tree that grows to height of 20-30 m with erect
and upright trunk of about 90cm in diameter, supportive at the base and
crown conic.
The leaves are pendulous petiole 5-8mm and are blunt reddish brown and
drooping when young.
The flowers are 4-7.5 cm in diameter consist of four petals and a centre
of numerous yellow stamens.
Cultivation
Mesua is an evergreen tree and national tree of Sri Lanka. It is mainly
cultivated in Sri Lanka and other parts of world.
The flower generally blooms in July and August and generally thrives in
full sunlight.
Parts Used
Wood, bark and flowers are used
Constituents
Henna leaves contain an important pigment called 'lawsone'. It also
contains mannite, tannic acid, Gallic acid, mucilage and naphtaquinone.
Uses
- Mesua tree's wood is considered to be heavy and used in making hard
railway lines.
- The resin produced by the tree is slightly poisonous yet is very
useful. It helps in aggravates the fairness of skin.
- The flowers are fragrant, acrid, anodyne, digestive and useful in
stomachache, and constipation. In some countries the extract of flowers
are used in perfumes.
- The flowers are also used to treat asthma, leprosy, cough, fever,
vomiting and impotency.
- Fresh flowers are useful in itching, nausea, piles, excessive thirst
and sweating.
- The seeds oil is considered for healing purpose as in sores, wounds
and rheumatism.
Names
- English-: Ceylon ironwood, Cobra's saffron, Indian rose-chestnut,
Iron-wood tree, Sembawang tree (Singapore).
- Italian-: Croco di cobra.
- German-: Nagassamen.
- Arabic-: Narae-kaisar.
- Russian-: Indiiskoe zheleznoe derevo, Mezua zheleznaia, Mezuia
zheleznaia, Nagakeshara (from Hindi), Zheleznoe derevo.
- Burmese-: Gungen, Kenga
- Chinese- : Tie li mu, (Taiwan).
- Japanese-: Tagayasan.
- Thai- : Bhra na kaw, Bunnak (Boon naak), Ka ko (Karen), Gaa gaaw,
Gam gaaw, Kam ko (Shan), Saan phee daawy, Saraphi doi (Chiang Mai).
- Assamese-: Nahor, Nokte
- Bengali-: Nagkesar, Punnaga.
- Gujarati-: Nagachampa.
- HIndi-: Nagchampa, Nagesar, Naghesar, Nagkesar , Nahar, Narmishka
(Urdu name in Devanagari script).
- Kannada-: Nagakesari, Nagasampige.
- Malay-: Nagasari (Java), Penaga.
- Malayalam-: Churuli, Vainavu.
- Marathi-: Nagakeshara, Nagchampa, Thorlachampa.
- Sanskrit-: Champeryah, Nagakesara, Nagakeshara, Nagkesar,
Nagakesarah, Nagkeshara, Nagkeshwar, Nagpushpa, Nagapuspah.
- Tagalog-: Kaliuas.
- Tamil-: Charu-nagapu, Nagappu, Nakecuram , Sirunagappoo, Tadinangu,
Veillutta champakam.
- Telugu-: Kesaramu, Nagakesaramu, Nagashappu.
- Urdu: Narmishka.
